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Quote:

Planning for an August departure from Lake Itasca.

wheredidyaliftthisfrom?

I believe that Wally13 is doing this solo trip.  [smiley=cool.gif]

notmydealforsurebuthereyougo ;)

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How long does it take for water to travel the length of the Mississippi River?
90 days
It takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel the entire length of the Mississippi River.

he must be planning on 10 rest days!  its only 2350 miles from Lake Itasca after all. 80 days averages out to 30 mpd  -  I think I would start earlier and ride the spring flood down to make it easier.

I know there is a Facebook Group for the Missouri River - I'd bet there is one for the Miss as well - might get some tips on where best to resupply, what/where to avoid ?  maybe.

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[quote author=Mad_Mat link=1615676112/4#4 date=1616436921]How long does it take for water to travel the length of the Mississippi River?
90 days
It takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel the entire length of the Mississippi River.

he must be planning on 10 rest days!  its only 2350 miles from Lake Itasca after all. 80 days averages out to 30 mpd  -  I think I would start earlier and ride the spring flood down to make it easier.

I know there is a Facebook Group for the Missouri River - I'd bet there is one for the Miss as well - might get some tips on where best to resupply, what/where to avoid ?  maybe.

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  I talked to Mike (Wally 13) on the phone in regard to some ideas/thoughts I had about his solo trip.

He has it pretty well thought out. What surprised me was that he doesn't plan on doing any fishing on the trip!  :-? :o ;D

When he explained why I understood completely.

  He is in touch with people who have done it before or plan on doing it. Not my cup of tea BUT it should be a helluva trip. More power to him for taking it on solo.

Mad_Mat,

It's not so much a question of how fast water moves down the Mississippi.  The greater impact on traveling efficiency will be the number of breweries Wally13 encounters along the way.

With that in mind, he'll be lucky to arrive before Christmas!

Jimbo  8-)

Christmas in the bayou swamps??  Cold, wet, poisonous snakes everywhere....but with enough, what do you call those things?..mule packs or mule kegs?....he might just make it!!  He really needs to bring a banjo though....   8-)

pine_knot wrote on Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 12:33am:

Christmas in the bayou swamps??  Cold, wet, poisonous snakes everywhere....but with enough, what do you call those things?..mule packs or mule kegs?....he might just make it!!  He really needs to bring a banjo though....   8-)

PK,

With "enough", he's at least as likely to end up right where he started from.

Either way, "end of river" should stop him... at least for a while.

Jimbo  8-)

I'd like to meet him at Jackson Square and take him out for beer and shrimp gumbo before setting him back on that wide flowing river for the final paddle to the sea.....haven't been back there since the '83 Sugar Bowl.

HighnDry,

Just be sure he's pointed south when you turn him loose after the brewery visit.

Jimbo   8-)

Hahaha!

I don't want Wally13 to end up in Vicksburg and THEN figure out that I got him turned around in New Orleans!  ;D ;D

Ok ... I guess it’s time I chime in on this thread. I have been babysitting my 3 year old granddaughter and just got around to reading about my planned Mississippi River Source to Sea Trip.

I am planning to leave Lake Itasca mid August as the heat and humidity south of St Louis during July, August and early September is usually oppressive. I want to paddle in a cooler time of the year.  I just don’t like paddling in hot/humid weather. Jimbo, Denton Doc and I experienced +92 degree temps and no wind for most of our 2 week last week of June over the 4th of July trip to LLC this past summer. Yuck.

The downside of leaving in August is that the Headwaters can be real shallow and the wild rice, grass and bogs can be very difficult to navigate. If you ever paddled the Greenwood River from Clay Lake that leads to the Waiwag River in Quetico... it’s definitely worse at the headwaters as you can not see over the 10 ft tall wild rice in August and you are paddling a 8 foot wide strip of water. The bog up there can plug the narrow river shut. You never know what you may encounter. You might get a 5 inch rain in August they may make navigation easier. Some paddlers have had to hitch a ride out that stretch of water from the DNR or River Angel. They found it impassable or just couldn’t find their way thru the maze.

I have been paddling for 41 years and feel confident I can manage through it but that 2nd snd 3rd day on the river is a concern.

Trip time averages between 65 to 90 days depending on a lot of factors. Sure paddling ability is important and how many hours a day you paddle but weather can be the most limiting factor.  Headwinds along the way and hurricanes too. An 82 year old Stan Stark set the Guinness Book of World Record as the oldest person to paddle the whole length of this Mississippi. His goal was to paddle his age ... but it took him 90 day’s as his group had a 8 day delay due to 2 Hurricanes hitting the Gulf Cost back to back. At least he was holed up in New Orleans.

Most tell me you may do 20 miles a day on Upper Miss ( lots of portages around dams ) and around 35 miles on the Middle Miss as there are 27 Lock and Dams. You may wait 2 hours for a large barge to go through a lock and dam before you are allowed to enter. And 50 miles a day on Lower Miss as the river speed picks up where the Missouri and Ohio Rivers join the Mississippi. There are no locks and dams either south of St Louis. But there is a portage at St Louis to get around the Chain of Rocks.

A bud of mine from a suburb of Chicago is going to paddle a week with me. No definite hook up spot yet but maybe around Lake Pepin or maybe LaCrosse WI down to the high bluffs near GUTTENBERG, IA to the Illinois state line.

I may have another bud from Des Moines do a few days with me starting from my home in the Quad Cities.

So I will not be solo the whole way. I may meet up with another soloist or group doing the river. But that’s not likely as there are usually only about 20 paddlers doing the Mississippi each year.

I am retired and I am not out to set a speed record on this trip. I will definitely hit a few breweries on the way as Jimbo suggested. Maybe more than a few. LOL.  I really would like to fish along the way but those that have paddled with me in Quetico know I can’t keep my tackle and fishing equipment under 20 pounds,  so fishing will be a NO GO on this trip.

I am going to hook up with an old friend in St Louis and stay a couple of days for a rest and some good food. Paddlers lose quite a bit of weight doing this trip. I know when I do 10 -14 days in Quetico I lose an average of 8 lbs. You can lose 25 -30! lbs easily on this trip. I also am planning to meet a retired co worker in Memphis for a couple of day’s to eat some ribs and barbecue and listen to some Blues.

I also am going to hammock camp on this trip. I have been a tenter for the past 40 years, so I hope hanging will go well.

I will keep you all updated as I make my way down the river.

Sounds like a well-thought-out plan!
Look forward to reading about it and seeing some pics too.  [smiley=cool.gif]

If you need road support here in MN, let us know. I can break away from whatever I'm up to in August and meet up with you in northern MN to re-equip your expedition or just move you past the wild rice bogs!

Terry,

Thanks for the offer to help.

Mike

Wally13 wrote on Mar 24^th, 2021 at 3:34am:

I know when I do 10 -14 days in Quetico I lose an average of 8 lbs.

I have the exact opposite experience.

I drive to the put-in and the first thing I do when I get there is take off my jeans with the leather belt and put on my baggy nylon camping pants with the elastic belt.

Ten days later...

At the take-out, I pack up and and put on my jeans and they are uncomfortably stiff and heavy and baggy. Oh, and the belt gets cinched up a notch.

Then I get home and weigh myself before a welcome shower and to my amazement, I've normally always gained like 5 pounds or so. Go figure?

Quote:

Then I get home and weigh myself before a welcome shower and to my amazement, I've normally always gained like 5 pounds or so. Go figure?

Not ALL weight is the same. I know from years working out that people who are new to strenuous exercise ( compared to their normal day) are often surprised they gain weight on their scale.  :-? :o

I used to tell them how do your clothes fit now?
They would tell me their jeans are looser.

  You're building LEAN muscle paddling/portaging.
  Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space.
  That's why you can gain weight but lose inches.

  Of course, it also depends on how much excess body fat you start with.

Going in early May, I'm still carrying winter fat, so for me I always lose weight.

Well, the guys I've tripped with the past couple seasons would not be surprised I lose about 5 pounds a week on my trips....they'll insist it's because I don't eat.  I beg to differ....I do eat, just not like them....   :D :D

PK,

Your red squirrel friends eat more of your food than you do.

Jimbo  8-)

Jimbo wrote on Mar 24^th, 2021 at 11:45pm:

PK, Your red squirrel friends eat more of your food than you do. Jimbo  8-)

;D ;D ;D

Dang varmints!!  Jimbo, you lie....er....exaggerate with the best of us....I've never lost a "full" meal to the varmints....unless they looked like they were scrawny and starving....

Muscle and fat weigh the same (a pound of muscle weighs a pound, a pound of fat weighs a pound). It's like the old joke: "Which weighs more a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?"

Muscle is denser than fat. A pound of muscle will occupy less space then a pound of fat.

Solus wrote on Mar 25^th, 2021 at 6:11pm:

Muscle and fat weigh the same (a pound of muscle weighs a pound, a pound of fat weighs a pound). It's like the old joke: "Which weighs more a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?" Muscle is denser than fat. A pound of muscle will occupy less space then a pound of fat.

This is exactly why using a scale can be self-defeating when you're trying to get into shape or stay there

  Google comparison pics of men/women of the same weight but one group has high body fat and the other is within the guidelines for their age/gender.

Don't worry about your scale weight, worry about how much of it is hanging over your beltline.  ;) ;D ;D