A 100-Mile Canoe Trip Shows the Glory of the Mississippi River

The St. Louis canoeing company Big Muddy Adventures recently hosted a 100-mile row from Hannibal, Missouri, almost to Alton, Illinois. Matt Wyczalkowski, a research scientist for Washington University School of Medicine, joined the five-day trip and photographed the trek. There were seven people (three guides and four tourists) on the adventure, and everyone rode in one canoe called the Junebug. According to Wyczalkowski, the boat was huge and modeled after what French explorers used back in the day.

The group started with the idea of paddling along the Mississippi River, following the same route as the eponymous hero of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, who ran away from home with a slave, Jim, who was trying to escape to freedom. For Wyczalkowski, it was his first time on such a long canoe trip, and he recalls that they had to paddle from about 10 a.m. until evening for the entire 100-mile journey, though there were breaks along the way. He says it was not overly strenuous. “You do get a bit sore,” he says. “But it’s not grueling or anything.”

For Wyczalkowski, it was a new way to see the state. He also enjoyed the way life slowed down by the river. “It’s not often that you get to spend multiple days out in the sun and watch the river go by,” he says. “It’s very serene.”

Visit 2muddy.com if you’re interested in seeing life from the river.