BELLEVUE - While floating down the Mississippi River on a rubber raft, three young men plan to raise money for the Gulf oil spill cleanup and, possibly, out-do Huckleberry Finn.
Matt Bergmann, 26, and Justin Dworak, 24, both of Galena, Ill., and David Kolck, 25, of Dubuque, departed Wednesday from the shores of the Mississippi River near Bellevue. They hope to arrive in New Orleans next month, after collecting donations for the Louisiana-based organization Lower Mississippi RIVERKEEPER.
"People tell us, 'You're crazy,' but this is a great idea," Kolck said.
The idea grew out of separate questions: what to do with a raft left over from a garage sale and how to help those affected by the gushing oil in the Gulf of Mexico?
"Who knows what the fallout will be? This could be devastating," Kolck said.
When no one bought his gray, rubber raft at a garage sale, Bergmann didn't know what to do with it. He'd taken a few close calls with it while whitewater rafting one summer.
"I almost died," Bergmann said. "We hit 15-foot swells and the raft flipped over. We heard that three kayakers died that day."
But that wasn't why Bergmann wanted to sell the raft. He's on the river all the time. Kolck asked why didn't he just float all the way down the Mississippi River?
The three young men describe the trip as the adventure of a lifetime, with a purpose. They plan to sell stickers designed for the trip and ask for donations as they float down the river. Local businesses have already pitched in for the effort. Lower Mississippi RIVERKEEPER has set up a page on its website for people to donate to the organization directly.
"Let's see how big we can make this for them," Kolck said.
They plan to haul equipment in a second raft and sleep on sand bars or islands, cutting brush to clear room for their tents. For entertainment, they have each other and a hand-crank radio. A solar-panel battery charger will provide power for a small motor, in case they need to steer their raft out of the way of an approaching barge in a hurry. When they grow restless, or overheated, they'll jump into the river. The raft doesn't exactly give them a lot of movement.
"Stepping on the floor is like stepping onto a water bed that's endless," Dworak said.
Unless they float by a shore-side burger joint, the trio will survive on Ramen noodles and trail mix. To track their progress, a GPS and laminated maps from the Army Corp of Engineers will guide them. They'll report back to the world on a water-proof cell phone.
"Whenever we come up to a lock and dam, we're going to portage around it if we can," Kolck said. "Barges have first priority on the river, as they should. We're at their mercy."
They said each crew member brings different traits to the journey, from scout-like survivor skills to a little adventurism.
"We're three intelligent guys floating down the river, we'll adapt," Dworak said. "We want to make it to New Orleans."
Huck Finn, after all, didn't make it past Arkansas.
