Page 141 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

I could feel the tether line go slack attached to me waist. My mind knew what was happening
but my emotions were only slowly changing from admiration to horror.

I was tired of wet. I was tired of walking in the creek. I was tired……..and no body cared. Not

even the Mississippi River Creek.

Turning back and living again in slow mo stop gap filming, my mind recorded the frame by
frame incident. “Kayakanoe “ the yellow Intex Explorer K-2 lead kayak nearest me, attached

by the tether, was sitting pretty much high and dry in the center of the creek on a sand bar.

The tether attached to me had gone slack because rather than miss the little sand bar and go
around it like the Sea Eagle “Eloquence” 370 had done before I saw the eagle, the yellow kay-

ak grounded.

Suddenly stopped being on the other end of the stretch tow rope, the “Eloquence” responded
by hitting the end of the tow and snapping vertical in the river than horizontal. Sideways to the

current, the water slapping the tube, the Inflatable Kayak was floating fine except for the bush
the eagle had launched from. One end of the Sea Eagle snagged it and stayed in place.

Sort of.

Again like a re-rerun of Rocky Horror Picture Show we did the Time Warp again.

Some one yelled “Nooooooo”.

Someone else’s eyes bugged out.

Someone else admired the moments of sadistic beauty as the Kayak now with the cargo net re-
moved so it wouldn’t snag, did a slow roll in time and tempo to the river current.

If it had been a move I would not have minded, but all those someone’s was me.

AND I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND SO THIS DAY THAT HAD ALMOST
GONE ALL DAY WITH ONLY A MINOR INCIDENT, suddenly became my worst rollover.
It would also become my last as I vowed and swore up and down the creek I was soon to have

to haul gear on, that I would never again allow any kayak I was with to roll over.

NEVER.

2,000 River miles later I kept that promise and never did roll my kayaks again.

But this time I knew inside me this would hurt.

I knew I had perishables exposed and even my solar panel was out and charging a battery.

I knew as I untied my tether this time was the last time because I could not afford to be this

stupid again on this trip. Never again. And so I did. Never Again.