feeling a lot better and should be leaving for the river on the 10th, i decided to start in the turkey river which leads to the Mississippi ..this will give me a couple days to get used to the new canoe and gear before i hit the Mississippi!! and  this way if i have any problems i cant handle on the river i can call in assistance that's only a few hours away...really missing all my friends from the Appalachian trail and if all goes well i  will hitch from the gulf of Mexico to the trail days party in Damascus,Va mid may....that's a 3 day party you don't wanna miss whether your a hiker or not !!!!!,just spoke to
" tom n huck" whos paddleboarding the Mississippi river to the gulf and then down to the keys,Toms a great guy and has offered me a list of places worth stopping at and a contact list of people he met who may be able to assist a solo paddler on the river !!!!!