It's a Boyhood Dream Thing
Ever since I was a kid sandbagging against the Great Flood of 1993 near the city of St. Louis, I've always dreamed of canoeing all 2552* miles of the Mississippi River from the Headwaters in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. They say it takes a drop of water 90 days to go that distance, so that's what I've decided to do: starting on July 6, 2018, I'll spend 90 days on the river. I'll be stopping to visit places I've always wanted to see, and giving presentations about ShelterBox to groups along the way to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that Great Flood and remember the people who lost everything that summer. Flooding remains the biggest natural cause of devastation on our planet.
*Yes, the famous marker at the Headwaters says 2,552 miles even though modern maps say 2350. Either way, it's going to be a lot of paddling!