For some, the idea of canoeing the entire Mississippi River might
seem like a nightmare, but for Madelyn Hille and her boyfriend
Adam Hoffmeister it was a dream come true.
After finishing a photography certificate program at Indiana University in Indianapolis, Hille, a Woodmore High School graduate, was looking for a unique photography project.
For her, it was an opportunity to fulfill two ambitions.
“I thought canoeing the Mississippi was a great way to jumpstart
my career,” Hille said. “We created a Kickstarter page with the idea of making a photo book, ‘Capturing the Mississippi.’ Initially, I planned to take a picture each day to capture what we had done.”
Kickstarter is an online pledge system for funding creative and atypical projects and endeavors. Hille and Hoffmeister hoped to
reach $3,000 in pledges. In 28 days, they succeeded. With funding secured, the two moved to the planning stage.
“When we started planning the trip, we realized we needed a lot of gear we didn’t have,” Hille said. “We reached out to companies for sponsors and they were very generous. We actually got our canoe from a Canadian company called Nova.”
With a canoe and a plan, the two drove to northern Minnesota
to begin their 2,500-mile journey at Lake Itasca, which is where the Mississippi begins winding its way to the Gulf of Mexico. It took time to acclimate to their new daily routine, Hille said.
“For the first few days, we were just getting used to paddling for
eight hours,” Hille said. “It really took a toll on our body at first. We would try to get up at 6 or 7 a.m., get on the water by 8, paddle for eight hours, set up camp, cook dinner and then wake up and do it all over again the next day.”
Hille said the toughest part of the trip was getting through Minnesota, which took roughly 30 days.
“Canoeing the Mississippi River was physically challenging, but
much more mentally challenging,” Hille said. “It takes a really long time to get through Minnesota because it is so long and curvy. By the time we got through Minnesota, we started wondering if we were ever going to make it. Luckily, once
we got past St. Louis, it was pretty much downhill.”
As the journey wore on, there were additional changes for Hille
other than the scenery.
“We really enjoyed being in nature and being alone, but it was
amazing meeting all the different people through the trip,” Hille said. “Through the trip, my view of the book started to change. We had met so many people with so many stories that the idea evolved to include some of their stories. It has a narrative now.”
After 70 days, Hille and Hoffmeister came to the end of their
excursion. Looking back, Hille said there are many memories neither will forget, but one stuck out for her.
“We actually canoed both the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya
River in Louisiana,” Hille said. “On the Louisiana swamps, we actually met a man and his wife who offered to take us ‘frogging’. So late one night, we went out on a little fishing boat, put our headlamps on and would shine them around to see the eyes of different animals.
“As he shined the light, we would see red or orange eyes of alligators. The man, who was actually half Native American and half Cajun, caught a 4-foot alligator with his bare hands and brought it on the boat for us to touch and pet. It was amazing.”
While the Mississippi River canoe trip is over, Hille said the adventure was just the beginning.
“We really don’t know what we are going to do right now,” Hille
said. “We want to continue our adventures. We would like to find a job out West at a ski resort and continue with a more nomadic lifestyle.”
