Wabasha — 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 30 Mississippi River

After a later than normal night watching the sky put on a shown in form of heat lightning and shooting stars the morning took a slower start. I took the dew covered rainfly off my tent and set it aside to dry in the sun. Even this early in the AM it was clear today was gonna be a hot one.

I had two calls lined up to my Illinois classrooms at 9:30 and 10:15. Both went well. Once again with the kids were full of energy and asking all kinds of questions. I even got the "don't you have a wife and kids at home?" question. Lol!

While on the phone with the kiddos Max pushed off and hit the river. After wrapping up my calls I loaded the boat and got on the water around 11:30 or so. The plan was to make a food resupply stop 3 miles down river in Wabasha, Mn as all the food I had left was a can of chili and chicken noodle soup.

I pulled up to a public park and dragged the boat onto the sand. Grabbing my skateboard and backpack I ran into the nearest grocery store, a quick 10 minute skate from the river.

Video, Minnesota, WisconsinWill CollinsMay 20, 2019WabashaComment