ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – If you venture around the Missouri River in the Show-Me State over the next few weeks, there’s a chance you’ll see something extraordinary.
A group of 14 people is sailing down the Missouri River on a custom-built, wooden raft, embarking on a journey that will last several weeks and cover more than 1,000 miles on water.
The group consists of ten boys and four counselors through Bald Eagles Boys Camp, a wilderness camp based in Mills Hall, Pennsylvania.
NewsNation affiliate KCAU reports that the group left its original starting spot in northeastern Nebraska on Aug. 9 in good spirits. “We started dreaming about doing something like this about a year and a half ago,” camp counselor Nate Kauffman told KCAU.
He says the group has a very detailed itinerary and has closed studied the Missouri River in preparation.
Bald Eagles Boys Camp made one stop in the state of Missouri on Friday and could make others in the near future. Their most recent stop in St. Joseph, Missouri, according to KQ2.com, was for a fuel and water break, in addition to a history lesson on the Pony Express.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the group’s raft measures 16 feet by 36 feet with rustic, yet practical design elements. Along with essentials, the group brought along guitars, board games, crafts, fishing supplies and more.
The group will mostly navigate the Missouri River and plans to end their trip in Cairo, Illinois along the Mississippi River.
While this is the first time that Bald Eagles Boys Camp has cruised along the Missouri River, group members have done two similar trips in the past along the Mississippi River.
