About 80 paddlers stopped Sunday evening in Jefferson City during the 11th annual Paddle MO journey down the Missouri River before heading out to complete the five-day event.
Weather was both a challenge and a blessing, according to Mary Culler, director of Stream Teams United (a nonprofit whose mission is to support stewardship of all Missouri's streams).
On Friday, a gathering of participants began with arrangements made for lodging, camping and transportation to and from the starting point in Boonville. Those who only wanted to paddle for the weekend could leave their vehicles and trailers at the access and pick them up when they arrived Sunday. But paddling Friday was difficult with dangerously high heat.
Heat continued Saturday morning as the paddle began in Boonville. However, Culler said recent heavy rain had pushed the river up, making it run faster (and helping paddlers). But the elevated level of the river also meant there were fewer places to stop and take a break from paddling.
"With the recent storms in northwest Missouri, the river just came up within the last few days," Culler said. "And so, that left us with no islands to stop at. So we had to only stop at boat accesses. So that was a little bit more challenging."
Sunday brought the group to Jefferson City, where some finished for the weekend. Other participants continued down the river for stops Monday in Chamois, today in Hermann and the final leg Wednesday to New Haven.
For many participants, Paddle MO offers the first opportunity to paddle a craft on a major river, Culler said.
"Here in Missouri, a lot of people experience what it's like to float on an Ozark stream, but paddling a big river is a totally different experience," she said. "So they experienced what it was like to paddle on a big river."
The Paddle MO program is more than just the paddling, she said.
"We provide different educational topics as we move downstream," she said, "so teaching about the ecology of the area, the history of the area. It's both an exercise and also a learning program."
Overall, Culler said the paddlers did very well with assistance from the higher water.
Participants came from all over the country, she said. Participants came from Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin and a couple other states, Culler said.
"There's some people that have never been to Missouri before, a lot of people that have never been on the Missouri River," she said. "So we started this program back in 2016. Missouri Stream Teams -- we help to basically take care of the rivers and streams in the state. We educate about them, we provide ways for people to be stewards of the waterways.
"It's both a fundraiser, but then also a way to introduce people to the Missouri River, which is a significant waterway in our state, and it's the longest river in North America."