SECTION THREE
“After dispatching the carp, our merry band rejoined the flotilla...”
B I G M U D D Y 10 0
By Barbara gibbs Ostmann
PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA GIBBS OSTMANN
I
had heard about Asian carp in the Missouri River
jumping into boats and knocking people out, or even
causing small vessels to flip. Nevertheless, it was a real
surprise when a big carp came flying out of the muddy
waters and into the June Bug, a multi-passenger voya-
geur canoe, and landed flopping right at my feet. That
will dispel any lingering early-morning sleepiness, I can
assure you!
After dispatching the carp, our merry band rejoined the
flotilla of kayaks and canoes heading down the Missou-
ri River on “PaddleMO”, a five-day journey on North
America’s longest river.
Organized by Stream Teams United in conjunction with
many partner organizations, PaddleMO focuses on the
final 100 miles of the Missouri River, from Hermann,
Missouri, to the confluence with the Mississippi River.
The confluence forms the third largest watershed in the
world.
PaddleMO is not your everyday float trip. To begin, it
is a paddle, not a float. The food is exceptional -- no
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for this group. Educa-
tion and ecology are important components of the trip.
Plus, sharing a river adventure of this magnitude with
like-minded people from around the state and beyond is
an exceptional experience.
The most user-friendly aspect of PaddleMO is that it
offers a chance to step outside your comfort zone and try
a new river challenge within the supportive framework
of an organized journey. The logistics are taken care of
-- you just need to paddle.
FIVE DAYS OF FUN AND LEARNING
PaddleMO, launched in 2016, was patterned after Paddle
Georgia, a well-known recreational paddling event.
Bill and Jody Miles, co-directors of Earth’s Classroom,
an environmental learning center in Rosebud, plan the
trip’s educational component, which includes presenta-
tions on water quality, Native American history, orni-
Volume 02 No. 03 | 2018