The Mississippi River is a unique creature. It’s an inland sea perpetually on the move. It drains a continent. It gathers other great rivers into its fold and flows forever on. It has countless stories to tell, but those who would hear them must sit closely and listen with care. Riding its back offers passage to a place beyond time — somewhere close by, but away from everything.
“It is so peaceful out there,” said Lynn Bryan, of Tupelo. He’s a core member of a group that recently completed a segmented journey covering the combined length of the winding waters between Memphis, Tennessee and the Atchafalaya River Basin Lock just south of the Louisiana state line. They traversed the river section by section over the course of 9 years.
“At night, it’s thoroughly dark and there’s no light pollution,” Bryan said. “There’s no one out there competing with you for the space and time. In 9 years of multi-day trips we may have seen all of 5 other recreational boats on the river. It’s really the best primitive camping in Mississippi.”
Greg Burks, also of Tupelo and the founder of the group, hit upon the idea after some years of experience and contemplation.
“I read an article in National Geographic Explorer magazine about John Ruskey, founder of Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale,” Burks said. “Ruskey’s company is a guided canoe service on the Mississippi, but it’s a lot more than that. He’s a lot more than that.”
Ruskey is an original free spirit, one born and raised in Colorado who migrated east chasing the sunrise. He’s found his life’s commitment pursuing a harmony with the Mississippi River. He long ago made himself its student. Today, he may be its foremost teaching ambassador anywhere to be found.
“National Geographic Explorer magazine has a motto on the front that reads, ‘Dream it. Plan it. Do it,’ and I’ve tried to live by that,” Burks said.
Ruskey’s story caught Burks’ eye and planted a seed in his mind. After several months’ contemplation, he gathered a small group and booked a camping and canoeing trip with Quapaw. The intent was strictly explorative with no standing ambition to go any further, yet, even as he booked it, he suspected there might be much more than the obvious waiting to be found. What he ultimately did find far outstripped anything he had expected.
“Canoeing the Mississippi and camping on the islands along the way sounded like the kind of adventure that would go well beyond whatever any description would include,” Burks said, “and that’s how it turned out to be. It’s tremendously educational and just so peaceful. It’s moving in a way that’s hard to understand unless you’ve done it.”
Quapaw provides transportation, first in shuttle vans then in large, 26-foot voyager canoes. They provide at least one guide to captain each canoe, plus dry bags to haul their clients’ goods and provisions along the way. They’ll also do the cooking, providing food that may include anything from catfish seasoned with turmeric, salt and pepper then roasted on willow branches to spaghetti and meatballs and much in between. At night, the guides set up a separate camp away from the traveling party. In the morning, everything is packed away and made ready to depart whenever the travelers are prepared to go.
“No matter where you are, there’s something special about waking up early in the morning in a campsite you put together the night before, huddling closely around a campfire and watching the sun rise over a world that you’re a part of in a very spiritual, moving, meaningful way,” Burks said.
After a trip or two with groups of various guys along a convenient stretch of the river, Burks and co-founder Brad Miller, of Tupelo, hit upon the idea of canoeing the Mississippi River for the length of the state. Each expedition typically included 15 to 20 canoeing campers, plus guides. Overall, Burks calculates, 52 different people, including guides, have taken part in one or more of the decade-long adventure’s legs. Several, including Burks, Miller, Bryan and others, have been along for all or virtually all of the trips.
“As we got further into it, we became more focused and dedicated as we went,” Bryan said. “Some trip members have come and gone, but the core group just became more intense.
“We’ve paddled the Mississippi at flood stage, we’ve paddled it at the lowest it’s been in 100 years, we’ve paddled it everywhere in between.”
Ruskey’s business is located in Clarksdale and his protege’s companion business, which goes by the same name, is in Vicksburg. The Tupelo group has worked between the two to assemble a complete set of sections. Vicksburg is a good long way from the Gulf when you’re counting in river miles though so, the further south the trip went, the longer and further they determined to paddle each time. Eventually they were making treks of 60 miles in four days — perhaps still not a grueling pace but a respectable one nonetheless.
The islands, beaches and shoals along the run of the Mississippi are mostly public land, so camping is available nearly anywhere at any time.
“The beaches on the Mississippi River would equate to Gulf Shores or Destin,” Bryan said. “The expanses of sand are the same width and the same color.”
A typical schedule would see the group set out around 8:30 or 9 a.m., paddle until about 2 p.m., then land on a likely spot that would afford an opportunity to pull the canoes completely out of the water, and also offer enough flat expanses to comfortably set up tents. They’d gather driftwood, relax and simply enjoy the company of a group off the grid, legally and technologically unable to do anything beyond breathing deeply and enjoying the wild world all around.
“Paddling 20 miles a day is no problem,” Bryan said. The Mississippi River’s southbound current typically runs 5 or 6 miles per hour, so the paddling is primarily done for position. It’s not too strenuous. It is a family adventure that, if people will primitive camp, anyone can do. Anyone willing to go primitive camping can do this without a problem.”
A big river running inside its banks is a special beast. By definition, the land to either side stands somewhat above water level, and the water itself swirls and pulls like a host of spirits alive. Finding their rhythm and matching their tune can be a bonding experience with the untamed world. Like the tides, a current has no malice — it simply does not care. Following atop it in a canoe, expecting no quarter but offering an eagerness to learn, can be a pathway for willing voyagers to dispose of all their own cares as well.
“We haven’t seen a snake yet, but we’ve seen deer, turkeys, hogs and bald eagles galore,” Bryan said. “We’ve encountered a beach covered by at least 1,500 white pelicans — big birds with 5-foot wingspans. We’ve seen all kinds of waterfowl — both ducks and geese.
“It’s safe. It’s scenic. The water is clean, not dirty. It’s turbid, but it’s clean. It’s a family adventure for sure.
“It really comes down to getting to be able to just go out and enjoy wilderness like it’s supposed to be.
“So many people limit their primitive camping to a state park campsite. That’s fine, but this isn’t like that. You are completely free. You’re free to set up wherever you like, get a big fire going, then hunker down in your tent and get settled. It’s a good, easy test for enjoying the outdoors.”
To learn more about canoeing with Quapaw Canoe Company, visit www.island63.com. You can also learn about the river and its world at www.rivergator.org. It’s a great resource for explorers who want to tackle elements of the river on their own.
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