Beat the heat. Get out on the river with Matthew Burdine for a professionally guided canoe trip on one of his Mississippi River Expeditions.
“We guide canoe trips down the Mississippi River in our big multi-person Voyaguer canoes, which include a custom-made sailing canoe,” says Burdine, 36.
In spring and fall, he offers “multi-day camping trips” on the mighty Mississippi: “Camping on islands, sleeping under the stars, and cooking meals over the fire.”
For now, Burdine offers half-day trips. “With the heat, we’re offering these sunset cruises and morning cruises in the coolest part of the day. It’s always cooler on the river. We all meet at the marina of the Memphis Yacht Club. From there, we’ll shuttle up river where we put in at the mouth of the Wolf River. From there we paddle across to Loosahatchie Bar. We’ll swim, hang out and explore the beaches of the island.” And river-goers get to eat: “I do hors d’oeuvres. River charcuterie.”
The sunset cruises are BYOB, Burdine says. “We’ll be paddling underneath the bridge to downtown Memphis with the city glowing as the sun is setting.”
Morning trips basically follow the same formula. Sunset trips are from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the morning trips are 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
In early September, they will resume full-day trips and camping trips, Burdine says. “We meet in the midmorning. It’s about a six-hour trip. From there, we put in at Shelby Forest and canoe 17 miles back down to Memphis while we stop on islands and have lunch, swim, explore all the main and back channels.
“Each canoe holds up to 14 people. We’ll take out any size group, whether it’s one person or 30. They’re all professionally guided custom trips.
Burdine also is doing yoga retreats, friends and family groups, youth groups, and corporate retreats. These include “full moon floats,” “creative retreats,” and “supper club on the river.” Check Misssissippi River Expeditions on Instagram and Facebook. “Before school starts is the ideal family trip,” he says. “Ages six and up.”
Burdine, who was born in Greenville, Mississippi, finished his MBA at the University of Mississippi at Oxford. Instead of pursuing a career in finance, he moved to Colorado, where he became a white water river guide and ski instructor at Vail. He describes himself as “a Mississippi native who has spent the past 10 years in Colorado guiding white water rivers in the mountains and deserts of the west.”
He’s spent thousands of hours on “big moving water.” In the fall of 2015, he began a six-month source-to-sea solo trip taking his time canoeing the length of the Mississippi River.
Mississippi River Expeditions is a partner and is affiliated with Quapaw Canoe Company out of Clarksdale, Mississippi.
“It’s been really cool and amazing this past year to take people from Memphis down the river who have never seen Memphis from that point of view.”
To book a trip, visit canoememphis.com.
