[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-d6XSBKwTPu8/UuGU4Ig90CI/AAAAAAAAZN4/iQCR6Hb2HRM/s144-c-o/P1190012.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage17GuyanaSurinameFrGuianeGeorgetownToCayenne#5972218272949325858″ caption=”Big fat solid clay mud is blocking the access to the forest for about three hours and 300 m before I could land” type=”image” alt=”P1190012.JPG” ]

First night in a hammock

Pos: here
Loc: Mangrove forest
Acc: hammock
Dist: 36,8 km
Start: 5:00 End: 14:25

I decided to get out this morning as soon as there was water enough to do so. The afternoon was still forecast very windy, the morning moderate. With a big push I was sliding from the sandy part on to the just about water covered mud bed, and I was out about one hour before high tide. Still dark, but with some good moonlight. I was keen to get going again after those two rest days on the beach!

The wind was still above 15 knots, but when the tide turned it also went down a bit as usual. I found one more nice beach, but amazingly there was no beach where I expected one to be according to the satellite images. Not for the first time… I could have nicely paddled into the wide channel opening to Totness even spotting some kind of a ramp, but this was way too early to stop again. I had a gut feeling – where I wanted to stop after about 25 km and wait for the next day to cross that wide river mouth, there also was no expected beach to be seen. At least not on the relatively low tide, so no use just sitting around and waiting to be able to ride in and then not to find the beach at all. I rather decided to paddle on in moderate wind and sunshine, as long as I was hugging the coast I had still a good starting position for the crossing without detour.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XkmGFFCnKzg/UuGU2uhWlvI/AAAAAAAAZN4/bWVdukqw8RU/s144-c-o/P1190014.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage17GuyanaSurinameFrGuianeGeorgetownToCayenne#5972218248791758578″ caption=”I came closer to my night forest…but what is looking like nice stones and solid ground is still inaccessible mud” type=”image” alt=”P1190014.JPG” ]

It was about 2 pm when I decided this should be enough for the day. The coast started to bend away soon, and I spotted some light open forest with no fallen logs. This showed the trees were solidly connected to the ground here in very firm mud. It was also an indicator for more solid mud when the water started to create some surf, and not being just flat and “dead” on endless soft deep mud. Yes, I am becoming a mud and water depth probing expert…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AFoE9WRvaSU/UuGU4OLAm-I/AAAAAAAAZN4/II9lrT5uNm0/s144-c-o/P1190009.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage17GuyanaSurinameFrGuianeGeorgetownToCayenne#5972218274467847138″ caption=”I am doing creative artwork in the millions of years old firm clay mud while waiting for the tide to come. Thoughts of home…” type=”image” alt=”P1190009.JPG” ]

But it still was only clay-like very firm mud, no sand. No walking on it yet possible, just for the birds. I grounded on the bare mud edge at 2.30 pm, waiting for the tide to carry me in. Fortunately I had my e-book handy to shorten the waiting time. I at some point changed my mind and rather aimed not for a bushy green looking spot, but rather for light open forest. This spot had a solid, about 5 m wide mud ledge at the forest edge. When the water carried me after about 300 m and three hours long time waiting on top of that ledge, I dared to get out and to try a few steps by supporting my weight on my kayak. But the only thing happened was that my sole of my sandal was sucked so hard back it split half off the rest of the top of the sandal. I decided to rather take both of them off before they break fully or disappear again in the depth of an unexpected mud hole, and to walk half supported by the bow of my kayak in toward the forest ground which was still firm mud webbed through with the roots of the mangrove trees. This was holding my weight, and was not too spiky for me walking in my neoprene socks only. Still I mostly held to the trees…Thank goodness I had those socks always on, and that they were new and solid. So I never had to wash my feet and barely the webbed sandals, just the socks, or simply peeled them off. Even when I was stopping in the middle of a shallow water and liked to support my kayak by sticking the feet out to the right and left into the mud, I always took now first the sandals off before doing so and just had to wash the socks. You are getting clever living with this fucking mud…

I dragged up my kayak fully, and thought about sleeping options. It was about an hour before high tide now, I could sleep on top of the boat, with or without my tent against the many bugs surely to be expected to come soon. No bugs yet with the wind, and first I happily changed into dry shorts and shirt, including a small shower. Then I thought I need to try my new hammock here, the trees are just ideal! Wide enough, and solid enough. I picked two trees, and as a hammock novice I was not that quick in setting everything up. Also, the matching rain fly somehow disappeared in Georgetown, probably while unloading my kayak arriving in my shocked state after the bad landing. I only noticed that stupid matter leaving again two months later early morning, always thinking the rain fly is inside the bag… so no rain fly available now. I took one of my thin silver rescue blankets inside, just in case.

The hammock had an integrated bug net sewn on top, and a bottom entry, and two bungee straps to stretch out and to attach the sides somewhere. I already learned after I bought it, but unfortunately too late, that an open hammock with an additional loose hanging bug net would be way better, giving more space if the bug net is hung higher up on a line above the hammock and falling loosely around the bottom. Now any contact with the nylon bottom of the hammock which is not protected by your sleeping pad or bag/ blanket is a target for the bugs to bite right through the fabric into your bottom. The same goes for my tent walls, when I am sticking my feet up the ceiling to rest them there for a while, the bugs bite also through two layers of the thin inner and outer tent right into your feet soles. Anything warm goes…

I surely first hung the hammock too low, as it always stretches more than you think when you get in. Ok, one more try…then I packed an extra bag with way too many things I thought I needed for the night, including food as the bugs started to become nasty, and I quickly crawled in again. My muddy neoprene socks I just peeled off inside out inside the hammock and stuffed them into the dry bag with my wet paddling clothes I rather took also inside as a pillow. Next morning changing outside in a cloud of bugs? No way…