Could you canoe down the Mississippi River in 18 days, 4 hours, and 51 minutes?
Guest Blog by Joel Ford, Mississippi Speed Record. In May of 2021, our team will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest team to paddle down the entire Mississippi River, approximately 2,300 miles.
Guest Blog by Joel Ford, Mississippi Speed Record
In early May of 2021, our team will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest team to paddle down the entire Mississippi River, approximately 2,300 miles. The time to beat is 18 days, 4 hours, and 51 minutes.
Our team consists of approximately 17 individuals working together towards the common goal. Our four paddlers (Scott Miller, Perry Whitaker, Joel Ford, and Adam Macht) are aiming to rotate paddling and resting to maintain forward progress 24 hours per day. To achieve this, we will be eating, sleeping, and living in our 23ft canoe for the duration of the attempt. The paddlers are supported by an outstanding crew both from shore and from boat. The support crew will handle challenges such as managing safety, communication with barges and locks, supplying nourishment, monitoring weather, and much more!
Picture By Joel Ford
Our team has conducted several training trips over the last year. These training trips have taught us how to best prepare for the challenges that await us. We have added a rudder to our canoe, upgraded our safety lights and made many modifications to our canoe cover. Our canoe cover acts like a spray skirt for the bow and stern paddlers and creates a small sleeping tent in the center of the canoe, approximately 2.5 feet wide by 10 feet long. Our training trips have taught us many lessons, especially how to stay safe at night and how best to communicate with locks and barges.
Picture By Joel Ford
The team is thrilled to partner with 1 Mississippi on this mission to bring awareness to the challenges facing the health of the Mississippi River. We would like to encourage all our followers to head to www.1mississippi.org and sign up to become a River Citizen for information on how to help protect our nation’s most iconic waterway.
Depending on weather, the planned start is to depart from the headwaters at Lake Itasca, MN on May 4th, 2021. Please follow us at www.facebook.com/mississippispeedrecord for content from our training trips as well as updates during the official attempt. Prior to the attempt, we will publish a link to track us live via our GPS device. Please follow along and lend your support! We also have a website with information on the history of the world record, our support crew, paddler biographies, and a donations page where you can donate in exchange for team t-shirts and other gear: www.mississippispeedrecord.com/tshirts Donations are appreciated to help offset an estimated $20,000 in expenses to feed our entire crew and fuel our support vehicles for the attempt.
Picture By Joel Ford
Can the River Count on You?
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="3.29.3" background_image="http://trueeast.website/1mississippi/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/miss5.png" custom_padding="20px|20px|30px|20px|false|false" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.29.3" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|900||on|||||" header_2_text_align="left" header_2_text_color="#FFFFFF" header_2_font_size="30px" header_3_font="Montserrat|300|||||||" header_3_text_color="#FFFFFF" header_3_font_size="18px" header_3_line_height="0.2em" custom_margin="7px||5px|||" animation_style="fade" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" global_module="16156" saved_tabs="all" locked="off"]
Become a
River Citizen
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids="15042,15043,15041,15044" fullwidth="on" _builder_version="3.22.6" custom_margin="9px||20px|||" custom_margin_tablet="" custom_margin_phone="141px||40px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|desktop" custom_padding="|0px||0px" custom_padding_tablet="" custom_padding_phone="|20px||20px" custom_padding_last_edited="on|phone" animation_style="fade" auto="on" auto_speed="3500" hover_transition_duration="700ms" custom_css_main_element="clear:both;" global_module="16157"][/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.29.3" text_font="Montserrat||||" text_text_color="#FFFFFF" text_line_height="1.8em" header_font="||||||||" header_3_font="Montserrat|700|||||||" header_3_text_color="#FFFFFF" custom_padding="|0px|20px|0px|false|false" custom_padding_tablet="" custom_padding_phone="|20px||20px" custom_padding_last_edited="on|phone" animation_style="slide" animation_direction="top" animation_intensity_slide="17%" custom_css_main_element="clear:both;" global_module="16162" saved_tabs="all" locked="off"]Yes! The River can count on me!
I am committed to protecting the Mississippi River and will take at least three actions to care for this valuable resource. Please keep me informed about actions I can take to protect the Mississippi River as a River Citizen:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_contact_form captcha="off" use_redirect="on" redirect_url="https://mississippirivernetwork.salsalabs.org/becomearivercitizen/index.html" submit_button_text="I want to help the river" _builder_version="3.22.6" custom_button="on" button_text_size="18px" button_text_color="#ffffff" button_bg_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.29)" button_border_width="4px" button_border_color="#ffffff" button_border_radius="100px" button_letter_spacing="2px" button_font="Montserrat|300||on|||||" button_icon="%%36%%" custom_margin="-4px||19px|||" custom_css_contact_button="margin-top:10px;||" box_shadow_style_button="preset1" box_shadow_color_button="rgba(0,0,0,0.67)" global_module="16159" button_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_text_color__hover="#ffffff" button_text_color__hover_enabled="on" button_bg_color__hover="rgba(0,0,0,0.17)" button_bg_color__hover_enabled="on" button_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_border_color__hover="#ffffff" button_border_color__hover_enabled="on" button_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_letter_spacing__hover="2px" button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="on"][et_pb_contact_field field_id="Name" field_title="Name" _builder_version="3.16"][/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id="Email" field_title="Email" field_type="email" _builder_version="3.22.6"][/et_pb_contact_field][/et_pb_contact_form][et_pb_text disabled_on="on|on|on" _builder_version="4.6.3" header_2_font="Montserrat|900||on|||||" header_2_text_color="#ffffff" custom_margin="40px||-20px||false|false" custom_padding="||0px||false|false" disabled="on" global_module="16509" saved_tabs="all"]Follow Us
[et_social_follow icon_style="slide" icon_shape="circle" icons_location="top" col_number="auto" outer_color="light" network_names="true"]
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.7.4" background_color="#000000" custom_padding="0|0px|0|0px|false|false" top_divider_style="wave2" top_divider_color="#044187" top_divider_height="70px" top_divider_flip="horizontal" top_divider_arrangement="above_content" global_module="15114"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_3,1_3,1_3" use_custom_gutter="on" gutter_width="1" make_equal="on" module_class=" et_pb_row_fullwidth" _builder_version="3.25" background_color="#000000" width="100%" width_tablet="100%" width_phone="" width_last_edited="on|desktop" max_width="100%" max_width_tablet="100%" max_width_phone="" max_width_last_edited="on|desktop" custom_margin="0px|0px|0px|0px" custom_padding="0px|0px|0|0px|false|false" make_fullwidth="on"][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="3.25" background_color="#015066" background_image="http://box5591.temp.domains/~trueeas1/1mississippi/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/miss4.png" background_blend="soft-light" custom_padding="140px|40px|40px|40px" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|900||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_font_size="40px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||20px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]Step 1
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|200||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_text_color="#33f3333" header_2_font_size="28px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||40px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]Become a River Citizen
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.0.4" text_font="Montserrat||||" text_text_color="#FFFFFF" text_line_height="1.8em" header_font="||||||||" header_3_font="Montserrat|700|||||||" header_3_text_color="#FFFFFF" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="30px||10px|" animation_style="slide" animation_direction="top" animation_intensity_slide="17%" custom_css_main_element="clear:both;" locked="off"]Yes! The River can count on me!
I am committed to protecting the Mississippi River and will take at least three actions to care for this valuable resource. Please keep me informed about actions I can take to protect the Mississippi River as a River Citizen:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_contact_form captcha="off" use_redirect="on" redirect_url="https://mississippirivernetwork.salsalabs.org/becomearivercitizen/index.html" submit_button_text="I will help the river" module_id="et_pb_contact_form_0" _builder_version="3.22.6" custom_button="on" button_text_size="18px" button_text_color="#ffffff" button_bg_color="rgba(10,90,181,0.79)" button_border_width="4px" button_border_color="#ffffff" button_border_radius="100px" button_letter_spacing="2px" button_font="Montserrat|300||on|||||" button_icon="%%36%%" custom_padding="||80px" custom_css_contact_button="margin-top:30px;||" box_shadow_style_button="preset1" box_shadow_color_button="rgba(0,0,0,0.67)" button_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_text_color__hover="#ffffff" button_text_color__hover_enabled="on" button_bg_color__hover="rgba(12,113,195,0.48)" button_bg_color__hover_enabled="on" button_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_border_color__hover="#ffffff" button_border_color__hover_enabled="on" button_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_letter_spacing__hover="2px" button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="on"][et_pb_contact_field field_id="Name" field_title="Name" _builder_version="3.16" button_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_one_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_two_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_bg_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled="off"][/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id="Email" field_title="Email Address" field_type="email" _builder_version="3.16" button_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_one_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_two_text_size__hover_enabled="off" button_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_text_color__hover_enabled="off" button_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_width__hover_enabled="off" button_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_color__hover_enabled="off" button_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled="off" button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled="off" button_bg_color__hover_enabled="off" button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled="off" button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled="off"][/et_pb_contact_field][/et_pb_contact_form][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="3.25" background_color="#306b9b" background_image="http://box5591.temp.domains/~trueeas1/1mississippi/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/miss3-1.png" background_blend="soft-light" custom_padding="140px||40px|40px" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|900||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_font_size="40px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||20px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]
Step 2
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|200||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_text_color="#33f3333" header_2_font_size="28px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||40px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]Educate Yourself
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Montserrat||||" text_text_color="#FFFFFF" text_line_height="1.8em" link_font="|700|||||||" link_text_color="#00efe3" header_font="||||||||" header_3_font="Montserrat|700|||||||" header_3_text_color="#FFFFFF" custom_margin="30px||10px|" animation_style="slide" animation_direction="top" animation_intensity_slide="17%" custom_css_main_element="clear:both;" locked="off"]One goal for 1 Mississippi is to educate the public on the urgent problems facing the River. We are supported by the Mississippi River Network, a group of organizations that are experts in various areas concerning the River. Each section below is intended to provide some basic knowledge about these important issues and links to experts who can provide more detailed information.
Nutrient pollution
Importance of floodplains and wetlands
Farm bill conservation programs
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="3.25" background_color="#2d649b" background_image="http://box5591.temp.domains/~trueeas1/1mississippi/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/miss5.png" background_blend="soft-light" custom_padding="140px|40px|40px|40px" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|900||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_font_size="40px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||20px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]
Step 3
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="||||||||" header_font="Montserrat|700||on|||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#f7f7f7" header_font_size="60px" header_line_height="1.3em" header_2_font="Montserrat|200||on|||||" header_2_text_align="center" header_2_text_color="#33f3333" header_2_font_size="28px" background_layout="dark" custom_margin="||40px|" header_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" locked="off"]Take Action
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.27.4" text_font="Montserrat||||" text_text_color="#FFFFFF" text_line_height="1.8em" link_font="|700|||||||" link_text_color="#00efe3" header_font="||||||||" header_3_font="Montserrat|700|||||||" header_3_text_color="#FFFFFF" custom_margin="30px||10px|" animation_style="slide" animation_direction="top" animation_intensity_slide="17%" custom_css_main_element="clear:both;" locked="off"]There are many ways you can take action. We have a list of 10 actions you can take now, You can volunteer and you can check our action center in order to see what bigger projects we are working on. Here we give you the information you need to call your congressman or sign onto proposals. You can also check out our events calendar to see what events are happening in your area.
10 actions you can take now!
The Action Center
Events Calendar
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" disabled_on="on|on|on" _builder_version="4.7.4" background_color="#0C71C3" positioning="fixed" position_origin_f="bottom_center" z_index="423" custom_padding="0|0px|0|0px|false|false" animation_style="slide" animation_direction="bottom" animation_delay="1150ms" sticky_position="bottom" sticky_offset_surrounding="off" sticky_transition="off" custom_css_main_element="bottom: 0;|| width: 100%;|| left: 0;|| position: fixed;|| vertical-align: middle;|| z-index: 99;|| box-shadow: 0 1px 6px rgba(0,0,0,.5);||z-index:10000000;" box_shadow_style="preset1" box_shadow_vertical="0px" box_shadow_blur="12px" disabled="on" global_module="15121" saved_tabs="all" locked="off"][/et_pb_section]Be a River Citizen!
You'll receive our newsletters and updates, which offer events, activities, and actions you can be part of to help protect the Mississippi River.