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When is it possible to swim the Mississippi river?

I’m curious how hard it is to swim across the Mississippi river – do people do it regularly, are there events that do it, etc.? I’m most interested in anything around the St. Louis area.

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Answer #1

Possible? Yes. Recommended? No.

A writer for Outside deiced to give it a try not far from Memphis. The river was a mile wide at that point. Here’s what he had to say about starting out:

‘’For the first 30 yards or so, we swim through slackwater that’s very easy going. Then we cross a distinct line of demarcation and hit the main channel, and suddenly we’re fired downstream as if out of a cannon. It’s impossible to fight this current even for a second. Any destination I might aim for on the far bank is now meaningless. I just have to let the flow carry me along and try to angle off it ever so slightly.’’

In the end, it took him half an hour and he was a mile downstream from where he started, but he DID make it. Needless to say, you would have to be in exceptional condition to make an attempt like that.

Here’s the full article:

http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200710/swimming-across-the-mississippi-river-1.html

Answer #2

I don’t think so.I never been there but I think it’s a big river.

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