June 10 The winds died down this afternoon, so I decided to push on
as far as I could in order to make Pierre tomorrow. I figure
the earlier I get to Pierre, the longer I'll be able to rest my
wrist and shoulder, which now gives me sharp pain when I
try to paddle full strength - a sure sign of a pulled muscle.
My body is starting to show signs of wear and tear, and I
could use a few days of calm water to let things settle down.
I ended up paddling for 10 hours today, in order to take
advantage of the afternoon and evening calm. I saw
another eagle today, and dozens of huge nests in the dead
trees that occupy the shallows of the lake, homes to great
blue herons and their nestlings. The water is much muddier
now, like the Missouri below Sioux City.
June 11 I got my earliest start yet - on the river by 6:16 - in order to
beat the wind to Pierre. The wind got there first, so I had
another hellish day on the lake. As I got within 5 miles of
Pierre, the river current kicked in again, and the wind began
gusting up to 40 mph. I had to concentrate so hard on
moving forward and not tipping that I couldn't even glance
to acknowledge several boats I saw. I pulled in safely to
the Pierre marina, but I'm worried that if Lake Francis Case
and Lake Sharpe have given me so much trouble, what
happens when I get to the bigger lakes like Oahe? So far
I've been paddling in South Dakota for 2 weeks. In that
time I've had three days when the wind was less than 20
mph. The weather forecasts, at least for the wind, have
become predictable. Winds will always be 20-35 mph. The
only variable is their direction. I hope I can get some relief,
because I fear I won't make the mountains at this rate.
Click here for days 71-76 of Richard's journal
