Old Man River Project - Chapter 10

Today brings the tenth and final episode of the Old Man River Project, an online series of short films that chronicled a 2400 mile (3862km), 110-day journey down the Mississippi River aboard a hand built  boat. In this video the crew dodges an almost overwhelming amount of traffic on the river as they approach their final destination, the Gulf of Mexico, at long last.

This has been a great series of films and if you haven't been following along, I'd definitely recommend heading over to their Vimeo page and watching them all from the start. Well worth it.

Old Man River Project - Chapter 9

The Old Man River Project web series continues once again this week with the crew approaching their final destination at last. Gone are the peaceful and serene landscapes that the team once rowed past, replaced instead with urban and industrial settings. The water and air are more polluted and the setting has turned grim rather than inspiring. This voyage, which lasted 110 days and covered more than 2400 miles (3862km), has become a war of attrition rather than a grand adventure.

The tenth and final episode will come next week.

7 Rivers, 7 Continents Project Update

It has been a long time since I mentioned the 7 Rivers 7 Continents Project. In fact, I haven't mentioned it much since it was first announced back in August of 2010. The idea is for adventurer Mark Kalch to paddle the length of the longest river on each of the seven continents, including the Nile (Africa), Yangtze (Asia), and Volga (Europe). Mark finished the Amazon back in 2008 and is now preparing for the second leg of the journey, kayaking the length of the Missouri-Mississippi River.

According to his latest updates, Kalch is currently in Bozeman, Montana where he is surveying the confluence of the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison Rivers, all of which come together to form the Missouri. He'll soon drop his boat into those waters and start paddling south-east on his way to St. Louis, where the Missouri and Mississippi meet. From there, he'll continue the journey all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, covering some 4000 miles (6437km) in the process.

Throughout the summer Mark will be posting dispatches from his journey, which should definitely prove to be an interesting one. He is starting the adventure on the Jefferson River, a couple of hundred miles above the start of the Missouri and will continue until he reaches New Oreleans. Along the way he's likely to see parts of America that few people ever experience. It should be quite the expedition and we can follow along on the 7 Rivers 7 Continents website.

Good luck to Mark as he sets off on this epic voyage.

Video: Old Man River Project - Chapter 8

The Old Man River Project continues this week with another wonderful video from this expedition along the length of the Mississippi River. In Chapter 8 of the series, which you can watch below, the team has moved into the deep south and the nature of the river has changed to reflect that. The landscapes are more wild and untamed than they were previously, but they are more serene too. They crew has now been on the water for more than three months, and they've reached Louisiana at last, but they still have many miles to go until they reach the Gulf of Mexico and unfortunately they have to say goodbye to one of the team.

Video: Old Man River Project - Chapter 7

Our adventure down the Mississippi River continues this week with Episode 7 of the Old Man River Project. This week, the crew takes advantage of higher water and faster currents to make good time, but must constantly deal with the challenges of finding fresh water, which you wouldn't think would be too challenging on a river. But the Mississippi isn't safe to drink from and that becomes an issue for Brett and the team.

Video: Old Man River - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of the ongoing web series Old Man River is out and it brings yet another intriguing episode for our viewing pleasure. The crew continues its 2400 mile (3862km) journey down the length of the Mississippi River, with conditions getting both better and getting worse this week.

The rains have stopped, which makes for better life on the river and the boat passes St. Louis, which means no more locks and dams. But the Mississippi is now at flood stages, which presents its own brand of issues.

Enjoy!

Video: Old Man River Chapter 5

The fifth chapter of the ten part series Old Man River Project is now available for viewing and you'll find the latest episode below. The series chronicles the adventures of the crew of a handmade York boat who spent 110 days navigating the length of the Mississippi River, covering more than 2400 miles (3862km) in the process.

In this latest episode the team faces a new set of challenges, not the least of which is poor weather that makes their journey an uncomfortable one. They're also forced to navigate a series of locks and dams along the Mississippi as well as they continue their inevitable paddle towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Video: Old Man River Project Part 4

The Old Man River Project, a video series that chronicles a journey from source to sea along the Mississippi River, continues with episodes 3 and 4. Both were released while I was away in Jordan, and if you've been watching the series so far you won't want to miss out on these latest episodes either. The crew of the Annie, the 32-foot handmade York boat, are working hard to make progress and every three days they must stop to take on clean drinking water, They also have a knack for breaking oars, but thankfully a good samaritan comes to their aid and lends a hand with some new oars.

Episode 4 can be viewed below, and if you missed Episode 3 it can be found by clicking here. This latest episode is quite a treat for me, as the team reaches my hometown of Dubuque, IA.

Video: The Old Man River Project - Chapter 2

Last week I posted a video of a crew of river rats who were paddling the 2400 mile (3862 km) length of the Mississippi River aboard a hand-built, 32-foot York boat dubbed Annie. This week we have the second chapter in that series which now sees the team struggling with the early portions of the voyage at the headwaters of the river, where low waters force difficult portages. It is a challenging start to the expedition to say the least.

Video: The Old Man River Project

Stretching for more than 2400 miles, the Mississippi River is one of the most iconic waterways in the entire world. Navigating its length in any type of watercraft is a challenge to say the least. But Brett Rogers, along with four crew mates, set out to do just that – in a 32-foot handmade York boat named Annie no less.

The video below is the first of a new ten-part series that will be debuting over the coming weeks. That series will chronicle the adventures that Brett and his companions encountered as they traveled the Mississippi from its headwaters to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico as part of their Old Man River Project.

If you like what you see here, be sure to checkout the expedition's official Vimeo page where they'll be unlocking new videos every Tuesday in the coming weeks. It looks like this will be one heck of a good webseries to follow.