Archive for August, 2009

Xtreme River Time?

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Sometimes river time, the way we love it, is not what others are looking for. There are some folks who are not interested in a peaceful and soulful experience. No, for some, it is excitement and adventure that they crave. For that, the Chain of Rocks is where we go. It is just the place to amp up the adrenaline flow and put our skills to the highest test. It is probably the most troublesome, dangerous place on the Mississippi River for paddlers, especially at a low water stage.

Planet X dudes and Big Muddy Mike in the Chain of Rocks cauldron. Photo by John Torigan

Planet X dudes and Big Muddy Mike in the Chain of Rocks cauldron. Photo by John Torigan

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to provide the daring and exciting version of river time for a group of elite, world record holding Planet X athletes. Dave, Dan Mahoney, Ryan and their Planet X film crew, led by Brian Simpson, are pogo stick crazy. Dan jumps a world record nine feet in the air over things on his air compression pogo stick. Dave can flip his around mid-air, much like a skateboard dude or a bmx dude, and bounce or jump or stick again and again without a drop or tumble. His amazing acrobatic moves are cool. No, these are not athletes you would see on ESPN Sportscenter, but they are great athletes nonetheless. And their courage and daring are off the charts. They called Monday night, requested for a Tuesday trip, and we went for it.

At twenty four feet long, the Clipper was our choice of canoe to take the whole crew over the Chain of Rocks, filming in HD all the while. I explained how difficult our attempt would be. It excited them even more. I explained how we needed to provide for our safety in very meticulous and pro-active ways. They understood that well and helped set up a second canoe on the sandbar below the Chain as a safety boat.

At seven feet gauge height in St. Louis, the Chain of Rocks is a thundering obstacle course created by the mass of Mississippi River water (200,000 cfs, yesterday) flowing to a precipitous point, a ledge stretching the entire width of the river with massive boulders, rocks and assorted river detritus (refrigerators, car parts, anything that has come from flooded zones far away) layered through the entire river channel. The entire river is rushing, falling and tumbling in a labyrinth of boiling, churning and standing waves, with a washer machine hydraulic effect mashing and mixing the water. There have been deaths here.

From upstream at water level, you can’t see any of the possible lines of water to run. There are only a couple. River right is our preference for a more simple and less tumultuous run over the Chain. River left is for pro’s only. We scouted and filmed the Chain from a few vantage points, trying to decide where to paddle. Of course, the Planet X choice was the “rad” one, river left, in the “big water”, where the danger is highest, where I would not go unless I was completely confident that everyone could handle it.

We carried the Clipper from the parking lot on Choteau Island to a sand and mud bank just above the Chain falls. Everyone tightened their vests, checked their cameras and settled into the six seat positions on the Clipper. We paddled upstream along the bank, then did a big circle between the old Route 66, “Chain”, Bridge and the I-270 bridge, practicing our paddle strokes. Finally, we pointed it downstream, searching for the exact line we had decided on. We approached rather slowly, and got right to the edge where the water falls away, where the river simply grabs you, pulls you over the falls and hurtles you through the cauldron. I yelled, “Back Paddle! Hard!”, and continued yelling at the crew who quite impressively provided the power to abort the run.

When we got to the edge, I realized that I was not quite centered with the line of water I wanted. We would have dropped right on top of the big boulder marking the left side of the line. We circled around again, and I asked, “Should we really do this?” I got looks of amazement, as if, “what are you thinking? Of course, we should do this. C’mon, dude!”

We circled again and pointed the Clipper back to the Chain. I encouraged everyone to paddle hard, with no intention of aborting and only a slight chance to alter course. Over the edge we went, the high prow on the Clipper successfully shedding a good portion of the water that would have come in as it hit the bottom of the falls. The canoe bounced up into the huge standing waves, wiggled and rolled a bit, then followed the rush of water downstream. Whew! Twenty seconds of total rush and right side up at the end. I was “stoked” and relieved.

“Aw, man! that’s it?”, one of the Xtreme dudes cried.
“Yeah, that’s it.”
A moment of silence ensued as we turned into the eddy below the falls. Then, I heard one of the guys exclaim, “We should do it again, only this time, let’s go over backwards!”
Now I was the one with the… “Are you goofy?” look on my face. “No that’s quite enough. We don’t tempt the river gods too much around here.”

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Monsta Movies Expedition Update 9

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

This update is coming to you from Rue de la course, a coffee shop about 1 mile from our river rat camp tonight. We have made it to New Orleans, but the final scene and final miles will occur tomorrow when we paddle around the bend to the French Quarter with our comrades, Monsta Movies crew. This update is about some stuff a few days ago. I am on limited time, as always, and so I will catch up to our location with the details tomorrow, hopefully.

First things first. Check out this on the Monsta Movies blog. quite amusing, and one that Big Muddy Adventures particularly relishes.

Now back to Natchez, MS and the rest of the story….

While I was up at the famous Under the Hill Saloon (using their wifi to post updates, emails, etc… and drinking coffee not whiskey unfortunately), John and crew off-loaded all of the film crew gear, bags and excess stuff from the Junebugs. According to the plan, the Monsta folks are land based for all but the final scene in New Orleans. We want the raft as light as possible to make the 350 miles of river in the eight days we have remaining.

We departed the Monsta Movies crew in a rush at the Natchez landing. A huge thunderstorm appeared across the river and seemed destined to hit us with full force. As we paddled away and under the bridge, I could see the disappointment in the eyes and waving arms of Patricia, Lutz and Volker. They have found something in their hearts on this river. I think that if they had it to do over again, they would have made the film entirely on the river and left all the quirky stories of the town folk along the way for some other project. Still, I can’t wait to see what they found in our river cities.

Somehow the foreboding thunder, lightening and sheets of rain that we could hear and see passed by us with nary a drop and only a short burst of wind. It seems that we are being watched by river angels as all of the potential threats are being dispersed, like Moses and the Red Sea. Knock on wood!

We are only a crew of seven now. There are no breaks from the rowing or tiller position. No one to spell you when your hands are cramped or your back and arms are screaming at you to stop. That is, no breaks until the river bends in an easterly direction. The winds are coming from the South/ Southwest. Until we get a tailwind, we have to lay our backs and arms into the work at all times. We are in good shape now, after 22 days on the river. Still the effort is strenuous. I can tell when the fatigue has set in. The Mighty Quapaws become silent. Their usual banter about girls and cars, or the incessant teasing of each other fades away into river time meditation.

I have been using my iPod as a stimulant to keep up a strong rowing stroke. I have never done that before… played recorded music while on river time. This time is different with good reason. I am seated backwards to the motion of the raft. It was disconcerting at first, not seeing what’s ahead, not catching the first glimpses of creatures in our path, or potential threats. So to counteract this, I decided to try and listen to some music and see how it blends with the passing of the river. It has worked well. But not well enough, I think, to continue this practice after the expedition. I prefer the the familiar position of the canoe and with that the natural sounds of the river.

So, what’s the playlist? It has been quite varied. In the early morning, I have listened to some Gregorian chant from a Benedictine monastic schola or some classical works by the British Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony. Later in the morning I have clicked on a selection of U2, some hill country Blues, i.e. Robert Belfour, the North Mississippi All Stars, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcom. After lunch, Bob Dylan, the Police, and a new fave, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. When I need some extra energy for a particularly tough stretch, my boys, the Rolling Stones get turned up. Finally, everyday I have played a few selections from our beloved friend Wesley Jefferson, who was buried on Wednesday. One song in particular is on my mind. It is from a great CD called, “Meet Me in the Cotton Field” on Broke and Hungry Records (owned by a St. Louis native, Jeff Konkel). “Blues is Like the River” is a must listen. It has brought more than a few tears to the eyes on this journey. And it was co-written by my river compadre, John Ruskey.

Our routine, sans movie crew, has changed. We are now most interested in time saving and labor saving techniques. We are cooking with the Brunton stove instead of making campfire. We are getting on the raft at 6:30 AM and spending 12-13 hours moving downstream. The river is awesome, but the winds have made traveling tough at times. Each day we have been tortured by 20-25 mph in your face wind. The Mighty Quapaws, John and I are making the necessary miles despite the challenge. Our schedule is intact.

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