Get to my BOL by water scenario

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It looks like an ideal river to travel on. I might suggest staying on the far bank from most roads and the private boat docks I see in WI. In years gone by, I canoed extensively in the midnight to 4am time frame in Dallas and Fort Worth. (I worked an odd shift). By keeping a slow pace, my travel was quiet enough that even some of the wildlife wasn't aware of my presence until I had passed by. Due to plant congestion and deep mud, I had access to places even the landowners couldn't reach. Don't forget to take advantage of the very shallow draft. You might want to take the maps with you on your dry runs and mark out any good places where pursuers can be shed on a mud, sand, or gravel shoal.
 
Ideally, you would live upstream from you BOL, and then just flow downstream to get there. Just out of curiosity, I looked to see how I could get to my BOL by water. Theoretically it's possible.

Portage 1/4 mile to Lindsey Creek
Go down Lindsey Creek 10 miles to the Chattahooche River
Go down the Chattahoochie 300 miles to Apalachicola Bay
Go by Gulf of Mexico 500 miles to the Mississippi River
Go up the Mississippi River 400 miles to Vicksburg
Go up the Yazoo River 100 miles
Portage over the Yazoo River Levee
Go up unnamed slough 1 mile
Portage 1/2 mile to BOL

I think bicycle might be a lot easier :rolleyes:
 
There is a section of the Yahara river, before the Rock river, that will be a bit more difficult, with lots of downed trees and not-so-nice spots to camp. Once I'm on the Rock, my priority will change to staying out of sight as much as possible. I still have to make a decent time though, because of work.

I have printed out all the maps, in sections, and they will be going with me in waterproof sleeves in a 3 ring binder. I think marking the maps with good locations is a great idea, I will definitely be doing that as I go.
 
LOL DrHenley, yeah, sounds like the scenic route for sure.

All of my water route, aside from the lakes, is going to be downstream with the current. A friend and I did a 2 week trip years ago, when we were young and bulletproof/stupid, and that included a section of the Mississippi going upstream in a heavily loaded canoe. It sucked. Paddle as hard as you want, you aren't going anywhere. We had to stay right by the shore in order to move at all, and it still took some serious effort to go just a few miles.
 
Still on track for this. The shoulder injury is getting better, still hurts, but I can lightly work out (no weights) and run. Still looking at mid april.

Still don't have a camo tarp for the canoe, still need to make a camo rainfly for the tent (I have a bunch of dark earth and ranger green DWR fabric, but it's a bit heavy for a rainfly).

All long as work doesn't suddenly say OH NO we need you here that week, I should be good to go.

The wife is joining me for rucking now, we started rucking together today, but she is wearing the weight vest. She wants to get up to 12 miles, once a weekend, and 4 to 6 miles twice during the week.

I'm game.
 
Looking at it again (for the dozenth time) I'm thinking that water travel, especially in a man-powered craft isn't going to be popular enough to make staking out water routes profitable for bad actors. That said, it wouldn't hurt to be scouting for locations where you would set up an ambush from. This would allow you to picture how your are going to approach or bypass such dangers.
 
I agree. If anything, I would expect maybe some accidental encounters. In a real SHTF situation, I doubt there would be much river traffic.

But yeah, part of doing the trip is to see where the choke points are, where I have to be exposed.
 
Maybe not for your first trip to your BOL but you might want to check out and mark the wild foods on the way. You never know with water travel where you might lose your supplies.

I’ve done. Fair amount of river travel in canoes, kayaks and rafts and I know the rivers change up here lots from season to season. You might want to mark on your maps if you see any places where any sort of log jams or spots where log jams could form easily as you might travel at different times of the year when these traps could be submerged. This could also include gravel bars and other obstacles that might cause troubles.
 
Looking at it again (for the dozenth time) I'm thinking that water travel, especially in a man-powered craft isn't going to be popular enough to make staking out water routes profitable for bad actors. That said, it wouldn't hurt to be scouting for locations where you would set up an ambush from. This would allow you to picture how your are going to approach or bypass such dangers.
I think just getting to know the waterway is a good idea, if not for getting acquainted with the river but also with the access points and residences along the way. There are some nice folk that fish the rivers and there are some bad folk that stay on them all year long. Living in ramshackle cabins, you know the type, River Rats, I would beware of those types and THEY WILL be using the river.
 
Still on track for this. The shoulder injury is getting better, still hurts, but I can lightly work out (no weights) and run. Still looking at mid april.

Still don't have a camo tarp for the canoe, still need to make a camo rainfly for the tent (I have a bunch of dark earth and ranger green DWR fabric, but it's a bit heavy for a rainfly).

All long as work doesn't suddenly say OH NO we need you here that week, I should be good to go.

The wife is joining me for rucking now, we started rucking together today, but she is wearing the weight vest. She wants to get up to 12 miles, once a weekend, and 4 to 6 miles twice during the week.

I'm game.
Had to look up the term "rucking". I never considered it a workout before but it certainly is. As a kid around here I called it going for a "nature walk" which basically meant me and my buddies sneaking into the woods for a smoke so Mom wouldn't find out. But, joking aside, I think that is a splendid idea for building strength, endurance and getting out into nature which is good for the brain/mind. I have acres and miles of trail readily accessible to hike but just finding time to do it is not easy. By the time I get home from work, do the jobs that need done around the place, it is almost time for bed, weekends take up time with cutting wood, mowing, preserving and maintenance. Too many jobs and not enough me.
 
I think I am pretty set for this. I have the campsites mapped out, I have the bridges counted, trouble spots marked (although the view is going to different on the water) and my gear gone over.

Now I just need to keep up the workouts, stay injury free, and firm up the dates with work.
How quickly can you get water borne? I guess I was thinking when it is time to go it should be done as quickly as possible. If this happens and you need to go when it is cold, if there is ice , how will you break it up? Or is this just a warm weather option?
 
I was thinking about the winter travel too. Even a bad spring the water can be flowing fast. When SHTF there won’t be people managing those dams to control the extra runoff water so it would be good to have a backup to the water travel for certain times of the year or conditions.
 
if you've got an inflatable and NVD goggles, you can go at night, carrying quite a bit of stuff, including a mountain bicycle. If you have to portage, deflate the raft, put it on the trailer, walk alongside of the bike, BOB on the bike's buddyrest and rear fender rack, rifle spring-clamped across the handlebars. Room on the front fender for more stuff. ditto in the saddlebag position.
 
Mountain bike in the inflatable raft? And a trailer? I'm unpacking, deflating and reinflating Everytime I have to go around a brush pile in the water?

Your advice sucks.
Why not ask some questions? Like, what sort of water are you on? Small creeks, rivers, lakes? I'm my case this trip would have been all three.

It's nice being able to move around in your boat a little. So you can scoot upfront and cut some branches, or push off something. Inflatables are nice, but they get holes. I say this because my inflatables get holes, not because I think an inflatable could get a hole.

Your ban is appropriate. I don't believe for a second you are actively doing much of anything, shooting, boating, or otherwise.
Take long distance biking with shit strapped all over your bike. Stuff moves around, it rubs on the tires, it wears you out pedaling, your shit on the front fender is going to take some getting used to it throws off your balance and cornering...

Go do something. Today, I will do something related to prepping, I doubt that you can say that, but if you come back as some one else, by all means, let me know what you did.
 

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