Jordan Hanssen is a writer and co-founder of OAR Northwest, a nonprofit adventure rowing and education organization in Seattle, Washington. Jordan has over ten thousand miles of adventure rowing experience, including as captain of two ocean rows: the 2006 Shepard Ocean Fours Rowing Race from New York to England, and the 2013 Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Africa to the Americas Expedition from Dakar to (almost) Miami, featured on Dateline NBC. He is the author of the book Rowing into the Son about his team's first place, Guinness Record row across the North Atlantic. In 2014 he was a part of OAR Northwest’s Adventure: Mississippi River, an annual trip down North America's most important river from source to sea, visiting classrooms and delivering curriculum along the Mississippi River.

Adventure Speaks

This journey is done but not quite over. The rowers must still make it 22 miles up river to the last road in Venice and there are more schools to visit. A trip like this comes with a responsibility and figuring out what that is leads to the next one. Whats next for them? It will take a little bit to figure out. Chances are they are up to the task. #AMR2016

The four of them have thoughts coming fast and varied and unknown to one another, and perhaps they jump back to the very beginning. A small lake in Minnesota surrounded by tall trees. Rain drops from the sea fall here and and a tiny stream that was created by billions of raindrops over eons starts to make its way all the way down a continent into the sea. Much seen. Much learned. #AMR2016

At the end of the river is a small sand bar half covered with thick reeds, dead ones litter the beach. It burns easy and camp food is cooked over open flames and a most nontraditional but delicious thanksgiving feast is had of sausages, sweet potatoes, and onions. Waves crash and it smells like the sea. Perhaps this is the end of the world. Perhaps it is an end of the world, at least the end of this trip. #AMR2016

Here in the south pass something happens. Industry all but vanishes and the river that grew mighty and filled with big ships becomes a smaller river. More fish jump. Crab traps fill the edges of the shallow banks. Fishermen go out and return. After 2320 miles of growth it seems to be reverting to a much younger river, the one we remember from the north as it makes its final decent into the sea and the four rowers tell each other stories as we pass the thin line of green reeds that make up the bank. #AMR2016

From the crowsfoot, at river mile number zero, there are three choices. South, South West and South East pass. The crew heads to the south pass and to the tiny fish camp of port Eads. This is not the sea. Nor is it land, not in the traditional sense. But a mix of both. #AMR2016

The crew enters the crows foot of the Mississippi. Ten miles past Venice, Louisiana and the last road. But its still not the gulf, still twelve miles to go, while New Orleans is a distant 93 miles up river. #AMR2016

Once more the landscape we row past changes subtlety as willows are replaced by cypress. Audra and the team rose at two this morning to make the final miles to the gulf. The ships down here seem less incredulous at our existence in their work space and on the crackle of the vhf has emerged a nod of respect that we have gotten this far. #AMR2016

Almost every ten to twenty minutes ships if this size pass us in the final miles bringing and taking good and bulk from the middle of the country and the rest of the world to the river. Just on the Bank are small towns and rural fields that coexist in their dichotomy.

Eric and the google boat row pas freighters and into “English turn,” the last hard bend in the river before it starts to make its comparatively straight course to the sea. Over 200 years ago a young Frenchman rowed down from a small set of shacks he had ordered built on a natural levy and bluffed several English ships that were exploring the river into thinking a large French fleet was up stream. If they had called that bluff and made the challenge there may never have been a French quarter. Today the captains that ply these waters go past this reminder of an alternate history daily. #AMR2016

Just a staircase over the levy to go before they reach Jackson square in the historic French quarter in New Orleans. A mile stone for sure but this crew is heading for saltier seas... #amr2016