Back in the boat, finally

For almost three weeks, I was completely focused on a long list of finishing chores at my building, and did not paddle at all.  Then on Friday afternoon, after I had spent the entire day building shelves inside my closets, I realized that I had missed out on a gorgeous fall day.  So I resolved to make time to get back on the river yesterday.  I paddled the surf ski for 70 minutes, in the middle of which I took a short hike on a large sandbar at the mouth of the Loosahatchie Chute.

Unfortunately, yesterday was somewhat less lovely than Friday had been.  A front had come through overnight, and a stiff, chilly wind was blowing from the north, and clouds made up a large percentage of a partly-cloudy sky.  Making matters worse is that a lot of my cool-weather paddling clothing is still packed in boxes I know not where.  So while it didn't stop me from paddling, I didn't linger and enjoy the sights on my little hike as much as I'd have liked.

But I did at least snap several photos.  With the Mississippi River at a typically low autumn level (-4.1 feet on the Memphis gauge), a lot of terrain that is underwater for much of the year is exposed right now.  All the sand you see in these photos will probably be submerged for the first six or seven months of next year.