Page 163 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

My purpose in kayaking the Mississippi River was bottom line to learn how to kayak. But the
more I learned about LONG DISTANCE PADDLERS and short hop canoeist and kayakers,

the less I wanted to be like them. Not offensively or better, just different priorities.

I wanted to tell myself I could stop when I want to stop and go when I want to go. All in all
honesty I could feel that same tug to move on though I actively fought it with stops like the

one I was doing now. It is a powerful calling to be a hasty people. I didn’t want to be one.

I actually forced myself to not load up and go, just after stopping, or even the next morning. I
had said I would take a full 24 hrs. here. I knew if I gave in now, I was a goner later.

Finding the bridge and then the road and trash can I got a chance to get rid of trash though I

had to pack it out. Not much but I had also decided to dump a few items I had not used in the
first week, so I did.

Thinking I would leave, I packed the Sea Eagle and covered with a tarp floating at the landing

while I didn’t bother loading the Intex Explorer.

A day is a day and so I used all the light I had that day and had a nice fire and relaxing even-
ing. Weird there was not a mosquito in sight but I didn’t mind at all.

Waking the next day to rain and drizzles I decided I was paying a price for not leaving sooner,

like the day before but as I was making ready to leave.