Welcome
Welcome to my "Bill’s Mississippi River Adventure". I'm using this to document my Mississippi River Source to Sea canoe trip in 2023. And to help keep my family and friends appraised of my journey.
Some people have asked why I would want to paddle the Mississippi river. The answer is simple, it has been on my bucket list for quite a few years and now that I’m retired, I can now bring that dream trip to a reality.
I’m planning on starting from Lake Itasca, MN around the 20th of May. You might be wondering why I picked this date. Well, I’ve based this decision on several factors. 1.) The ice on the northern lakes that the Mississippi flows through. Normally the ice doesn’t break up until the middle of May and sometimes, as late as June or even July. Until the ice breaks up, I won’t be able to paddle the Mississippi river. 2.) The water level at the headwaters, in the spring, is much higher than the water level in late summer or fall. In the fall, the water level can be so low, that I may be unable to paddle and would to drag my canoe 50 plus miles until I reach a section that the water level is high enough for me to paddle in. 3.) I have friends that are going to be helping me get started at Lake Itasca and storing my truck while I’m on the Mississippi river. I am greatly in debit to Bob and Diane for their assistance in getting me started on this adventure and making this trip possible.
I originally planned on paddling the Mississippi river from Lake Itasca, to the point where the Mississippi river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. But after doing some research, I discovered that the last couple of hundred miles through Baton Rouge and New Orleans were going to be through cities, refineries and industrial areas. In my opinion, this would not be a very scenic section and not very appealing to me. In the last few years, most recreational paddlers have been taking the Atchafalaya river cutoff to the Gulf of Mexico. This route is shorter and has the benefit of going thru the scenic Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area. This is an area that is more of what we would describe as a traditional swamp with cypress trees, Spanish moss and of course alligators. It also has the benefit of having a paved road to Burn’s Point near the point that the Atchafalaya River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, which will greatly help at the end of the trip and returning back to society.
One of the biggest questions I get is, where are you going to be and when? This is a hard question to answer. Mostly because I don’t know. I’m not trying to avoid the question. It’s just that this is a long-distance journey, taking several months and there are so many variables that can change at any given time. Trying to factor in weather (rain, sleet, snow, wind and anything else you can imagine), portages, lock & dams, commercial river traffic, life in general and a thousand other little things. So, the best I can say is that I’m starting around the middle of May and finishing sometime in late September or early October. Hopefully.
Another big question is, are you going alone? The answer is yes, I’m going by myself. The reason is fairly simple. I want to paddle the Mississippi river. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have company on this trip, but I don’t know of anyone that can take 4 months off to do a trip like this. I also don’t want to have to cancel this trip because the person going with me backs out at the last minute. I have several friends that are planning on paddling with me for a few days, here and there. There will the family and friends that will be following me online. And there will also be around 30 other paddlers that are planning on paddling the Mississippi river in 2023. On top of that, there are several teams that will be trying to set new records paddling the Mississippi river this year. So, I’m not really going to be alone.
Now it's time for the disclaimer. I'm retired and I'm not a young man any more. That means that I'm not in a rush to beat any records. I'm planning on taking my time and enjoy this great adventure. I plan on stopping along the way, seeing the sights, learning about the Mississippi river's history and visiting with people along the way. If I decide to stop for a while or if I have to cut this adventure short for some reason, it doesn't bother me. I'm OK with it. The river is not going anywhere, and I'll come back next year or the year after that.
I hope you enjoy reading my posts as this adventure unfolds.
Bill