Page 114 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

Making sure not to hurry I lifted the tree and rolled the log closer to shore gaining height. I
slowly repeated this so I could get the end of the tree high enough up so I could squat under it

and lift with my shoulder.

Crude and rude I was hoping to angle enough near the bank to get under the tree.

When I exhausted all the lift I could get, I was ready. Now I grabbed the trunk I found earlier
and leaned in against the tree tilted towards me in case it fell. Then I squatted, got my shoulder

under the tree and lifted. With this added height I propped the trunk under.

No it didn't work the first time, there was mud and other issues but I solved them and got the
levered tree to stand.

It wasn't high enough yet, so I had to move from end of tree to closer in and lift…. then slide
the prop trunk closer in. After four or five lift prop, slide, adjust. I had a gap near shore I could
go under and the tree wasn’t moving.

I plopped down tired again, not sure why even though everything was “technically to heavy”

for me. I guessed it was probably some weight loss and stamina issue I sometimes had when
going from desk jockey to Outdoorsman. And oh yeah…….Crohn’s Disease.

I know how to leverage and so accomplish much more than many people, and lift several times

my weight even though I was technically disabled. I had basically lived my life that way. But
tired was tired so I caught my breath, drank water, ate some candy corn and got in the kayaks
and paddled under the tree that was blocking the river. Now just high enough to squeeze under.

MAN I WAS SO DAMNED PROUD OF MYSELF

I hadn’t really thought of trees blocking the river before, but then I recalled the concession guy
at Lake Itasca had said they go downriver to clear out trees before the season

starts……….something like June.

I had in preparing for this trip heard of others who would start early so I made sure the Leaning
Tree Prop would stay and basically gave myself kudos of being helpful.

Oh I knew Canoeist would just portage around the end of it, and certainly kayakers wouldn’t

take the time to make a path way thru, but this was my typical “trailblazer” spirit my wife had
seen when I took her on mountain trails when we lived in Alaska and Oregon.

I even wrote in big letters in my journal “YOUR WELCOME” for all those I knew who might

use it before it fell down or they came in and cut up.

The clouds seemed light which early in the day I thought rain, but as I felt inspired now it was
almost like the weather conspired to encourage me and the water was running for a change

deep enough to let me paddle so I was happy.