Bayou Goula Towhead
People in Baton Rouge don't seem to think much about the river. As a newcomer, whenever I asked people about swimming or boating in the river I always got a similar reprimand about the danger: I would get sucked under, hit by barge, or caught in submerged debris. I was shocked that I never found anyone who had gone swimming in the Mississippi or explored much of its coast. People who don't make their living from the river barely acknowledge its existence. Even along the river trail, the muddy waters themselves are barely visible, hidden behind a veil of trees.
Last year I succesfully accomplished my long-time goal of swimming across the river but it was what I found after the swim that captured my imagination. On the western banks of the river between the shore and the levee was a dense swamp of ancient cypress trees. Air plants hung down from high overhead, and the sun was dimmed by layer after layer of lush canopy. This primeval forest that I crawled into from off the muddy banks was everything I had dreamed the swamps of Louisiana to be. It was everything that was sorely lacking in the decimated ecosystems that were more accessible around the state. With the remainder of our time here, it would fall on Team Crowbar to reveal the secrets of the Mississippi River. Our first goal was to reach one of the larger islands in the river, known as Bayou Goula Towhead. We didn't know what to expect out there, internet rumors hinted at drug farms, secret government installations, or dangerously reclusive inhabitants. Our own examination of satellite imagery hadn't revealed any visible signs of current or previous habitation and so we hoped that we would find the island a pristine example of the river ecosystem. Yesterday morning we left Baton Rouge by kayak, travelling downstream. As the island became visible we saw unmarred white sand beaches surrounding a dense forest. Birds called raucously to eachother throughout the trees. Our kayaks crunched onto the sandy beach. With the boats safely hidden and secured we set out to explore the interior of the island. Armed with machete and camera we cut a path through the twisting vines determined to record and return with what we had seen here.
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