The subject of my senior thesis at Columbia was the famous author Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) and his views on organized religion – which were quite negative. Or, as he says, “All religions are alike in one respect: none can make a man happy when he’s out of luck.” That says it all so let’s move on and discuss the Mississippi River that Twain loved and wrote about many times.

AT THE AGE OF 21 TWAIN BECAME A STEAMBOAT PILOT but the Civil War ended that career four years later when all river traffic was halted. However, at 28-years-old when he was a newspaper reporter in Nevada, he began using a pen name, “Mark Twain” (meaning “Mark number two”) which was a Mississippi River term: the second mark on the line that measured depth. It signified “two fathoms or 12 feet” – a safe depth for a steamboat.

NOW LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS FAMOUS RIVER. It starts in Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south through or along 10 states for 2,320 miles (3,730 km) to the Gulf of Mexico – when it joins the Missouri River at St. Louis it becomes “muddy.”

THERE ARE SEVEN RIVERFRONT TOWNS ALONG THIS RIVER and one of them, Baton Rouge, Louisiana has had FLOOD events (that lasted 30 days or longer) for a total of 22 times in 92 years.

A DIVERSE WILDLIFE ON THIS RIVER AND ITS FLOODPLAIN is there for all. To summarize:

#1  There are at least 260 species of fish

#2  And 326 species of birds that use the Mississippi as their migratory flyway

#3  On the Lower Mississippi you’ll find as many as 60 separate species of mussels

#4  There are at least 145 species of amphibians and reptiles in the Upper Mississippi

HOW DO ADVENTUROUS FOLKS TACKLE THE MISSISSIPPI?

This is where things get interesting. On the web a travel writer named Nigel Richardson reports that six years ago he took a trip down the Mississippi on a classic steamboat (this is what I’d love to do). One of his fellow passengers that he calls “Jim from Montana” claimed that he had sailed every navigable river in America and “Unless you’ve seen this country from its rivers, you haven’t seen it.”

Now here’s a second story that I found fascinating. Four couples – they had been friends for years – wanted to go down the Mississippi. They had already taken some “non-standard” trips together, such as: four-wheeling and zip-lining excursions plus exploring Mexico in rented Jeeps (I did this with Peter, my husband and it’s unpredictable, hairy stuff). 

They began by buying a 40-ft. boat, fixing it up and carefully planning their route. They decided to spend 14 days aboard (11 hours a day at 10 miles per hour) to travel 1,260 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Then they would stop, tie up every night and eat dinner out. And how did this end? “All of us are still good friends and now we’re planning our next trip,” said one. And by the way, the boat’s name was, “It’s All Good.”

FOUR TOUGH GUYS WHO WENT PADDLING FOR A CAUSE

Here’s a third story – and my favorite. It’s about four Ohio college students who made a 53-day, 2,300-mile trip in kayaks down the Mississippi. This was done as a “creative endeavor” to raise awareness about affordable housing. Important point: NONE OF THE FOUR had any significant kayaking experience!

The paddlers quickly learned that rain, aching muscles, overturned boats and losing items such as sunglasses and shoes in the water was just part of the deal. Other challenges included cooking the high-calorie dinners they needed to keep their strength up and, of course, the weather. They stayed in a motel for one night only – many nights they camped out in the rain.

They planned to go 50 miles a day. But towards the end they had to push for 70 or 80 miles. “You stop feeling your arms,” said one. At one point, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans they were amongst huge tows and barges. One remembers thinking, “We shouldn’t be here.”

But the thrill came from overcoming the challenges and volunteering at seven Habitat for Humanity sites. They were also amazed at the number of people who befriended them along the way. One man literally gave them the shirt off his back. And then, he handed over his sunglasses.

I trust you now know more about the magical Mississippi.  

Shaun Nelson-Henrick