Mississippi River Adventure

Three local men went on an adventure of a lifetime this summer — traveling down the Mississippi River in a canoe.

Forrest Schoessow, 24, of Sidney; Shea Selsor, 25, of Piqua; and Alex Ross, 26, of Sidney, left the morning of May 18, from Shelby County on their quest to canoe 2,340 miles of the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Their adventure began May 20 in Bemidji, Minnesota, and ended July 27 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The purpose of the Mississippi River Survey Expedition was to document the overall state of health of the river’s water and the communities who live along the river’s banks.

They traveled in Calypso their 1970s, aluminum, 20-foot Grumman freighter canoe.

Each Sunday they would call to check-in with Melanie Speicher at the Sidney Daily News and give her an update on how their week went. It took them ten weeks to complete their trip.

Below are all the stories Speicher wrote about the trio’s adventures, including photos they shared with the Sidney Daily News. Their own blog chronicles their journey as well.

Preview: The adventure of a lifetime

Week 1: A wild beginning to Mississippi adventure

Week 2: Culture shock: Trio enters civilization

Week 3: Mother Nature watches adventurers

Week 4: Adventurers enter Wisconsin

Week 5: Travelers paddle waters in Wisconsin, Iowa

Week 6: Paddlers reach 1,000-mile mark

Week 7: Wild and crazy week for river adventurers

Week 8: Touch of home powers travelers

Week 9: Trio has grueling week on Mississippi River

Week 10: River travelers arrive in New Orleans

Mississippi River conquered!

Mission Accomplished!

 

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