The numbers are staggering. 163 days and nearly 4,000 miles. Fourteen states, sixteen dams, and more than 1,200 miles of reservoirs. One source to sea trip along the Jefferson-Missouri-Mississippi River System. Two Hobie Mirage Revolutions piloted by Joe Zimmermann and adventure filmmaker Nick Caiazza.
Nick and Joe made their epic journey spanning five months in the summer and fall of 2014. We caught up with Nick as he prepared for the release of his film documenting the voyage. In this second story in the series, Nick talks about the surprises encountered along the way.
Blackwater Drifters_short from Nick Caiazza on Vimeo.
The weather. It was the trickiest thing. We battled severe weather. 70 mph winds one night. There were some sleepless nights. We worried our stuff would blow into the river. We had to tough it out.
Another night we had animals go through our food. One night river rose so high out stuff was in the river floating. So many things…
One incident during the trip, a sudden storm created 5- to 6-foot waves. It flipped my boat in the middle of the river. There was zero visibility; it was a torrential rainstorm. I lost a camera, my tripod, some clothes. It ripped gear from my boat.
The people were my favorite part. They were so incredibly welcoming and helpful. It is easy to get caught up in your life. The river is connected all of us in a special way. It brought everybody together. Somebody’d hear about us, be waiting, treat us like kings, share our stories, give us a place to stay. We met people we otherwise never would have met. I still talk to these people on the regular.
The animals you see are another surprise. There were eagles, hawks, osprey. We encountered moose and deer and elk. We saw a bear we saw in Montana. I almost got bit by a rattlesnake one time.
Watching the sunrise and sunset every day was an experience I wasn’t privy to before the trip.
I don’t think I’m special. Anyone who wanted to could do this. You need the right prep and mentality going into it. It’s six months just paddling. You enjoy your time. It is so much fun just flowing with the current. Every bend there’s something new to see. Being connected to the natural world like that was a life changing experience. So many people don’t have a chance to do it. To live in the natural world like that was really special.
River time as we call it. We paddled 8 to 10 hours a day. Now that I’ve gone back to living in a house with a bathroom and kitchen, I miss the little things living outside provided.
