Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:

Last summer, Kansas City native Sara Dykman and a group of adventure-loving friends began a 160 day expedition on top of Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. They hiked and biked down the mountain, then hopped in canoes and paddled their way down a series of creeks, the Marias River and then the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. They met with students and teachers along the way, sharing the story of their journey and of the river highway they were following. Stuffed into their two canoes with all their gear were also four bicycles and trailers for hauling the boats to and from classrooms and resupply stops.

Sara would use her herpetological powers to find critters to share with students she met along her trip.
photo courtesy of Sara Dykan

In addition, the group produced a series of short educational videos designed for teachers to use in the classroom, telling not only the story of their journey, but also the ecology of the river as they traveled.

Sara will be sharing the story of this 3,500 mile journey, tips on getting students outside the classroom and tools for bringing the outside world into the classroom.

The "On the River" crew did all their portaging with pedal power. Here they are moving their canoes through the streets of Kansas City.
photo courtesy of Sara Dykman.