Page 138 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

WET/DRY tech clothes or “sports clothes” for the athletic and marathon minded become abso-
lutely essential gear on the Mississippi River and Creek. If you can afford them.

Hunters typically spend a lot of money on certain pieces of gear as outer wear and then will

‘tough out’ the campsites till they bring home the kill.

Fishermen often have waders and rubbers due to the amount of time they spend in the water.
While I had planned to spend “some time” in the water, most of my planning had been for long

sunset vistas in heat. I could only imagine how hot and more concerns over sweat then cold.

While Minnesota had shown me some warm sunshine's, clouds and shade had produced some
real drops in temps and it could get cold fast. Sometimes the sun just moving behind a cloud

was big drop in temps.

So far every night had been colder than I expected and I dressed for sleep with more clothes
on. Even so I would huddle in my sleeping bag then actually be warm. Being I loved camping

but being from the West I really didn’t have a handle on this “dew” everyday and if I didn’t
cover it in some way I soaked it from the weather.

This was one lesson I was losing at. Minnesota Dew Point. Also known to me as Minnesota

Wet Wear. At times I just wore damp and wet into the day drying as the Sun came our for short
periods of time.

This “wet condition” by itself was easily solvable if I had taken time to think and follow thru
with plastics, tarps etc., but each day had been sun up or Early Light to Dark after sundown on

a go go routine.

In this early stage it was easier to postpone and just go then solve every issue that came up
when the river/creek was still tossing me hard ball curves.

My one day time out/repack rest had been fun and warm, but today setting out was gloomy and
damp.

Fatigue was catching up with me at times this first week of pad-

dling and while I knew from previous strenuous work I had
been on (I was once employed as a journeyman boilermaker
working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week) My body was slower this

time to adapt and change over from computer time to paddle
and non stop camp time.

AND GREY DAYS AND WET JUST KNOCKED ME OUT

WITH MICRO NAPS.

I remember loading the Kayaks early but napping several times
before actually leaving.