October 16, 2024
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Haunted by waters: Yorkville record-setter debuts Mississippi River canoe documentary

Documentary shows the crew of 28 that made fastest trip down the river possible

By Joey Weslo
Yorkville-native, Wally Werderich, embarks upon his 2023 world record canoe trip down the Mississippi River. His team of four paddlers, made it down the entire river in just under 17 days without stopping.

Yorkville-native, Wally Werderich, prepares to embark on his 2023 world record canoe trip down the Mississippi River. His team of four paddlers made it down the entire river in just under 17 days without stopping. (Provided by Wally Werderich)

There’s a place where the turbulent Ohio River crashes into the mighty Mississippi River that strikes fear into the heart of even the most experienced paddlers.

Yorkville-native Wally Werderich said more than the fear, the mile-wide confluence of the rivers made his hair stand on end in a moment of transcendence.

“I realized just how mighty the river is, and how small I am in the world and in life, yet at the same time, how everything, including myself, fits together as pieces of something larger and purposeful,” Werderich said. “This was not an adventure about conquering the river. We had to do it in harmony with the river. If we were strong enough, the river would provide to us.”

His Guinness World Record-setting canoe journey down the length of the Mississippi River with three other paddlers is captured in the documentary “Wilderness Mindset.”

Community members can view the debut of the documentary on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2 p.m. at Chapel on the Green, 107 W. Center Street, Yorkville. Donations will be accepted for the Chapel’s non-for-profit community services. After the viewing, Werderich will share memories of the journey and field questions.

The documentary captures their 2,350-mile adventure down the river in May of 2023, where the four paddlers shared a 23-foot canoe in perpetual motion, with paddlers taking turns sleeping in the boat. Support teams provided supplies and safety along their voyage. The entire journey from the river’s source at Minnesota’s Lake Itasca, to the Mississippi delta in the Gulf of Mexico, took 16 days, 20 hours and 16 minutes.

They broke the previous record by nearly an entire day.

The Mississippi Speed Record team consisted of Paul Cox, Judd Steinbeck, Scott Miller, and Yorkville-native Wally Werderich. Here, they embark upon their 2023 journey down the Mississippi River in the river’s upper section along the Minnesota border. A supporting crew of 28 people coordinated supplies from the riverbank to a trailing safety boat, ensuring the fastest time down the river.

The Mississippi Speed Record team consisted of Paul Cox, Judd Steinbeck, Scott Miller, and Yorkville-native Wally Werderich. Here, they embark upon their 2023 journey down the Mississippi River in the river’s upper section along the Minnesota border. A supporting crew of 28 people coordinated supplies from the riverbank to a trailing safety boat, ensuring the fastest time down the river. (Provided by Wally Werderich)

Along the way, the team navigated river barges, bridges, locks and dams. Werderich said before the bustle of industry downriver, a moment of serenity overcame the team during their first miles. In the upper headwaters, where the river is only 20 feet wide, the team paddled their way through wild rice reeds to the sound of wolves howling in the forests aligning the riverbank.

“It’s an environment, in the middle of nowhere, where you can take a step back and feel the power of nature,” Werderich said. “I was in astonishment hearing wolves. It made me think how many different pieces complete an ecosystem. We’re all very symbiotic with each other.”

Every 300 miles downriver, a group of 12 established a mobile base camp, cooking, cleaning, and providing fresh laundry, to be delivered to the canoe. Every action among the total crew of 28 people, was coordinated to ensure maximum efficiency for the always moving canoe.

“There were times at like 3 a.m. where we were paddling, and your brain is just shutting down from exhaustion.” Werderich said. “I knew if I could just fight through to the rising sun, my body would be filled with energy and reset again.”

Werederich said his family motivated him to persevere, as did the hordes of people in passing river towns cheering from the banks and bridges. He said paddling the river’s entirety had always been a dream of his, and when he finally retired, walking out of his office, feeling the wind on his face, he knew the time had arrived.

He said nights when the starry constellations shined above, he knew he made the right decision. Away from industry ports, Werderich said the vast open expanses of the river felt like the last great American wilderness. In sparse sections where the ever-shifting river poses too much of a flooding risk to build towns, he said he could feel the river’s personality speaking to him.

From sections congested with industrial barges, to sections unchanged from the days of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” he said river spoke in different tongues. Each town they passed added a different culture comprising the tapestry of American life.

He said the solidarity of the team’s shared goal, mirrored the common humanity shared by the diverse towns along the journey.

“I wish the world worked the way our team worked,” Werderich said. “It required such humility and emotional intelligence from everyone. We all came from different backgrounds, but knew we could accomplish anything if we worked together as one.”

Returning from a riverboat cruise along the Mississippi River with his wife, Werderich said he loved being able to share reflections of his adventures. He joked, this time around, his time on the river was much more comfortable than being crammed with three other men in one canoe.

Werderich reflected on the famous final line, “I am haunted by waters,” from Norman Maclean’s literary masterpiece, “A River Runs Through It.”

“I think about that all the time, the waters always surround me,” Werderich said. “Living my whole life in Yorkville, raising my family around the Fox River, it’s such a part of who I am. All these years, all these memories, the river very much is me.”