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

"It 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 "adventure 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 "interior landscapes" of solitude, silence, prayer, and communion with creation. "What 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.