Day Fifteen

This day ended up being a non-river day because of the incredible winds. My experience the previous day was pretty scary and dangerous. Yesterday the wind was so strong that it pushed me across to the right bank and all I could do was try to avoid the hazards. After scraping and bumping beside and over branches, logs and rocks, the next problem was the water discharge from one of the many petrochemical plants along this stretch of river.
There was no way i was going to be able to fight the wind and get by the discharge so I pulled in, ate my lunch and waited until the wind had subsided enough for me to safely pass by. Eventually I was able to maneuver out from the bank and paddle again. This whole episode was quite dangerous so I have decided not to paddle again until the wind abates to a reasonable level. Safety first!! I also began to realise that overnight the water level had begun to rise a little. Stones that were visible when I had pulled into my camp spot had now disappeared under water. This was obviously a little concerning to me and I had to find a way to anchor the canoe so it did not float away on me if the water kept rising. Hence my next two pictures.

This is my kitchen, a little different from what I'm used to but it works.

So ended Day Fifteen. No new Spot message for this day as I never moved from my campsite but hopefully the wind will drop for tomorrow and I can continue on my way downstream. Achieving my original goal of Cumberland House in Saskatchewan is becoming less likely the way things are going but maybe getting through Alberta may be an achievable goal for my 28 days!