Getting started

After a couple of hikes in Yellowstone and Big Bend National Parks, I realized that hauling 30 to 40  pounds of gear, food and water around, was more a chore rather than a pleasure, and having enjoyed some relatively lengthy kayak trips while in high school in Ireland, it seemed obvious that kayaking was better than walking for getting body and sustenance from point a to point b. After buying a 12 foot kayak, and spending several pleasant weekends on Lake Amistad, I decided that a lengthy kayak trip would be worth doing. I started by reading up about the Mississippi River but soon came across David Miller's book, The Complete Paddler that is a guide book for Missouri River paddlers. Shortly afterwards, I came across Norm Millers blog about his trip from St Louis following the route of Lewis and Clark's expedition to the Pacific Ocean (http://normanmiller.blogspot.com/2008/09/part-1-in-wake-of-discovery-following.html), and William Least Heat Moon's book River Horse. Thus began a year long preparation for the trip of a lifetime.
It was soon apparent that my 12 foot kayak was probably insufficient for the trip, so I did some looking around and decided on a 17 foot Delta Expedition kayak. I wanted the cobalt blue model but was disappointed to learn that they had discontinued that color only a little while earlier. As there were no Delta dealers in Texas, I had to order the kayak directly from the manufacturers in Canada. Fortunately, shipping was included in the price. Compared to my plastic Wilderness Systems 12 foot kayak, the 17 foot thermoformed Delta is a racehorse, fast but surprisingly stable. With her, I have learned to exit and climb back in in less than a couple of minutes using a paddle float I keep stored behind the cockpit.
I then was put in touch with a Facebook page, The Missouri River Paddlers maintained by Norm Miller, and through it have become acquainted with a variety of people who have paddled either sections of the river or the whole thing length; even some who have gone from source to sea.
Originally, I had planned to section paddle the river, taking about three years to complete the 2300 odd miles. But back surgery in late January 2013, caused me to reconsider that plan, and now I intend to go the whole way in one go this summer. I will need to try and maintain a good pace if I am to complete the trip in the 3 months or so that I have available to me.