Day 102 Mississippi River
I woke up before sunrise with plans of getting out early and hopes of reaching the Gulf by evening. By my count, 45 miles would put me in the ocean.
My mom was set to land in New Orleans around 1pm, rent a car and drive 2 hours South to meet me in Venice, LA- the last town with road access before the Louisiana bayous engulf the final 25 miles to saltwater.
As I worked through the morning the finality of my trip began to set in.
Sometime around noon I reached Venice, LA and had to accept the fact that I would need one more day to fulfill my goal. The open ocean sat some 25 miles from Venice. Once I hit the Gulf I would have two options for getting back to town. Option 1- paddle 25 miles back upstream. Option 2- try my best to hitch a ride with a fishing boat back to the Venice Marina. I didn't like my odds of finishing out the final leg and hitching a ride back late at night. With that in mind I made a call to my Mom, filling her in on the new plan. I would camp one more night as close to the Gulf as possible, hit salt water tomorrow morning, hitch a ride back to Venice by mid-morning and meet my Mom at the local marina around noon. Knowing that cell service would likely be limited south of Venice I touched base and confirmed the plan with my Mom.
Shortly after passing Venice the river comes to Mile Marker 0, and splits into 3 channels, all of which reach the Gulf. With thick fog caking the horizon it was difficult to tell exactly where the South Pass, the channel I would take, began. As I worked closer to the opening I pointed the bow of my boat due South and shot through the fog.
Once into the South Pass all commercial traffic ceased. The large freighters, cargo ships and massive ocean liners that I had shared the river with the last several weeks were gone, favoring the Southwest Pass over my route, the South Pass.
10 miles short of the Gulf I came across a large patch of grass on the left descending bank. I could see a campfire roaring and heard the sound of folks having a good time. I scurried across the river and pulled up to the camp spot, which had several hunting boats lined up along the shore. As I neared the bank, a fellow jokingly yelled out.
"Hey Buddy, this a no wake zone!"
As I got out I asked if there was room to toss up an extra tent for the night. Without hesitation the group welcomed me in.
"Hope your hungry!"
The group of guys were out for the weekend duck hunting and camping. Following burgers, beans and fish we all settled in, telling stories, cracking jokes and tipping a few cold ones. They were interested to hear of my journey and I was happy to share the evening with them and pick up some Cajun culture.
As the midnight oil burned we rolled on, 12oz at a time.
After camping solo for so long, it was great to spend my last night on the river with a great group of guys.
Tomorrow I will taste salt water, and I can't wait.