Tuesday, June 9, 2015
High -92
Low -72
Skies -Sunny
Winds – Light and variable
Nasty storms last night, but they were welcome as they cooled things off and allowed me to sleep.
LaNae came down ill soon after we got off the river yesterday. She complained of stomach pain and nausea and had a bad case of diarrhea. The heat is getting so oppressive. Besides being worried about LaNae I got claustrophobic in the tent – there was just no air moving (kinda like being stuck in an airplane full of people with no air conditioning). I had gotten up and rolled the rain fly up on top of the tent, but LaNae still couldn’t sleep – she felt awful. The next thing I knew there was thunder and lightning with mist blowing into the tent. I got up and secured the rain fly just as the rain let loose.
When we woke this morning, LaNae was no better. We were nowhere near a town and she was hesitant for me to call for help. She ate breakfast but was barely able to keep it down.
Before I broke camp I took advantage of the water last night’s rains had left in our cockpits and used the Katadyn filter to refill our water supply since we’re still about 100 miles from Greenville – our next stop.
After praying about the LaNae’s situation, I sent a text to our friends at Wepfer Marine and also at Quapaw Canoe Company. They were both concerned and offered to help but had no easy or immediate access to us. (Although we learned later that they had tried to reach us after we had left last night’s camp).
We decided to paddle down to a “house” where we had seen lights last night. (To see a house along here is really rare.) When we arrived, LaNae waited in her boat along the shore while I climbed up the steep and gnarly bank. At the top I saw a man out by his truck and explained the situation. “Man, you’re a long way from everything,” he said. It turns out this was not a house but a private, remote hunting club. He also had no easy or immediate access to the outside world.
Arriving back at the boats, LaNae indicated she was feeling a little better and she would like to paddle a few miles and then stop and sleep. Eight miles later we found a nice shaded open area under some big shady cottonwood trees. It was 11:00am.
Once ashore, I laid out the tarp in the shade, and LaNae fell fast asleep while I set up camp.
It’s 6:00pm now. LaNae got up and ate some dinner and is now back on her tarp reading. She seems to be doing a little better.
We were just finishing dinner when 4 gentlemen and a boy stopped by in their fishing boat to say hi. They asked us about our adventure, tossed us a couple of bottles of water, and went on their way. Good people.
Things seem pretty good this evening now that LaNae is on the mend and we are hoping for a more normal day tomorrow.
We know there are continued prayers for us, all of which are felt and appreciated.
Thanks for following our adventure. For photos and videos of the events mentioned in this daily journal, check us out on Instagram @ separateboats.
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