Down River with Huck & Jim, James and Mary Anne
Wilderness Canoe Adventure and Seminar on the Lower Mississippi River Oct 12-19, 2025, from Clarksdale, MS
Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 987 "Voice of the Lower Mississippi River"
Wilderness Canoe Adventure and Seminar on the Lower Mississippi River with Huck & Jim, James and Mary Anne Oct 12-19, 2025, from Clarksdale, MS Join us for a magical journey with Huckleberry Finn, James, and Mary Jane down the Mississippi River. Clarksdale, MS will serve as our gateway to explore the wilderness waters of the mighty Mississippi in large voyageur canoes with the Quapaw Canoe Company. We will paddle together with expert guides for five days and camp on the sandy beaches river islands for four nights. No previous experience necessary. All participants must be willing and able to paddle. As we descend Mississippi’s Muddy Water Wilderness we’ll have seminar discussions on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and two highly acclaimed derivative works, James, 2024 by Percival Everett and The Adventures of Mary Jane, 2024 by Hope Jahren. St. John’s College alums John Ruskey (SF90) and Jim Bailey (A83) will serve as seminar leaders and trip organizers. A detailed agenda with specific reading assignments will be emailed to participants in advance of travel.
Itinerary Summary: Sat-Sun Oct 11-12: Arrival in Clarksdale, stay in the historic Travelers Hotel (Room block reserved) or the location of your choice, enjoy the King Biscuit Blues Festival, and participate in a wilderness orientation and opening Seminar. Mon-Fri Oct 13-17: Canoe down through the famous Muddy Waters Wilderness section of the lower Mississippi, camp on the River’s islands and sandy shores, explore the wilderness, and participate in daily seminars. Sat-Sun Oct 18-19: Stay Fri. and Sat. night at the Travelers Hotel (Room block reserved) or the location of your choice, enjoy the Tennessee Williams Festival, participate in the closing seminar, and depart Clarksdale on Sunday.
Seminar Readings: 1) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884, by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) 2) James, 2024, by Percival Everett 3) Adventures of Mary Jane, 2024, by Hope Jahren
Cost: This Adventure and Seminar is exclusively open to St. John’s College undergraduate or graduate institute alumni and their significant others until June 1, 2025, and then will open to anyone else thereafter. The total charge of $1200 covers all seminars, logistics, and guiding, outfitting, and meals on the river. Meals in town, lodging, and travel to and from Clarksdale are on your own. A $600 deposit is required or you can pay in full by check or credit card to reserve your spot. See below for payment details. Land accommodations: 10 rooms are blocked off at Travelers Hotel Clarksdale for two nights before and after the River adventure. All participants make their own arrangements for travel, lodging, and meals on land. Getting to Clarksdale: Clarksdale is located in Northwest Mississippi, in the “land where the blues began,” the Yazoo- Mississippi Delta. Air: Memphis is closest airport (1.5 hours). Little Rock, AR and Jackson, MS are both 2.5 hours away. Train: City of New Orleans Amtrak makes station stop in Marks, MS (15 miles away) connecting north & south Chicago to New Orleans. Bus: Greyhound services Clarksdale via Delta Bus Lines. Bus station is on highway 61 one mile from downtown Clarksdale.
Preferred Lodging: Travelers Hotel Clarksdale www.stayattravelers.com/clarksdale We have reserved a block of rooms for Huck & Jim at the historic downtown Travelers Hotel Clarksdale. Each participant can reserve room, or find other option. October 11 - 13 (10 rooms). October 17 - 19 (10 rooms). 10 rooms at Travelers are only bookable by guests who use the super-secret Quapaw promo code (we will send code and when you make commit by making deposit for complete package!) Room deal requires a two-night minimum. Code is valid until August 31, 2025. On that date, any unreserved rooms in the Quapaw block will be released to the public.
River Description:
5-day paddling adventure on the biggest river in North America, setting up camps for exploration, fun & adventure. Big islands, big sky, big river. Full of wildlife during the day, the night skies are full of stars! Great swimming, hiking, and paddling. We can provide interpretation of river geography, and also lead field trips for geology, exploration of nature, animal & plant identification, and star gazing. We will introduce group to canoe safety, fire-making, shelter, human waste, and aspects of Leave No Trace Wilderness ethics.
Everyone paddles together in giant voyageur style canoes, which are captained by expert Mighty Quapaw guides. The canoes come from the French voyageur tradition of the Great Lakes, and are very stable, and very safe. 6-8 people per canoe, including our guides (max capacity is 6 clients + 2 guides). No previous experience necessary, but must be willing to paddle, and must wear life jacket. All necessary skills will be taught including paddling, fire- making, shelter, human waste, responsible camping, and other aspects of “Leave No Trace” wilderness ethics.Itinerary: Day 1: Arrive Saturday October 11th for Clarksdale orientation, acclimatization, and cultural happenings: King Biscuit Blues Festival, Tennessee Williams Festival, Delta Blues Museum, live blues music galore. Clarksdale is cultural mecca of the Mississippi Delta, and epicenter for history and continuation of the Delta Blues tradition. Day 2: Sunday October 12th First Seminar: 3:30-5:30pm Supper: 6pm (on your own) Live Music 7-until Day 3: Monday October 13th Meet at 9am at our home base in downtown Clarksdale, Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Avenue. Tour Mississippi River Interpretive Center, and canoe construction workshops. Shuttle to river. Safety talk & orientation. Load canoes and paddle to island, exploring along the way. Put up tents, and set up camp. Following supper gather round the fire for seminar reflections, story-telling, and music. Roasted fruit on willow roasting sticks. Star gazing. Day 4: Tuesday October 14th Day on island, Afternoon Seminar 2 Day 5: Wednesday October 15th Morning Seminar 3 Pack up, river day, move downstream to next island Day 6: Thursday October 16th Day on island, Afternoon Seminar 4 Day 7: Friday October 17th Morning Seminar 5 Pack up, exit river and return to town. Travelers Hotel. Day 8: Saturday October 18th Morning Seminar 6 Afternoon Tennessee Williams Festival Live Blues Music at many venues Day 9: Sunday October 19th Goodbyes. Travel Out.
Daily Routine: 6am coffee, early morning walks & creative journaling. 7am breakfast eggs and bacon, granola, fruits and nuts. Nature walk along river learning plants, animals, insects and amphibians. If wanted, yoga and/or nature art and/or canoe and water safety workshop. Swimming at designated safe swimming location along sandbar edges of ocean-sized beaches found on river islands. Load canoes (now empty) and set off for island circumnavigation, and exploring various habitats: wetlands, bottomlands forest, desert-like beaches, and gravel bars. Return for lunch. During afternoon explore the island with beach combing, geology, and tracking. After dark, gather round the fire for seminar reflections, story-telling, and music. Roasted fruit on willow roasting sticks. Star gazing. Last Day: 9-11am seminar. Pack up. 12noon lunch. 1pm departure from island. 2pm arrive at takeout landing. 3pm return to town. Unpack bags and check back into Travelers Hotel or elsewhere in Clarksdale, MS. *Note: timing and exact schedule depends on weather conditions, river levels, group needs, and other factors. Requirements: Primitive wilderness style camping. Must be comfortable with sambar camping, and canoeing on big waters with expert guides. No previous experience necessary, but must be willing to paddle, and must wear life jacket. Must practice safe canoeing, safe swimming, and safe camping skills (that we teach). Packing: Bring personal items in duffel sack (or similar) and repack in our backpack style dry bags. Carry everything with you including personal toiletries and any meds. Pack your own toilet paper, and sanitary hand washing and hand wipes. All necessary skills will be taught as needed including paddling, fire, shelter, camping and wilderness survival. Pack for sun, possible rain, and bugs. Pack change of clothes, towel and swim gear. Pack 2 refillable wide- mouth bottles. Each participant should wear sun hat and sun screen during day, and drink plenty of water. Pack head lamp or flashlight.Pack sketchbook or journal, art supplies, and any other items in waterproof bag or zip lock bags.
Route — Muddy Waters Wilderness: Islands are located somewhere within our favorite stretch of river, which is the Muddy Waters Wilderness. This is the wildest stretch of river along the Lower Miss, full of big islands, wildlife, culture, history, back channels, and the big river meandering through it all. https:// www.island63.com/adventure/muddy-waters-wilderness-3-5-days/ For mile-by-mile description go to www.rivergator.org and type “Muddy Waters Wilderness” into search.
Rivergator: Paddler’s Guide to the Lower Mississippi River One Million Words Free Online Guide www.riveragtor.org Search for the Healthy City On the Mighty Mississippi October 2-7, 2014 by Jim Bailey https://www.thehealthycity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ Search_on_the_Mississippi_2014.pdf Great Books in the Wild: Retracing Legendary Twain Seminar on the Mississippi November 9, 2023 | By Jennifer Levin | St. John’s College Online Magazine https://www.sjc.edu/news/great-books-wild-retracing-john-ruskeys-sf90-legendary-twain- seminar-mississippi King Biscuit Blues Festival, Oct 9-12, 2025 https://kingbiscuitfestival.com Tennessee Williams Festival, Oct 16-18, 2025 https://deltawilliamsfestival.com
Quapaw Canoe Company ~ Celebrating 26 Years of Service ~ ~Custom Guiding & Outfitting on the Lower Mississippi River~ ~Winner of the SBA 2024 Small Business of the Year Award~