By Derek Burnett

Reader’s Digest

Lone canoeist Neal Moore descended New York State’s Mohawk River, at the end of a journey that began 22 months and 7,456 miles ago, meeting people across 22 states and 22 rivers

His paddle has plied 21 bodies of water so far on his way across the continent. Downstream always means easier paddling, yet he knows that dangers abound—wedge up against a log or rock and the current will flip him and sink his earthly goods.

All the upstream slogs were worse, of course. His eyes would scan the river for the calm seams of flat water, and the points of land that subdued the stream and made the way less difficult. Lest he surrender hard-earned progress, he would dig and dig long past the burning of his shoulders in mid-morning and on into the long and stiflingly hot—or freezing and windblown—afternoon.

Continue reading Derek’s story here.