Moon Rise over the Mississippi

The Mississippi River offers so much more than paddle steamer cruises and antebellum history. We take a greener, more intimate journey to experience 'Old Muddy's' wild places and Paleo-Indian history

- By Lynn Houghton. Photographs by John Ruskey, Lynn Houghton, Alamy and Shutterstock

It was just before midnight when I crawled out of my tent to relieve myself and saw the crescent-shaped, orange-tinged harvest moon. Low in the sky, the shimmering reflection on the river was the same pumpkin shade as the celestial orb above. I was desperate to capture this image but after I had located my camera - and failed to put on a headlamp - it was too dark to adjust the settings. Disappointed at not being able to record the scene, I shook the sand from my feet and climbed back into my sleeping bag. At least I had a snapshot of the tableau imprinted on my memory. Just then, the evening accompaniment of cicadas and tree frogs just behind our tent restarted with vigour. I drifted off to the lullaby of an amphibian chorus.

Sleep came easily after a day of paddling on the Mississippi River. Already smitten by its wild beauty and vast reach, I sensed the special energy that came from being on swirling water among eddies, backwaters and bayous, the breeze ruffling my hair. But, make no mistake, although the rhythm and repetition of paddling is intoxicating, it is also exhausting.