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talk about planning and getting the most out of this website.
talk about planning and getting the most out of this website.
This is NOT the Mississippi river!
What does it take to paddle down the Muddy Missouri River from Montana to St. Louis?
I personally don't think there is a formula. Looking at the experiences of others who have taken the challenge-- all are different.
I think it's a certain personality type, that can leave home for weeks or months...especially alone.
Many paddlers are comfortable being alone, which is not the same as being lonely. Some people are more secure with themselves, than being with a group of people. I've had friends tell me that they could never paddle and camp by themselves. When I hear this I get the sense that they don't know themselves well enough. For me, it's always been a way of life. I've been very independent since I was a child. Don't get me wrong, I spent plenty of time with friends, roaming the neighborhood as a child, building forts, playing army, hiking and fishing and just plain escaping from our parents.
I personally feel more at ease when life is simple. I feel I was born 200-years too late. I love to camp and enjoy the peace that I find along rivers or traveling abroad solo. I'm comfortable traveling to foreign countries not knowing the language. I get by easily with sign language and drawing pictures to communicate with people. Some of my best "conversations" were with people whom I could not speak their language with.
If you can paddle all day, set up camp, cook your food, clean up your mess, go to bed, get up in the morning and repeat again the next day, then paddling two-three months is not that big of a deal. It becomes far more of an emotional, spiritual, and psychological journey than a physical one. One's mind is always at battle wondering about "things". I wonder about my wellbeing, the what if's, do's and don'ts. In 2004, while paddling up the Missouri, I was at a constant battle with myself. The main issue was the slow pace in which I moved. I could have easily walked faster than I was paddling. In the strong currents of the lower river, 2-mph hour was my maximum speed. So, living in the 20th century with all the high-speed- fast paced lives we all live, slowing down to a snail's pace was very difficult. I had to concentrate on the small picture, never the final destination. My mantra was "one stroke at a time will get you to the ocean". I had to stay focused on the bend ahead, the distant tree or bridge and never the Pacific! I would have went insane had I not slowed my mind. "River Time" is what many paddlers talk about. So, slow down and adjust to the natural pace of the world you are now surrounded by and not be consumed by the 21st century and what the "outside" world is doing.
Being able to adapt to changing conditions is another factor that is helpful. On my first big paddle trip (2000-miles to the Arctic ocean in 1998) I started off very set in my beliefs as to how the day should go. I didn't accept change very easy. Well, that only lasted about a week and I knew that nature dictated much more than I ever imagined. The weather was the biggest factor (And is, and will be, ALL the time while paddling). Wind and storms will tell you when you can and cannot paddle. So get use to watching the sky, feeling the wind, observing the weather. It truly tells a lot. After a week or two you will get better than the weatherman at determining the forecast. This is a lost trait that everyone knew centuries ago. Our ancestors spent more time outdoors observing the weather and not consumed by the mind zapping things that we have today such as TV, radio, Music, Internet, and Facebook etc) There will be times when you just have to wait it out. I've spent days windbound in a tent, waiting for a break to proceed onward. Don't be in a hurry. Enjoy the storms, the hail, the tornados, the flooding, the snow, the lighting and the intense sun. Explore the surrounding shore, the distant hillsides. I've spent hours along a river on my hand & knees looking at stones and animal tracks in the mud. I've found some amazing things while wandering around waiting for the wind to abate; from Native burial grounds, old buildings, rare animal sightings, hot springs, and even a family outing with plenty of cold beer.
Being stranded in the wind is also a good time to rest, and to catch up on needed sleep. I've come to love the wind! It has become my friend. I no longer curse it but enjoy it's gifts and wonder. There is something magical about hearing the wind making the tent flap throughout the night...it tells me the earth is alive and well!
I recently followed a group of young guys paddling down the Mississippi via their web blog. I don't think they made it a week before the whole adventure feel apart. I'm not sure why as I don't know the whole story, but I got the sense that there were many factors from personality conflicts, mental battles in the mind, and lack of "outdoor" experience. For the most part we have lost touch of our hunter gatherer traits. We, in today's society look at modern adventure as a novelty. When in fact just 150-years ago it was a common thing. We hunted, worked the land, lived a more nomadic lifestyle, our entire day was about survival or just getting by. The pioneers on the wagon trains, the early explorers and missionaries etc...everything they did in the course of their day was what many now think of as hardships. We now spend so little time in the out-doors. If it rains or snows we seek the comforts of our houses never really experiencing nature and missing out on a lot of great things.
Planning your Journey:
The internet has changed everything! There is so much information, that it shortens the planning by weeks and months; and probably years. When I began planning my 2004-Lewis & Clark redux, the internet was fairly new. I spent about 5-years planning. Now with the help of paddling websites, Facebook, this site, books, blogs, and the speed of finding information, one can get all they need quickly. In the early days, I had to hand write letters to people for information, so it would take weeks for a response at times. Today, the replies can take a matter of a few minutes.
For starters, buy David Millers book; The Complete Paddler! It is the "bible" for the MoRP. A mile by mile guide for paddling from Montana to St. Louis. The book is divided into 3-parts. The upper, middle and lower river sections, which are basically three different trips. The book contains a wealth of logistical information including valuable phone numbers, re-supply points, drinking water locations, map info etc. However, in 2011 the river experienced a huge flood which destroyed many locations that are mentioned in the book. The Missouri River Paddlers Facebook page helps "update" some of that information by posting descents over the past 10 years. Paddlers blogged about those changes, such as Bob Bellingham and Dom Liborian to name two. So, when reading those paddlers blogs, take notes of the changes mentioned on the same page that corresponds in Dave Millers Book etc.
Use the book as a journal and write directly into the book. It will provide a wealth of stored information to all who follow in your wake. (Update 2023- Amazon is price gouging this book, there are dozens of MoRP members willing to loan, give or sell an extra copy of the book. Contact the founder for more information. Contact Norm Miller for more information on obtaining a book: Contact here
Use the book as a journal and write directly into the book. It will provide a wealth of stored information to all who follow in your wake. (Update 2023- Amazon is price gouging this book, there are dozens of MoRP members willing to loan, give or sell an extra copy of the book. Contact the founder for more information. Contact Norm Miller for more information on obtaining a book: Contact here
Buying Maps:
Buying maps/charts should be one of the main priorities. However in hindsight, I would feel confident paddling the entire route without a map or only having a Rand McNalley road atlas. I know paddlers who only used such maps and they had successful journeys.
In 2004 I may have went overboard with maps. I used the Corp nautical charts for the lower river....they show all 5000+ wing dams and every mile in DETAIL...which is helpful when paddling upstream, but not as critical when paddling downstream. Going upstream I had to stay very close to shore....so this is where the real hazards are located. So, knowing the location of EVERY wing dam helped me. The Corp maps of the big lakes are good too. The lakes are huge! You can get disoriented. Some of the bays open to a 30-mile-wide expanse of water and on a flat horizon it is almost impossible to tell where you are at. The Montana section is great...I made copies off of a map program. The maps helped me find camping areas AWAY from people and private property. I always preferred to stealth camp. During my 2004 trip, I camped in downtown St. Charles, Washington, Kansas City, and Ft. Yates, and no one knew I was ever there! Stealth camping is an art form for sure. After 12-17 hours of paddling, I was not in the mood to be social most of the time. So being away from people allowed me to do what I needed to do and get the proper rest.
As far as travel speed goes, that depends on the weather and how much you want to paddle. It's not a race, but some paddlers prefer long hours and traveling many miles. Others prefer slow travel. It's all a personal choice. However, ON AVERAGE...from Three Fork to St. Louis, those that have paddled down the last 10 years have done it in about 90-120 days! That's a good average. I had a friend in 1981 go from Three Forks to St. Louis in about 30 days! The state of Montana is a huge state with big bodies of water...in particular, Ft. Peck Reservoir. I would allow about a month to get through Montana. The slower you go the better. Why? Montana is beautiful, with many interesting places to check out....why rush? We have the only mountains you will encounter on the whole entire trip! Montana is very scenic, lots of wildlife, historic unchanged river sections, and interesting towns such as Ft. Benton.
The Dakota's can be a mental test. You will have Lake Sakakawea and Oahe, they can drain you mentally. Expect WIND and ...more WIND....then a couple minutes of calm and then more WIND! It blows from every directions...not just from west to east. The winds can change direction every hour. What I noticed in 2004 was that the wind would start to kick up about 8 am....die down a bit between 11 am and 2pm, then pick up hard from 2pm until the sun set. Once the sun sets, it is rather calm until morning...sometimes like glass. During the day time hours, you will have to keep moving whenever there is a break in the wind. Sometimes you may sit on shore 1/2 hour, 4-hours or all day....just be ready when it abates so you can jump in your boat and start paddling. I was wind bound on one occasion for 4-days on Oahe without moving an inch. The winds were 40-60 mph and the seas well over 10 feet high in 2004.
During those windbound moments I usually read a book, slept, ate, fixed and cleaned gear or explored around camp. Sometimes I would walk the shore for an hour or so to see what I could find. Near Ft. Yates I found a human skull in the sand. Most likely it was that of a Native American from centuries ago. A cool find which I reported to local tribes.
The Lower River from Yankton to St. Louis is fast moving if you are going downstream. One can paddle 40-80 miles a day through there depending on your energy level and river flows. Watch out for the barges, especially from behind...they can sneak up when the winds blowing and you may never hear them. It's good to tuck in behind a wing dike and let them pass before proceeding on.
Buying maps/charts should be one of the main priorities. However in hindsight, I would feel confident paddling the entire route without a map or only having a Rand McNalley road atlas. I know paddlers who only used such maps and they had successful journeys.
In 2004 I may have went overboard with maps. I used the Corp nautical charts for the lower river....they show all 5000+ wing dams and every mile in DETAIL...which is helpful when paddling upstream, but not as critical when paddling downstream. Going upstream I had to stay very close to shore....so this is where the real hazards are located. So, knowing the location of EVERY wing dam helped me. The Corp maps of the big lakes are good too. The lakes are huge! You can get disoriented. Some of the bays open to a 30-mile-wide expanse of water and on a flat horizon it is almost impossible to tell where you are at. The Montana section is great...I made copies off of a map program. The maps helped me find camping areas AWAY from people and private property. I always preferred to stealth camp. During my 2004 trip, I camped in downtown St. Charles, Washington, Kansas City, and Ft. Yates, and no one knew I was ever there! Stealth camping is an art form for sure. After 12-17 hours of paddling, I was not in the mood to be social most of the time. So being away from people allowed me to do what I needed to do and get the proper rest.
As far as travel speed goes, that depends on the weather and how much you want to paddle. It's not a race, but some paddlers prefer long hours and traveling many miles. Others prefer slow travel. It's all a personal choice. However, ON AVERAGE...from Three Fork to St. Louis, those that have paddled down the last 10 years have done it in about 90-120 days! That's a good average. I had a friend in 1981 go from Three Forks to St. Louis in about 30 days! The state of Montana is a huge state with big bodies of water...in particular, Ft. Peck Reservoir. I would allow about a month to get through Montana. The slower you go the better. Why? Montana is beautiful, with many interesting places to check out....why rush? We have the only mountains you will encounter on the whole entire trip! Montana is very scenic, lots of wildlife, historic unchanged river sections, and interesting towns such as Ft. Benton.
The Dakota's can be a mental test. You will have Lake Sakakawea and Oahe, they can drain you mentally. Expect WIND and ...more WIND....then a couple minutes of calm and then more WIND! It blows from every directions...not just from west to east. The winds can change direction every hour. What I noticed in 2004 was that the wind would start to kick up about 8 am....die down a bit between 11 am and 2pm, then pick up hard from 2pm until the sun set. Once the sun sets, it is rather calm until morning...sometimes like glass. During the day time hours, you will have to keep moving whenever there is a break in the wind. Sometimes you may sit on shore 1/2 hour, 4-hours or all day....just be ready when it abates so you can jump in your boat and start paddling. I was wind bound on one occasion for 4-days on Oahe without moving an inch. The winds were 40-60 mph and the seas well over 10 feet high in 2004.
During those windbound moments I usually read a book, slept, ate, fixed and cleaned gear or explored around camp. Sometimes I would walk the shore for an hour or so to see what I could find. Near Ft. Yates I found a human skull in the sand. Most likely it was that of a Native American from centuries ago. A cool find which I reported to local tribes.
The Lower River from Yankton to St. Louis is fast moving if you are going downstream. One can paddle 40-80 miles a day through there depending on your energy level and river flows. Watch out for the barges, especially from behind...they can sneak up when the winds blowing and you may never hear them. It's good to tuck in behind a wing dike and let them pass before proceeding on.
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FOOD AND WATER:
Don't expect to filter water! There is so much agricultural runoff that you don't want to drink it for fear of getting sick. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and toxic pollutants are dumped or flushed into the river daily....my words of wisdom are.....DON'T BOTHER. Why do a trip of a lifetime and get sick the first week? Every town, house, marina, store and campground has drinking water. (David Millers book mentions about every possible place to get drinking water.) It's not a remote trip like it was for Lewis & Clark. You will encounter plenty of places to obtain water. I carried 4, 1-Gallon jugs which I filled every couple of days.... or whenever I saw a pump, I would top them off. I filled water in bars, people's houses and even the government office buildings attached to the State Capitol of Missouri. One thing to consider in early season such as March-May is that most campgrounds DO NOT HAVE their pumps working yet, so you will have to rely on towns and houses to fill up.
In 2004, I mailed food drops to post offices. I researched which Post Offices were close to the river and had a box of food mailed there..."General Delivery" to myself. I spent the previous winter dehydrating food and preparing meals, so I did not have to always rely on a store. This saved me a lot of money. One thing to consider with the post office drop is the hours of operation for each office. You will have to plan on picking your box up when they are open and make sure you consider that they are closed on weekends and holidays. I ran into this issue in Yankton where my package had not arrived when I got there on Friday...I had to wait until Monday before it opened up. Many people purchase food along the way. There are plenty of places to do so. However, the variety may not be what you want or need. I tell everyone they should carry about 2-weeks at a time, especially the section when leaving Ft. Benton where there is a big gap of NO stores until you get to Wolf Point or Culbertson, Mt. The town of Ft. Peck is LIMITED....basically a party store is all they have. Thats fine for some, not for me. A list of Post Offices and addresses can be found here.
You will have plenty of opportunities to get food at restaurants or from generous river angles. Read Bob Bellingham's blog and you will see that he ate well and drank plenty from the generous people he met along the way. I too had people buy me dinner or make me breakfast along the way.
Click here to read comments of the paddlers regarding obtaining drinking water. (Read the Q&A too on this topic.)
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CANOE OR KAYAK?
We can debate this for hours with paddlers. I will mention a few comments and let you do your own research.
The route has been done in Aluminum Grumman Canoes, Homemade dugout canoes, high tech kevlar canoes and kayaks and everything in between including a complete descent on a SUP board by Scott Mestrezat in 2013.
I highly recommend something comfortable! After all, why be miserable sitting 10-17 hours a day for three months. I used a Sea Wind decked canoe built by canoe legend Verlen Kruger, who holds many paddling records in distance paddling, including the longest paddle trip ever ...a 3-year, 28,000 miles trip through North America.
His boats, in my opinion are the best solo expedition canoes on the market, as mentioned above...these boats hold THE records of distance traveling. They are strong, comfortable to sit long hours in and will hold a lot of gear without having to cram gear into small hatches like you would in a sea kayak. I am never cramped in my boat. I oft times sit in it for 17-hours without ever getting out. I'm biased on my choice but just make sure you know your boat. COMFORT should be your #1 feature. If you have questions about boats...send me a message and I will go into more detail.
We can debate this for hours with paddlers. I will mention a few comments and let you do your own research.
The route has been done in Aluminum Grumman Canoes, Homemade dugout canoes, high tech kevlar canoes and kayaks and everything in between including a complete descent on a SUP board by Scott Mestrezat in 2013.
I highly recommend something comfortable! After all, why be miserable sitting 10-17 hours a day for three months. I used a Sea Wind decked canoe built by canoe legend Verlen Kruger, who holds many paddling records in distance paddling, including the longest paddle trip ever ...a 3-year, 28,000 miles trip through North America.
His boats, in my opinion are the best solo expedition canoes on the market, as mentioned above...these boats hold THE records of distance traveling. They are strong, comfortable to sit long hours in and will hold a lot of gear without having to cram gear into small hatches like you would in a sea kayak. I am never cramped in my boat. I oft times sit in it for 17-hours without ever getting out. I'm biased on my choice but just make sure you know your boat. COMFORT should be your #1 feature. If you have questions about boats...send me a message and I will go into more detail.
Brian Duncan organizes food and gear before his descent of the Missouri.
GEAR:
Purchase a good tent. It will most likely not be any good when you finish. I recommend a NEW one when you start.... not one that you have had for the last 5 years. Think about this, if you are out 90-days...that is equal to 45 weekends of camping.... or nearly 4 summers of camping-every weekend! I went through 2 tents.... both were NO good when finished. One was destroyed by a tornado in the Dakotas, my second one just plain wore out! One TIP with any tent is to purchase a large plastic tarp. I used the tarp almost every day. I would put the tarp overtop my entire tent many times during a hard rain....to not only keep leaking water out but it kept the entire tent dry, so I never had to pack it away wet. This is very important because if you pack it away wet each day, it never dries out and begins to mold and decay! A tarp will cover everything you have from getting wet....so you will always have a dry packed boat ever day!!
Good rain gear is important too. I recommend bringing a large golf umbrella. They make great sails for minor winds. They are great for the quick storms as you don't have to get out of the boat to put rain gear on for a 10-minute rainstorm. Just pull out the umbrella.... pop it open, stay dry and put away after the rain. They also make great shade when there are no trees around. In the Dakota's there are very few trees along the river. If you happen to be sitting around waiting out the wind you can use your umbrella to keep the heat of the sun off of you. Believe me, there are no trees to block the 100-degree heat in the Dakotas!
One of the best things I brought was a pair of knee-high boots. Waterproof is a must. You will encounter a LOT of mud on the lower Missouri, and I hate wet feet. These boots kept me dry and from getting trench foot which can be common if your feet never dry out.
Purchase a good tent. It will most likely not be any good when you finish. I recommend a NEW one when you start.... not one that you have had for the last 5 years. Think about this, if you are out 90-days...that is equal to 45 weekends of camping.... or nearly 4 summers of camping-every weekend! I went through 2 tents.... both were NO good when finished. One was destroyed by a tornado in the Dakotas, my second one just plain wore out! One TIP with any tent is to purchase a large plastic tarp. I used the tarp almost every day. I would put the tarp overtop my entire tent many times during a hard rain....to not only keep leaking water out but it kept the entire tent dry, so I never had to pack it away wet. This is very important because if you pack it away wet each day, it never dries out and begins to mold and decay! A tarp will cover everything you have from getting wet....so you will always have a dry packed boat ever day!!
Good rain gear is important too. I recommend bringing a large golf umbrella. They make great sails for minor winds. They are great for the quick storms as you don't have to get out of the boat to put rain gear on for a 10-minute rainstorm. Just pull out the umbrella.... pop it open, stay dry and put away after the rain. They also make great shade when there are no trees around. In the Dakota's there are very few trees along the river. If you happen to be sitting around waiting out the wind you can use your umbrella to keep the heat of the sun off of you. Believe me, there are no trees to block the 100-degree heat in the Dakotas!
One of the best things I brought was a pair of knee-high boots. Waterproof is a must. You will encounter a LOT of mud on the lower Missouri, and I hate wet feet. These boots kept me dry and from getting trench foot which can be common if your feet never dry out.
Clothing:
I personally hate to get sunburned. Sun is very damaging, just look at what it does to your tent after a season.... now imagine what it does to your skin. If you plan to paddle or be out in the sun for 3-months, then cover up! You will get plenty of sun even if you cover up. I hope we as humans have moved beyond the "tan look" vanity thing. The benefits of sun protection are, you will be less dehydrated and your need to drink water will be less. Don't forget even though you are on a river, the availability of clean drinking water is not that common. So, by covering your body, you won't require as much water and you will be less fatigued. I am amazed how many people paddle with no hat, short sleeve shirts and shorts! A 100-day trip with 10 hours of sun exposure each day adds up to 1000 hours! If you were to take two apples, one whole, the other peeled, the one that is peeled will dry up 10-times faster than the one that is unpeeled. So think of your clothing as an apple peeling. One of the first rules in desert survival is to put cloths ON! You never see middle eastern or African cultures wearing shorts and t-shirts do you? They are sometimes covered head to toe, long shirts, pants etc. I wear long sleeve and long pants, a brimmed hat, a bandana around my neck and gloves to protect the tops of my hands from the sun. I also use SPF-75 to 100 sunscreen at all times. It will make your paddling more comfortable when you are not fried!
I personally hate to get sunburned. Sun is very damaging, just look at what it does to your tent after a season.... now imagine what it does to your skin. If you plan to paddle or be out in the sun for 3-months, then cover up! You will get plenty of sun even if you cover up. I hope we as humans have moved beyond the "tan look" vanity thing. The benefits of sun protection are, you will be less dehydrated and your need to drink water will be less. Don't forget even though you are on a river, the availability of clean drinking water is not that common. So, by covering your body, you won't require as much water and you will be less fatigued. I am amazed how many people paddle with no hat, short sleeve shirts and shorts! A 100-day trip with 10 hours of sun exposure each day adds up to 1000 hours! If you were to take two apples, one whole, the other peeled, the one that is peeled will dry up 10-times faster than the one that is unpeeled. So think of your clothing as an apple peeling. One of the first rules in desert survival is to put cloths ON! You never see middle eastern or African cultures wearing shorts and t-shirts do you? They are sometimes covered head to toe, long shirts, pants etc. I wear long sleeve and long pants, a brimmed hat, a bandana around my neck and gloves to protect the tops of my hands from the sun. I also use SPF-75 to 100 sunscreen at all times. It will make your paddling more comfortable when you are not fried!
A TYPICAL DAY:
Not sure there is a typical day, but at times they can be very repetitive. You may awake before the sun and start paddling before the wind begins.... say 6-8 am each day, so you will at least get a couple hours of paddling in before the wind starts. I was so comfortable being in my boat that I would oft time stay in it for as much as 17-hours without ever getting out of my boat...even to go to the bathroom.... which I did in a pee-bottle. When I wanted to eat/snack i would just stop paddling and dig into my lunch/food bag that I kept close by. If I was wind bound, I would try and find shade. Sometimes I set up my tent in order to have shade or use and umbrella. Other times I would walk around and explore the countryside or go into a town, grab a burger or even do laundry. Wind bound moments was also when i would use my solar rechargers. I carried to solar panels for my satellite phone, camera and laptop.
Plan on your hot showers being weeks apart, same with your laundry. I wore the same cloths almost every day! You can periodically rinse them out in the river which will also help cool you down. A daily dip in the river is great for you.
Not sure there is a typical day, but at times they can be very repetitive. You may awake before the sun and start paddling before the wind begins.... say 6-8 am each day, so you will at least get a couple hours of paddling in before the wind starts. I was so comfortable being in my boat that I would oft time stay in it for as much as 17-hours without ever getting out of my boat...even to go to the bathroom.... which I did in a pee-bottle. When I wanted to eat/snack i would just stop paddling and dig into my lunch/food bag that I kept close by. If I was wind bound, I would try and find shade. Sometimes I set up my tent in order to have shade or use and umbrella. Other times I would walk around and explore the countryside or go into a town, grab a burger or even do laundry. Wind bound moments was also when i would use my solar rechargers. I carried to solar panels for my satellite phone, camera and laptop.
Plan on your hot showers being weeks apart, same with your laundry. I wore the same cloths almost every day! You can periodically rinse them out in the river which will also help cool you down. A daily dip in the river is great for you.
Expect temperatures near 100F often through eastern Montana and the Dakotas. It's very uncomfortable paddling , just keep plugging along. I would stop for the evening ONLY when the sun dropped below the horizon. I would then pull over right where I was at....sometimes it was a stealth camp. Once the sun dropped below the horizon I knew there would be about 1-hour before it was too dark to see. This hour of twilight allowed me to set up camp, cook, clean up, and update a blog.... all without needing a head lamp. This method allowed me to go without using a headlamp for all but 2 hours in a 6-month period! I was plenty tired after each day and would fall immediately to sleep and usually would not wake during the entire night. The following day was then repeated. Get used to being uncomfortable, hot, wet, smelly, soar, irritated, hungry, windburned, and parched- yet happy as a clam!
I would typically look over my maps each night and try to imagine the next days route. I would plan a "route" that took into consideration the wind directions I anticipated. Since I did not carry a weather radio, I would often ask fishermen along the way if they heard of a weather report. When doing so, realize you will get 20-different answers from 20 different people. I would then compile all the info and then used deductive reasoning to come up with my own forecast. Same goes for "river conditions"! Most people you meet will NOT BE PADDLERS', so they have NO clue as to what you require or your ability. TAKE ALL OF THEIR INFO with a grain of salt! Paddler Bob Bellingham told me he talked to some fishermen in Montana who told him upon telling them that he was paddling to St. Louis that, " You better check your maps, because this river doesn't go to St. Louis!" I too had a similar situation whereas someone told me that Lewis & Clark didn't pass through "here". Writer Edward Abby is quoted as saying that "the reservoir fisherman is the lowest form of life on earth." I'm not sure I'd go quite to that extent, but it sure is a different culture for sure.
I would typically look over my maps each night and try to imagine the next days route. I would plan a "route" that took into consideration the wind directions I anticipated. Since I did not carry a weather radio, I would often ask fishermen along the way if they heard of a weather report. When doing so, realize you will get 20-different answers from 20 different people. I would then compile all the info and then used deductive reasoning to come up with my own forecast. Same goes for "river conditions"! Most people you meet will NOT BE PADDLERS', so they have NO clue as to what you require or your ability. TAKE ALL OF THEIR INFO with a grain of salt! Paddler Bob Bellingham told me he talked to some fishermen in Montana who told him upon telling them that he was paddling to St. Louis that, " You better check your maps, because this river doesn't go to St. Louis!" I too had a similar situation whereas someone told me that Lewis & Clark didn't pass through "here". Writer Edward Abby is quoted as saying that "the reservoir fisherman is the lowest form of life on earth." I'm not sure I'd go quite to that extent, but it sure is a different culture for sure.
SAFTEY: Be river smart and level headed. You are not in a race. It only takes one hair raising moment to put you in your place. Typically EVERY first time Thru-Paddler gets cocky and takes too big of risk especially at open water crossings.... and usually the first reservoir of Peck. You will get halfway across, and the wind will begin to blow and create huge waves. Be smart, not stupid! A personal locator beacon is a smart tool to have, not only for your safety but to keep your family and friends at ease, as they are able to see your progress and know that you are safe. Many of the new versions are able to send text messages, which is helpful if you are injured, or need an important emergency weather update, such as possible tornadas. The most popular are Garmin InReach, SPOT, and Zollio.
Your biggest concern besides the weather are humans. The most dangerous thing you may encounter will be man. I prefer to camp away from people, away from campgrounds or anywhere where there is road access and potential for a lot of beer drinking. Dead end roads at the rivers edge are a mecca for high-school kids on Friday night to have huge parties. Find those little hide-a-ways tucked along the shores of the reservoirs or in the trees along the river. You will have plenty of social opportunities if you need. I personally am more of an introvert and seek out the stealth and remote camps. It's good to check-in each night if you have a cell phone or SPOT beacon. This saves a lot of worrying on the home front. It also gives a reference point if you get hurt the following day as to where your last check-point was. Your friends and family back home will be concerned, so be considerate of them and let them know. There are some big gaps in cell-coverage especially in Montana. You can go a week or more without coverage. I don't recommend Cellular One as a service. Mark Kalch had a Cellular One phone and could not use it for almost 6 weeks! In 2004 I used a Satellite phone which has coverage anywhere. Do your research on the technology you are bringing.
As far as your personal safety, there is more of a worry if you are solo than if paddling with someone. I recommend a can of Bear-Spray over a gun, but that is another topic I don't care to get into. Just be smart and listen to your gut feelings. Be aware and observant.
I'm sure I forgot a lot, but this will give you an idea what is involved in paddling from Montana to St. Louis. Everyone is different. It's best to create your own experience using the skills and knowledge passed along by others, they have a lot of good information. I highly recommend contacting the Through-Paddlers here on this site and ask them as many questions as you can think of. I'm just 1-mans experience. The things that worked for me may not work for you and vise-versa. One thing that is very important is to be adaptive and able to adjust to your changing conditions...either daily or hourly.
Keep the round side down!
Cheers
Norm Miller
Founder- Missouri River Paddlers Org.
[email protected]