[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aunhlUsQyOM/UyrtQkrYmgI/AAAAAAAAZ-E/eZP18BDOxSw/s144-c-o/P2200030.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992863123149199874″ caption=”Survivor jungle camp – only shitty trees to find!” type=”image” alt=”P2200030.JPG” ]

One more clay mud landing
Pos: here
Loc: most shitty horrible beach
Acc: hammock
Dist: 24,9 km
Start: 7:35 End: 14:00

The night was a bit wet with the rain blowing under my hammock tarp from the side, but I had my emergency blanket to protect at least the blanket from the spray. A hammock is never a solid tent…

I was launching in the morning with high tide coming over the sand flat on the river mouth up to the clay mud mangrove platform and thought this must be easy to get away. Instead, I was washed sideways in the small surf, hit a tree trunk with my bow and got the cockpit full of water. Never take it too easy! One more new set up and try got me surely away all right, I just had to shovel a bit of water out of the cockpit, and to jump into the water to free my now mud stuck rudder. It was raining almost all day, in between it was RAINING heavily out of buckets. Not too pleasant to paddle, I was doing only 2-3 km/h against the running low tide and against the wind and waves. Not worth the effort, I thought, and I landed early on a beach which looked like yesterday, walkable sand after a bit of mud.

But this time I miscalculated not only the distance to high ground, but also the ground quality which was rather again clay mud than sand which was only on the very top of the beach. Ok, hauling the empty kayak up on the soapy stuff was not the worst, just again walking with the heavy gear bags was the problem. Patience and multiple walks brought me up, and then came the question where to camp? What was looking like an inviting higher and dry mangrove ledge was too dangerous looking as one of the larger trees was already shaking the roots in the wind and I was thinking I need to get deeper inland into the bush out of it’s way.

But there were only low trees, in dense jungle looking forest. I chose the most solid ones, still when I test entered my hammock it was hanging just above ground with bending trees too much under my weight. I wrapped the rope now around two young trees on one side, this worked. All done in pouring rain…so much for fun tonight! I want a DRY tent site! I at least could have refilled my water bags here with brownish looking but good sweet water from the small stream, or could have bothered to catch some rain water, but didn’t feel I needed to until I reached the village of Sucuriju. I still had way more than enough food and water! I am using less fresh water than in any dry tent site at night with barely cooking dinner and being less thirsty and eating less. So not much reduction of the resources yet!

When I finally changed out on the sand flat to avoid 3 of the 100ds of fat mosquitoes, I had to take well care not to touch the sides of my hammock at night by covering up with the blanket on top of the fleece pants and shirt. I wouldn’t actually be wondering if next morning my sleeping pad would be deflated as the 100dreds of bugs have punctured it to reach my sweet blood…