Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 978 "Voice of the Lower Mississippi River" ~ Quapaw Canoe Company ~ Celebrating 27 Years of Service ~ ~Custom Guiding & Outfitting on the Lower Mississippi River~ ~ Winner of the SBA 2024 Small Business of the Year Award ~
Today we are celebrating a new national holiday -- National Mississippi River Day -- by sharing a video interview with long distance walker Liz Altieri, who is making a soulful pilgrimage walking the length of the Mississippi River. *Thanks to videographer "Mayfly" Ceili Hale for creating this film clip!
Liz Altieri: Walking the Mississippi River
Hello, my name is Liz Altieri. I'm from Boston, and I'm here on Montezuma Island because I'm walking the length of the Mississippi River, and this is where it brought me [Hosted in Clarksdale by John Ruskey, Montezuma Archipelago daytrip with the Quapaw Canoe Company]. The reason that I'm walking -- you would think by this point, I would have a good answer. And I do not. Really, I'm just doing this because it makes me feel alive. And this is the way I want to experience the world. Ten years ago was I took my first really long walk across Spain, and I loved it. I was like, this is just how I want to live my life. And how I want to learn. And I thought I should probably start at home, which to me meant walking across the country. But I'm not a planner at all. And that felt really intimidating to think about walking from Boston to California. And, you know, in the meantime, I took other walks and learned that I like to follow bodies of water, and that feels more intuitive to me. And, you can only get so lost. And you get to see the water change as you go. So I walked the Connecticut River, which goes from Canada to Connecticut, which is closer to me in Boston. And then I was learning more about other rivers in the country and realized the Mississippi River goes across the country. So that became my dream -- to walk the Mississippi River. And I've never been anywhere that the river touches. And I just thought, yeah, this would be a great way to learn this area. And learn about myself and learn about the river and, so that's why I'm here.
I started at the end of March, and it is now the very last day of May. I don't know how long it's going to take me. When I started, I didn't have a timeline in mind or any idea of, like, as I said, I'm not a planner. So, I've been taking it day by day and just saying, I'll go as far as my body takes me. It would be cool to make it all the way to the ocean. And I have a little bottle of some water from Lake Itasca that I'm carrying with me that I hope to bring to the Gulf. Before I started, I had zero relationship to the Mississippi River, totally ignorant about even which states it touched or what cities I would go through. I really knew nothing at all. But I did know that there's a lot of lore around it and music and stories and it’s just a river with a lot of culture. But I didn't have any personal connection, really. And I think as I started, my relationship to the Mississippi River was kind of like a dream - it is just the thing that was just, so storied and almost like a celebrity, I guess. But as I've been going, I guess my relationship to it has been, just trust from the very beginning. It's been like, I'm trusting the river. And I think as I've gone, even on days when I don't actually see the river as I'm walking, it's taking me everywhere that I've gone and all the experiences I've had and people I've met, it’s because I'm just trusting the river and it's been just all amazing experiences. And it's just like I've been building more and more trust as I go. And I've been able to not have a plan because of all the trust and I'm hoping that that carries over into the rest of my life too, trusting the people along the way and just trusting it all. But it starts with the river and I guess that's where it's all coming from. There have been a few times I've been able to get out actually onto and into the water, and every time has just been deeply humbling. I think it's just a reminder of how big and powerful this water is and it's amazing that it starts from this tiny little, you know, you can just walk across. But it's just so powerful. It literally flipped me over the second time I tried to go in and kayak. And, yeah walking alongside, it can look like it's just so calm, but then you get closer and it's like, whoa this is moving so fast. It's so strong. It's just amazing. I'm having my own relationship with the water where I'm trusting it, but I feel like I can probably universally say you can trust the water. It's showing us things, and teaching us, if we pay attention to it.
If anyone if anyone watching this video is feeling lost, I don't know, I, I think I probably had some of that. I probably have some of that all the time. But just feeling lost and, like, how do you decide, you know, on any level - spiritually, philosophically, anything. Just feeling lost, it's a thing you can follow. And you don't need any kind of, at least in my experience, fancy equipment or anything expensive. You just need, your feet and willingness to go — or even not your feet — if I break both of my legs, I can paddle or there's just so many other ways to follow the river.
And as I've been going, I've learned about people who are just doing such crazy things. Like there's so many ways to connect with the river. People bike along the whole river. People — I'm out here walking — people paddle the river. I've heard about musicians who created a raft and floated down and would stop in different towns and play music for people. People are doing everything and there's probably things I've never even thought of that someone, maybe someone watching this has an even cooler way of traveling the river. And it just seems like a cool thing to do when you're lost. And it will — you’ll just learn so much along the way.
People are good, like people are really good. And I haven't had any bad experiences. I’ve met more people along this journey in the past however long, than I have in years. And everyone has just been so helpful and curious and willing to just chat and ask questions and offer support or just like connection. And it's just been, I don't know, especially as a solo female traveler, I think there's a lot of messages about the concern with safety or just kind of a fear of other people. But my experience has been that people take care of each other. And as I've been going, the people, every single person I've met, even small interactions, the people have been my teachers.
And I think that's also part of not needing to have much of a plan is, I’m trusting the people I meet as the experts and this is their land. And they have relationships to all the places I've gone through, and so I feel like this is kind of my life dissertation. I don't see myself going to higher ed beyond what I've already done but this feels like the best education I've ever gotten. And the people that I've met have been the best teachers I could ever imagine about just the history and what's currently happening and how the land got this way and how the river has changed and what it's like now. I remember I met somebody on a houseboat or boat house, I can't remember the difference, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who has lived there for his whole life and, he was saying that the river is thriving now. He's like, the Eagles are coming back. Or he went down to the water and he's like, you can actually see my hand when I put it in. And that wasn't always the case. So yeah he's just like, this is a glorious time for the river. And I thought that was really cool.
I met the people who work at Living Land and Waters near the Quad Cities. And so they live on a barge and work on a barge and collect trash from the river. And I asked if they had any messages that I should pass on. And they said that if you see trash in the river, the sooner you can get it out and just pick it out of there, the better, because with time, the longer it sits, the more it degrades into the waterway, which is a good river lesson, but also life lesson, I think. I've been thinking about that one as I’ve been walking.
Happy National Mississippi River Day. I'm so happy this day exists. And I'm happy to celebrate the water today and every day.
-Liz Altieri
Recorded & edited by "Mayfly" Ceili Hale
Upper West Monetzuma Island, May 31, 2025
National Mississippi River Day
It’s official! June 2, 2025 marks the inaugural National Mississippi River Day. This special day is dedicated to honoring America's most important and iconic waterway, its rich history, and the diverse ecosystems it supports. “We are thrilled to see so many people and communities embracing this moment,” said Kelly McGinnis, Executive Director of One Mississippi. “The Mississippi River unites 32 states through its watershed. It’s where we find common ground—and common water—at a time when we need it most. This new national day reflects the importance of protecting the River that sustains so many of us.”
Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 978 "Voice of the Lower Mississippi River" ~ Quapaw Canoe Company ~ Celebrating 27 Years of Service ~ ~Custom Guiding & Outfitting on the Lower Mississippi River~ ~ Winner of the SBA 2024 Small Business of the Year Award ~
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