River Mile - 512
Today’s Distance - 14 miles
Total Distance - 839
We launched from our swampy site at 7:20 am. It was even grosser than yesterday. Cold, muddy nasty water up to our thighs. Once in our boats, all that gunk came in with us.
From our little horse shoe shaped Island, we had a big 7 mile open water paddle with 5 - 10 mph wind in our faces. This was just a hint of what the day would bring us. It took us two hours to make it to Lock & Dam 13. By the time we got there I was already feeling gassed.
After we locked through, the wind picked up and was blowing directly into our faces. Being low on the water has a way of magnifying temperature and wind speed. In today’s case, the 20 - 30 mph headwind felt like paddling into a hurricane. We were literally crawling along at 1 mph. Also, the wind blowing against the current made for whitewater conditions.
Our goal was to get to Princeton IA, a 27 mile day. But, at 3:00 pm, after 7-1/2 hours of heavy paddling, we called it a day at Camanche IA, 18 miles for the day. We really busted our butts today with not that much to show for it. Sometimes you just have to take what the river gives you.
We are camping at the Camanche Marina. The owner was kind enough to make an exception to their no camping policy. Our boats are tied to the dock, and our tents are set up on a nice grassy lawn, overlooking the river. As I look at it, there are still white caps and the wind is still howling.
It’s good to be out of our boats, giving our shoulders a rest.
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