Waking up this morning, I was scared. I didn't know what to expect. I have been thinking about this moment endlessly for the last couple of weeks. I camped about eight miles from the Confluence last night so I would be close for an early morning push for the Mississippi. Before reaching the Confluence, I had to try and get water as there would be no telling how long it would be till I found some again. I decided to stop in Cairo, IL, or more so the park by Cairo. There was no good access to the town and the park was overgrown and abandoned. The park was at the tip of where the Ohio and Mississippi come together, and on the grounds of the park is Fort Defiance (an old civil war fort that was also abandoned). All I could think after trying multiple water spickets and finding nothing was that I will be glad to leave Southern, IL. By far, this is the least welcoming place I have been on my trip.
I was told by a person on the trip that before the white man no Indian tribes lived in the area of the confluence. The area was considered sacred, used only for prayer and burying of the dead. Even today, it is said that if you throw a coin overboard at the point where the two rivers meet you will be granted a wish. I don't really believe in such things but when I arrived at the confluence, you could feel the energy moving through the place. The two great veins of our country coming together and forming one great river. When it joins, the Ohio is a dark blue green color and moving very slow. The Mississippi is a rushing, muddy torrent that doesn't mix completely for about a mile. You can clearly see the two rivers one blue and one brown running side by side. Even though the Ohio is much slower, it is twice the volume of Mississippi river when the rivers join.
