MISSISSIPPI TRIP PROVIDES PAIR NEW FREEDOM

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Andrew Holm and Caroline McCrea have found freedom.

Holm, 20, of Rockford, Ill., and McCrea, 19, of Pittsburgh, are 1,500 miles into a canoe trip down the Mississippi River. Thursday, they were camped on the Illinois bank of the river a few hundred yards north of the Mississippi River Bridge.

When they started, on Aug. 3, the mighty Mississippi was little more than a shallow 3-foot stream running from Lake Itasca, Minn. McCrea said there were areas of the river where it was so shallow they had to get out and drag their 18-foot canoe along.

From Lake Itasca, the Mississippi winds more than 2,500 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, the couple's goal.

Holm said paddling the canoe under star lit summer skies has been liberating. "We have the freedom to do what we want to do when we want to do it," he said. "We also have the freedom to do what we have to do."

Holm said the trip involves chores that they normally wouldn't have to perform. The couple unpacks their pup tent and supplies when they stop for the night, build a fire when they want to eat and pack everything back up when they leave.

"Our gourmet meal has been macaroni and cheese," Holm said.

McCrea said the best part of the trip for her has been the people. "We haven't met an unfriendly person," she said.

McCrea said residents along the river have given them food and comfort, and made them feel welcome. "We have met all sorts of wonderful people," she said.

Holm said they've also seen bear, eagles and deer, "but we haven't met a bad person."

Holm said they feel as comfortable camping by the river as they would in their own living room. "You're as vulnerable as the situation you put yourself in," he said. "We're no more vulnerable than when we're at our own home and walking to the store."

They got a surprise Thursday when an unidentified man was deposited at their tent by a boat after the man attempted to swim across the river from the Missouri side. The man didn't give his name, simply struck up a conversation then asked for a ride back across.

"I took him back over, what else was I supposed to do," Holm said.

Holm worked on a farm, and McCrea worked as a waitress, to save enough money for the trip. McCrea said their parents weren't thrilled when they started, but have come around.

"They're a lot more enthusiastic since we've made it so far," she said.