Jeff Medley's Missouri River from Beginning to End
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ย. 2010
- On July 10, 2010, I put my canoe in the Missouri River at the headwaters near Three Forks, MT, with the intention of paddling solo to St. Louis, MO. 15 dams, 2300+ miles and 59 days later I arrived in front of the Gateway Arch. These are just some snippets sloppily slapped together to share the river's many moods. I didn't have a functional memory card for video from Fort Peck Dam in Montana to Bismarck, ND, thus, the long stretch of photos. I had a small radio (iriver) and South Dakota Public Broadcasting to thank for the jazz references. The journey was a dream come true despite days of oppressive heat, humidity, headwinds and a few dawns and dusks of mosquito hordes. I would do it again in a heartbeat, though. Keep in mind while watching, I am not a professional documentarian/editor... I paddled long hours and shot a little footage when I could. Thanks for watching.
Im gonna try to explain why i liked this video more than most. I liked that you absorbed your trip like a sponge, not focusing on filming but rather taking in the beauty, decay, forces of nature that come along with it. I liked your senility and dark sense of humor that comes with long stretches of solitude on the water. I liked the shot of the nasty bugs cause thats not pretty but it is beautiful because that also is part of our beautiful river. thank you for this video. i wish you many safe adventures.
Gets into St Louis and hears sirens, perfect. I was standing at the headwaters right where you put in mid June of 14', a fella was putting his canoe in right there. It was so loaded I asked 'that's allota gear for an afternoon's fishing'? He laughed his ass off before explaing he was headed to St Louis. Now I know - Do Not Hump.
Fun to see the sites along the river. I did this trip in 2003, and had the same excitement on seeing the building skyline of Kansas City.
Yea!!! Really enjoyed this!!! Would of liked if you would of made more commits about where you were on lots of those pic's.. Beautiful!
This summer I went from St. Paul, MN on the Mississippi R. to Cario, Ill. were I went up the Ohio R., Tennessee River then down the TennTom Waterway to Mobile, Al. I sailed just a few days in my homemade 14 ft. sailboat (with cabin) then motored with a 4 horse. A 60 days, 1666 mile trip stopping every night and mtg. new and old friends. I am planning to build a kayak with folding akas and using a small sail besides paddling. The plan is to leave in the spring/summer of 2017. Your video has been so helpful to me to get an overview to plan for my trip. Good job.
happy paddling. pain and bliss at the same time.
Epic journey! Such a variety of everything: water, land, sky, weather.... I enjoyed your style, giving a snapshot of the trip... hi from Washington State
Great video Jeff. I enjoyed on multiple occasions prior to my journey. Of course, I now have an even greater appreciation.
Just got to fort peck mt. Today. Started at Fort benton
I would do it again in a heartbeat, despite the dams, despite the days on the reservoirs when the wind was blowing me to a standstill, if not backwards. Having paddled it the year before the crazy high water/flooding, I would love to see how it's changed.
I was brought here by reading up on Kansas City; where my cousins are at. I'm writing from Alberta, Canada. Mapped the river back to source at Mount Jefferson, then had to watch our film. Ever read Paddle to the Amazon?
Really enjoyed the water, both violent and calm - and the concrete obstacles.
Let's keep this water clean, for everyone.
I'll have to look into that book. Thanks!
Having been raised in Missouri and now living in Montana, it's a natural connection to my family. The cart was critical for most of the 15 dam portages (employees of the dams helped on a couple and, in Great Falls, PPL partners with the good people of the Medicine River Canoe Club to get you around the 5 dams there. As far as resupplying, I started out with more than enough food... probably too much, but since it was my first 'overnight' I erred on the side of caution.
Watching your video here in southern Norway. How wonderful it would be to travel to the US and visit some of the spots you travelled through.
Mikael, Several of the Western States have large river systems. I've paddled the Missouri in Montana, the Marias. I've paddled the Green River 6 or 7 hundred miles ,,the Colorado. Because of snowmelt, plan your trip for the last of June the first of July. The premiere is the Grand Canyon. There are so many good choices flat water and white water.
Wind , wind, every afternoon on the Missouri,, and always on the nose. You pack everything the night before after dinner. You leave out only the tent and sleeping bag. Before sunrise, you roll it all up and travel,, breakfast is what you can eat while you paddle. I've only done the 400 miles or so in Montana. My big trip was the Green and the Colorado, Wy to Az My final goal,, very similar,, the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. Well done, Jeff.
Cool video
I REALLY enjoyed that!! I can't imagine what that experience had to have been like, but I appreciate you 'bringing' us along! I was waiting (and hoping) to see my town, Washington, MO, or the bridge, but I think that's where you lost video recording capability. Anywho, that was great. Thanks again, and way to go!
Amazing my friend.
What an adventure. I would love to see where all you stopped, how far you traveled each day, etc. Not sure if you cared, but the jet you recorded at 9:30 is the E-6B Mercury (aka TACAMO) and was landing at Offutt AFB. Given the time frame you passed by, there's a decent chance I know someone who was onboard that day! If you ever paddle through the area again, let me know...I'll gladly bring the doughnuts and coffee that Omaha still owes you.
That is so AWESOME ! Would love to do that someday.
Watching from Australia. Always been fascinated by these rivers since Australian ones are smaller in comparison
There used to be an awesome band in Kansas City called The Orange Doe-Nuts btw.
I still have a dream to leave New Orleans around "Ash Wednesday" and follow the Mississippi Missouri all the way to Seatle. Hopefully it will come true. Thanks
How would you make that trip?
@EazyCash1993 My dream would be to hire/buy a motor home on a one way rental or resale agreement. Cheers
Is there a guide about paddling the Missouri River ?
Where to get resupplied and where to portage around dams
Good question! There's a somewhat hard to find book called The Complete Paddler. I believe I checked it out from my local library and perused it a few weeks before taking off. In a very eccentric fashion I just cut out the Missouri River sections from various state highway maps. They were detailed enough that I knew where all 15 dams were and all the twists and turns on the reservoirs, but as far as portaging, each dam was a surprise and slightly different. Of course, the five dams around Great Falls have to be portaged all at once, ideally with vehicle assistance (I don't know if the local canoe club still offers that service (there was a sign with a phone number when I did it)), but the others varied from a short walk to a good mile or so.
great vid. I grew up in the stl area. It's kinda sad how you pulled in and you can the police sirens going off. I didn't here them throughout your entire video. I only live 30 miles west but what difference. the admiral though... used to be gambling boat. been gone for years
I grew up in Great Falls!!
@BeckyD68 Nebraska, though not mentioned in my rambling narrative, is on the right side of the screen from the 8:39 through approximately 10:00 mark. The vultures were on Lewis & Clark Lake over the Nebraska shore. At 8:45, the 15th and final dam touches both South Dakota and Nebraska as you probably know. The plane landing at 9:22 was in Omaha.
There aint no fog bank out there, hey theres a fog bank out there from the movie John Carpenters The Fog at 9:36. Very nice video man.
Thank you Jeff for a great video. I am looking to make the trip this spring and I’m needing help planning all the logistics. Getting accurate maps and that sort of thing. Suggestions?
Sorry for slowness! I hope you found some! I didn't have Google maps back then. I should take a picture of the cobbled together cut up highway maps I used... They never did me wrong. The only place I almost took a wrong turn was on the sprawling Fort Peck Reservoir.
Is the Missouri bigger than Mississippi River?
Good question! I think some people like to debate it, but according to one source (www.nps.gov) the Missouri is about 100 miles longer than the Mississippi.
What's a good point to start at that avoids most if not all the dams?
We used to turn over rocks and catch crawdads in the Missouri
Are there locks on every dam that allow passage through or did you have to exit and reenter further down past the dam? I'm trying to plan a trip from the Gulf of Mexico, to New Orleans, up the Mississippi to St. Louis, then take the Missouri to Garrison Dam. I'd actually hoped to make it past Garrison dam to Lake Sakakawea and make it to little Missouri from there to Oxbow Overlook. I do not see a way past that dam though. I'd heard of a way around through Knife River but couldn't see it on any map. Can you offer any advice?
Not on the Missouri. It's a walk around situation.
Do you shoot any footage from when you were in Nebraska?
Nice work Jeff! I'm doing some research on paddling some big stretch of the Missouri and this helps to make it seem more real. What did you think of the highest portions in Montana? Is there much whitewater south of Three Forks? I'm hearing that the Jefferson River from Twin Bridges might be another nice place to start.
davidsixtwo sorry for my slowness. There are some rapids here and there and for some of them I would get out and assess before plowing through it or getting out and going around (I don't think I ever did that despite moments of hesitation). And it's going to vary based on water level. Chain of Rocks Bridge (footage near the end with the whirlpool) just up from St Louis can be pretty rough, but the water was high and I made sure to avoid said whirlpool.
davidsixtwo oh, Three Forks to just before Fort Peck Reservoir is gorgeous. The rest of the river has its beauty, but the upper section... Spectacular.
Thanks for the ride Jeff I enjoyed It very much. The Missouri river is 2nd biggest river in the US right ?
+TheCornCobbers No the Missouri biggest river. Its 3800 miles from its source at Browers Spring to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi, where it meets the Missouri and down to the Gulf SHOULD be named the Missouri as well, however the Miss was named first before anyone ventured west to discover the "longer" tributary....ie the Missouri which is the main channel. The Miss above St. Louis is a shorter tributary thus the naming of the Miss should have ended there.
the Missouri River is slightly longer than the Mississippi and the longest River in North America
@@normpaddle um nice try, the Ohio River guys say the same thing stating it is the Ohio that hits the Gulf, you Ohio and Missouri guys need to give it up
Were did you get that portage cart looks awesome what brand or who makes it is probably the question I should ask
Sorry for my slowness. It's a Burley flatbed bike trailer that had to be reinforced in Cascade, MT.
I was just wondering. We have (had) a cabin about 10 miles south of the Fort Randall Dam. You should feel lucky that you gotta travel the Missouri the way you did. Who knows what the Missouri is going to be when all the flooding is over.
Amazing video- you are one tough hombre!! I've been on lake sharp in a Lund and though we were going to sink!!! How was chamberlain? What was the most difficult section? Thanks man- inspiring video!!
clutchplayer19 - Thanks! I don't know about tough, but definitely determined. None of the reservoirs were particularly easy unless it was a calm day. As you know, with a little wind, decent little waves can form. If headwinds, you end up crashing through them making little progress. If tailwinds, you can surf them and that's exhilarating though you run the risk of getting capsized. Fort Peck Reservoir was daunting, but there were numerous days throughout when the wind stopped forward progress.
@@jmedley321 yep there is a element of danger for sure . Seems we always get a few drowning every yr here in SD but mostly fishermen that get to close to dams . Mostly on top a dams though which I could never figure out ??
Hi Jeff ! I'm planing to do the same trip next year, maybe you can give me any of your contacts, I have some question for you:) Thanks!
Aurimas, that's great! It'll be ten years this summer since my trip. I want to get back on that river. Tell me more about your plans.
Jeff Medley well I'm living in Europe, so for now I would try to get visa for US, for 5-6 months. And if everything would be okey with visa, next step will be to buy a kayak. I want to start from Link Rock, where Misouri starts and finish my trip at St. Louis. So all Misouri, solo trip:) I know there are many dams, I don't know about waterfalls, so yea, it would be great if you contact with me😀👊🚣 my email Auris118@gmail.com
Nice photography but where are you? You need to include the state, the location etc. not just dam number 4. The audience are not mind readers.
Ha! There are 15. I only knew that going in and was counting them as I arrived at each one (except for the five in Great Falls that you have to go around all at once because it's required by the power company that owns them as they're close together and treacherous). So, based on this link: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dams_in_the_Missouri_River_watershed number four would be Holter Dam.
Lol, your pretty demanding clarkewi! He doesn't "need" to do anything. It's his video, he can make it anyway he wants too. You don't like it, then make your own video.
Do you recall what you brought for food? Doing this trip spring of next year.
I brought way too much to begin with. Don't bring watermelons... ate those in the first couple days realizing how silly they were.
cheese, not so good after the first couple days. couscous is great: light, quick and easy to cook (I love my MSR Dragonfly). Oatmeal, peanut butter, energy bars, coffee...
canned fish (I should've been eating the invasive carp)... I had all sorts of things and I'd resupply when I had the option AND ate the biggest, greasiest diner/pub food every chance I got. I was hungry all the time due to cranking most of each day to get to STL in less than two months.
Did you stop at Coppers Landing in Missouri?
Red Grin Grumble definitely! I had some Thai food and beer. Are they still going strong?
what do you do when you reach a dam
Michael Jordon , I'd portage. I'd unload everything, put the canoe on my handy cart (a reinforced Burley Flatbed) and walk around. There's a little demonstration of it somewhere in there. Except for Great Falls, where you have to go around five dams at once. There was sign saying EXIT NOW with a phone number for a local canoe club that had an agreement with the power company to drop paddlers off just beyond the danger zone.
Wow, what a nice trip. Did you ever find those doughnuts?
Sorry for my slowness! I did! Same day I was mumbling about them, I think. I forget the town off the top of my head... I just looked at Google maps: I think it was Daylight Donuts in Atchison, Kansas.
Towns/cities were frequent enough to meet my needs. Sorry for the multi-post response, youtube only allows so many characters and I seem to be verbose by their standards.
I know I want to sail the Missouri River since it’s the longest River in the country.
Could someone go down the entire river with a large sail boat, or are there parts of the river too shallow for that?
Sadly, there are 15 dams between Three Forks and Yankton, South Dakota, so you'd have to have some serious assistance on standby to portage around those, but I suppose it could be smooth sailing from Yankton to the Mississippi confluence as it's largely channelized for barge traffic.
During your trip, did you tip over and capsize?
Jaime Gonzalez, the closest I came was surfing some of the windblown waves on the reservoirs.
Jaime Gonzalez, DC but, no, managed to stay upright.
Awesome video. @ 12:00 you were in St. Albans/St. Charles - such a scenic spot and it looks like you camped there. Very brave to take on this journey. What did you do to keep from going crazy?
Cash Earnest , I was so exhausted at the end of most days, I barely had enough energy to set up camp and eat. I tried to keep a journal, but most of the entries trailed off the way they do when you pass out mid-sentence.
Keep from going crazy? Ha. I gave in years ago.
Jeff Medley haha that's cool. Loved the video.
how much harder would it be to go from Missouri to Montana ?i was curious because i may try it this spring
Adam, more power to you! On the channelized sections, from the Mississippi until you get to the first dam in southeastern South Dakota, you'll have your work cut out for you, but on the reservoirs I would see no difference going up or down as there is no current and, as you likely noticed in the video, the wind can make it easier to go the other way at times.
Impossible without a motor
gravity would be totally against you, the drainage flows east
Hey Jeff can I get your email? Also live in Missouri and love Montana so I've been wanting to make the trip similar and would love to get some pointers!
I also love donuts.
Jeff In your opinion would adding a sail to a sea kayak help on the lake parts of this trip
good question. there were certainly times I would've loved to try a sail, but I just kept cranking and taking breaks when i wasn't making progress or getting blown backward.
Thanks for writing
I just found a company based in OR called kayaksailor.com that makes sail rigs for kayaks
Their 1.4 square meter sail rig weighs 10 lbs
I hear you. It's still beautiful... I noticed the herons are much more talkative down that way compared to their stoic relatives upstream. They're probably complaining about the discharge situation.
If only the cities could make some turd power plants there'd be less to go in the river.
This is the 50th day. I deserve a donut. So funny
15 DamsIT
как то очень суетно.. нет карты маршрута....
Of course. 😊 All one can do is follow the river.
@@jmedley321 Well, what is the use of the river .. I would like to see which cities you are swimming in, correlate what is visible from the river with the map of the river itself .. At least large: dams, bridges, ports, cities from where you started and where you sailed
Certainly. I started in Three Forks, Montana, where the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers come together to form the Missouri River. I got out 59 days later in St. Louis, Missouri, in front of the Gateway Arch.
@@jmedley321 You traveled 50 days and nights. But you do not have any other videos about such a long and think hard journey. You met people on the banks of the river, spent the night near a fire or in houses. And you have nothing to tell? Likely to live in the USA is much more difficult than Russia. Navalny tells us everything here .....
Serg, I was afraid of boring the viewers so I limited myself to 15 minutes of "highlights." There were so many helpful, strange and wonderful people. Many nights dozing off by a campfire at the river's edge. I kept a journal, but have yet to transcribe my sloppy handwriting nearly ten years later. You inspire me to find the memory cards and share some of the other clips.
You are one brave dude OMG!!
monte clark , thanks. I don't know about brave, but persistent, maybe.
SALUE JUGEMENT ST LOUIS TO COME