Paddle Pilgrim: An adventure of learning and spirit, kayaking the Mississippi River

€œIt had been on my bucket-list since I was a boy and read Huck Finn,€ reports Dave Ellingson, college professor and pastor, who paddled the entire Mississippi River in his kayak during the summer of 2012. Paddle Pilgrim chronicles this €œadventure of a lifetime€ and recounts experiences from basking in a sublime sunset in Minnesota to dancing with a snake on an Arkansas sandbar. In addition to painting a kaleidoscope of vivid word pictures of river scenery, Ellingson writes movingly about the €œinterior landscapes€ of solitude, silence, prayer, and communion with creation. €œWhat began as an adventure led to learning and ultimately to spiritual pilgrimage!€ he says. Ellingson teaches courses in spirituality, environmental ethics, human development, and youth ministry at Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, Wash. He is a Lutheran pastor, Master Gardener, former distance runner and triathlete, and father of five grown children. He resides in Edmonds, Wash.