MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On the Mississippi River, paddling against the water in a canoe can be a rugged test, but it’s also become a real life lesson for two recent Loyola University graduates, Malcolm Reed and Mitchell Selby. The two stopped in Memphis on Tuesday to rest and visit family and friends.
“It’s about having fun and exploring America from the source of the Mississippi to the gulf,” Selby said.
These two friends said they are on a mission to travel the 2,300 mile length of the Mississippi River.
“We started in Lake Itasca in Minnesota and it brought us north and the Mississippi turned south. We’ve gone 1,300 miles,” Reed said.
Their Big Muddy Adventure, as they called it, is being done in a canoe named Dakuwaqa, or the protector of the sea. It’s packed with a map, solar panel cellphone chargers, water bags and a volleyball.
“This is our main companion, Wilson. It’s a big old volleyball and he’s been keeping us company,” Selby said.
But their journey was also meant to raise awareness for at-risk youth in an organization called Louisiana Outdoor Outreach Program, or LOOP.
It’s recently faced severe state budget cuts.
“We are trying to raise support for them and get the organization up and running again,” Reed said.
It’s why they’re paddling, trying to raise dollars for LOOP by setting up a fundraising page.
“We believe that going outside and going on adventures like this is this greatest way and emotional,” Selby said.
It’s been an emotional journey for two young men hoping to help inner-city youth as they continue their big muddy adventure after a brief rest in Memphis.
“Priorities for Memphis? Step one will be laundry, step two will be a shower and step three will be barbecue,” Selby said.
Reed and Selby said they have about 700 miles to go before reaching New Orleans and finally the Gulf of Mexico.
