Rural Missouri - January 2022 - 30

Amanda and Hank navigate the Missouri River just west of Jefferson City. The 17-foot, fi berglass Coleman canoe received a number of modifi cations
prior to Amanda's excursion, including a sail, reinforced supports and eventually a rudder in order to take on the Mississippi River.
by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Jim McCarty & Paul Newton
hen the new year ticks over, Amanda Hoenes
will enter 2022 with one less resolution than in
years past. What was once a childhood dream
- a 3,300-mile canoe adventure along the Missouri
and Mississippi rivers - will have become an adventurer's
reality. For the Cedarcreek native, that check mark
won't have come easy, but it will have changed her life.
" It was one of those bucket list items you never think
Her decision to fi nally make the journey was
aided by circumstance, although for the adventurer
they were not entirely unfortunate. When
Amanda's position in the IT department of Kohl's
Corp. was made part of the pandemic-related
layoffs in 2020, she took the news in stride. From
a cold, dark house in Wisconsin, she saw a bright
beacon on the horizon.
" People say, 'I'm so sorry,' and I say, 'You don't understand.
They did me a favor,' " Amanda says with a laugh.
" It's one of those things that you're good at, but it doesn't
feed the soul. "
The blueprint for her adventure was set at a young
age, reading Mark Twain and the journals of Meriweather
Lewis and William Clark. With time to press pause and
think about what she wanted to do next, Amanda headed
south for fi ve months in an RV and began researching and
planning her own river trek from Montana to Louisiana in
earnest.
It's far from her fi rst experience testing her survival
skills, and according to Amanda, not the fi rst thing she
wanted to do that was a little shocking to her parents,
30 RURAL MISSOURI | JANUARY 2022
W
you're going to do, " she says. " And I thought,
'if you're going to do this, you're already 40:
You better get it done now.' "
layoffs in 2020, she took the news in stride. From
a cold, dark house in Wisconsin, she saw a bright
Roger and Sheri. They joined her on the river during the
early days of the journey when she set off from Montana's
Missouri Headwaters State Park in Three Forks, Montana
on July 11.
" When I joined the Marine Corps in early 2001, that
was one of those moments, " Amanda says with a laugh. " I
think they have been trained at an early age by me. "
During her research, the former U.S. Marine Corps
sergeant found the same trip had most recently been completed
by American kayaker Janet Moreland in 2013. That
proved to Amanda that her dream, while daunting, was not
impossible. She outfi tted a 17-foot fi berglass Coleman
canoe, originally suited for running Ozarks streams
such as the Current and Eleven Point, with permanent
bungee cords, a sail and other special modifi -
cations. She also decided the journey could help
bring awareness to two veterans' organizations,
Cedarcreek
Reel Warriors Foundation and Team Rubicon.
" People have asked a lot about how they can
help, and this has been an amazing opportunity
to point that generosity toward helping veterThe
lonely miles haven't taken a toll on Amanda, partially
because she shares the solitude with co-pilot, Hank.
The mixed breed shelter rescue would have made Lewis
and Clark's canine companion, Seaman, proud: Hank's
best trait is that he never leaves his chauffeur's side.
" He knows where his bed is and it's just his jam, "
Amanda says. " I was doing repairs in the shop yesterday
and he came and jumped in the canoe with me. "
In early November, after reaching the Mississippi River
at the Chain of Rocks Bridge - and with family members
cheering her on as she passed Edward " Ted " and
Pat Jones-Confl uence Point State Park - Amanda took a
weeklong break to catch a Kansas City Chiefs game and
make some much-needed repairs to the canoe. After 112
ans, " she says.

Rural Missouri - January 2022

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