Thomas Walker – loveyourbigmuddy expeditions

Victory in St. Joseph!

So many victories on the rivers this last week end! Hats off and kudos to these awe-inspiring challenges and extraordinary achievements. But the humblest of all heroes are in St. Joseph and they deserve our attention, too. First, though, a recap of events:

Mark Kalch is first man to paddle the Missouri River from source to Gulf, completing two out of seven of the longest rivers on seven continents. http://www.7rivers7continents.com/worlds-end/

Dave Corthwaite swims 1000 miles of the Missouri River and pulls into the St. Louis Arch having completed his trek with his team. https://www.facebook.com/expedition1000

Tyler Ranes and Tom Walker finish their (aluminum) canoe trip from Great Falls, Montana, to New Orleans. https://www.facebook.com/tyler.ranes.5?ref=ts&fref=ts

Brent Mills and Hunter from Greenville, South Carolina had reached the Gulf the very morning Mark Kalch did, having paddled the length of the Mississippi River from Lake Ithasca. https://www.facebook.com/brent.mill?ref=ts&fref=ts

Dom Liboiron Canoeing to New Orleans in Memory of my Uncle Mitch, Rod Wellington https://www.facebook.com/rod.wellington.9?ref=ts&fref=ts , and Matthew Batton https://www.facebook.com/matthew.batten.73?ref=ts&fref=ts are still paddling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

But let me tell you about the unsung heroes on the Missouri River. The citizens of St. Joseph, Missouri, under the leadership of Missouri River Relief, spent a cold day on the river cleaning up trash from its river banks on Saturday. Different strokes for different folks (no pun intended), these adults, children, men, and women reaped unforgettable rewards and earned quiet respect because of their selfless service to help make our Big Muddy one of the cleanest and finest rivers in all the land.

Three cheers to River Relief and the folks in St. Joseph!!! You should stand tall among the victories that graced our mighty waterways this last week-end, October 6, 2012.

(Clean up photos by Rachel Beck www.rachelbeckphotos.com )

Sail_Demo — Bob demonstrating how the sail works.

Greetings! Bob Bellingham from Australia, after 12 weeks paddling the Missouri River from the headwaters in Montana, stayed overnight at Cooper’s Landing last Wednesday, August 22. He is only five or six days from St. Louis, his final destination.

While we were looking at his boat and gear on the boat ramp, Tom and Tyler paddled up. They are two free-spirited 20 year-old men paddling in a canoe from Great Falls, Montana, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

The two, and Bob, have been leap-frogging down the river on their own individual journeys. What a nice evening sharing river stories, eating Thai food, and listening to a couple from Guatemala play music! I know, right? In Columbia, Missouri!

Earlier in the evening Tess and Zach from the Columbia Missourian, one of our local papers in town, came down to interview Bob and me. This is a nice story about Bob and his journey, and my first local press regarding my expedition. It’s pretty special. (Thank you, John Schneller)

You can find the article from Friday, August 24, here: Columbia Missourian.

Bob_Tess — L-R: Zac the photographer, Bob the paddler, Tess the writer.

A photo of me, and Bob, from the article.

LoveYourBigMuddy Expedition

My name is Janet Moreland. I am a Missouri River paddler from Columbia, MO, most often found at or near Cooper's Landing, Rivermile 170.

I graduated from the University of Missouri in December 2012 with a degree in Education, and am now certified to teach middle school social studies and/or science.

In December, 2013, I completed a 3,800-mile source-to-sea solo kayak expedition from the Missouri River source at Brower's Spring, Montana, to the Gulf of Mexico. On April 24, 2013, I skied into the source at 9,000 ft. in the Centennial Mountains, and arrived via South Pass at the Gulf of Mexico on December 5, 2013. My mission included elements of empowerment, education, and environmental stewardship.

In 2016 I successfully completed a solo kayak expedition from the Mississippi River source at Lake Itasca, MN, down to the Gulf of Mexico. And, in 2017 I solo journeyed the entire Yukon River from the Llewellyn Glacier on Atlin Lake, British Columbia, to the Bering Sea at Emmonak, AK.

It is believed that I am the first person ever to successfully solo kayak, from source to sea, the three longest rivers on the North American continent.

Status Updates

The journey is not over until the mission bears fruit:
Empowerment ~ Education ~ Environment

I reached the Gulf of Mexico on December 5, 2013.

Thanks to everyone for their heartfelt support. This was OUR expedition, and for that I am grateful.

Here is a synopsis:
I completed the challenging yet successful ski into
Brower’s Spring with Norm Miller on April 24-25.

I completed three days of incredible
bike riding 100 miles from Hell Roaring Canyon
To Clark Canyon Dam.

I paddled down the Beaverhead River from Clark Canyon Dam to Twin Bridges, where the river worked me hard and I suffered two holes in my boat and a sprained wrist by the second day.

From Twin Bridges, the Beaverhead River turns into the Jefferson River, which is deeper and wider, and one of the more beautiful stretches of this journey. This leg of the journey is neatly tucked under my belt.

I arrived in Three Forks, the headwaters of the Missouri River, on Saturday, May 11, approximately 300 miles downstream from the ultimate source, Brower’s Spring.

I spent the next four months paddling down the Missouri River, stopping at my home base, Cooper’s Landing, on September 16.

My birthday on September 28 marked my arrival in St. Charles, and I paddled through the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers the next day, September 29.

Proceeding down the Mississippi River, I arrived in Memphis, TN, on October 17. Here, I took an extended break of two weeks because of a speaking engagement I flew out to in Bend, OR, at the Conservation Lands Foundation ‘Friends Rendezvous.’

November 1 found me on my way again down the Mississippi River until December 5 when I reached the Gulf of Mexico.

Oh, what a trip it was!

Then, I couldn’t leave the upper Mississippi untouched, so I paddled the whole thing in 2016, Lake Itasca to the Gulf.

Might as well make it a Triple Crown, so I paddled the Yukon River, source to sea, Llewellyn Glacier, B.C., to Emmonak, AK, at the Bering Sea in 2017!

Do what you love and love what you do.

I now want to start writing my book about paddling the Missouri-Mississppi, LoveYourBigMuddy Expedition. Stay tuned.

Every day is a new adventure! Live fast ~ Paddle slow

Tag: Thomas Walker

Three Cheers to our Inconspicuous Victors this last Week-end!!!

Dom Liboiron Canoeing to New Orleans in Memory of my Uncle Mitch, Rod Wellington https://www.facebook.com/rod.wellington.9?ref=ts&fref=ts , and Matthew Batton https://www.facebook.com/matthew.batten.73?ref=ts&fref=ts are still paddling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

First Press About my Expedition

Dom Liboiron Canoeing to New Orleans in Memory of my Uncle Mitch, Rod Wellington https://www.facebook.com/rod.wellington.9?ref=ts&fref=ts , and Matthew Batton https://www.facebook.com/matthew.batten.73?ref=ts&fref=ts are still paddling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

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