July 27, 2005
Morgan City, Louisiana
2,150 miles
We made it. I can’t believe this is over.
There are so many emotions and memories going through my head right now I don’t know where to start. The last few days have been some of the best of the trip. Hot to be sure, but great all the same. We really struggled with the decision to take the Atchafalaya River to the gulf instead of the Mississippi but it worked out great for us. We met far more folks going this way, the barge traffic was minimal, and the river was smaller allowing us to reflect on everything instead of dodging boats all day. Taking the road less traveled was far better for us in retrospect.
Our final day was terrific. To get closer to the gulf, we had to go past the last town (Morgan City) and paddle back about 13 miles. The final day we were paddling through a great bayou as saw plenty of birds, “boneyards” of old boats, a few alligators, and large number of jumping fish that I need to ID sometime soon. Everything around here is made up of marshes with very little dry ground or sandbars. Our campsite last night was a small spit of sandbar maybe 8” above the high water line.
There was a terrific thunderstorm yesterday afternoon that we had to sit out, soaking everything around here. Spending the last night on a wet, soggy, mosquito-infested sandbar didn’t matter though. We were just glad to have made it here without any injuries or major incidents. There’s some lingering soreness, especially in our hands, a little sunburn, but nothing else of any consequence. I’m in the best shape I’ve been in 10 years. Sand and mud is covering everything, including us. We’re a week removed from our last shower, paddling 8-10 hours a day in the Louisiana summer heat. It’s going to take a week of showers to get all the grit and funk off.
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