Lake Providence — Mississippi River

103 Days. 2,300+ solo miles. A pen, pad, camera and the adventure of a lifetime. Crossing America by Canoe. A Mississippi River story.

In late August of 2017 I set out to complete a dream-to canoe over 2,300 miles through the heart of America on the nations largest artery, the Mississippi River. With no partner, few expectations and a yearning for adventure I packed my boat and headed north to the headwaters of the Mississippi in norther Minnesota. For the next 103 days I traversed the country by canoe, from the Northwoods of Minnesota to the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Along the way I was taken in by the kindness of strangers and stricken by the beauty of the river and the people who call the Mississippi home. These are the stories of that journey. The people and places, triumphs and tribulations. The adventure of a lifetime.

Day 84 Mississippi River

The alarm rang at 6 AM. Still dark outside, I gathered my things, tidied up the place and walked over to the main house. Park, dressed in a light blue button-down shirt, opened the door.

"Help yourself to whatever you need for breakfast. We got cereal, Pop tarts, toast."

After a cup of coffee and a small bowl of cereal park and I hopped in his pick up and we worked our way over toward the river. On the way we stopped at a convenience store to grab a bit more to eat. In a small heating container by the register a buffet style breakfast was on show. Park grabbed a sausage biscuit. I went with the works: biscuit and gravy, links and bacon.

Once at the water where Park had originally picked me up, we snapped a photo and said our goodbyes. Park was off to an early morning dentist appointment in Greenville, MS and I was heading south via the Might Miss.

Mississippi, Good People, Arkansas, LouisianaWill CollinsJune 3, 2019Greenville, Lake ProvidenceComment