John Guider was a commercial artist in Nashville for thirty years, running a successful photography studio. He lived on a farm in Williamson County, but wasn’t much of outdoors person, no real experience camping or canoeing. Then one day he put a canoe in the creek running through his farm and set out on a life changing journey that took him from Middle Tennessee all the way to New Orleans. Wild Side Guide Ken Tucker takes us to the Harpeth River where John is still paddling the river inside.
Visit John’s website to see more of the pictures he took on his river journey or buy of copy of his book, The River Inside. You can also get updates on his latest trip, which John calls the Great Loop. After building a rowboat with a sail on it, John set out from Nashville, down the Mississippi, into the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida and up the East Coast, traveling as far as Annapolis, Maryland. His eventual goal is to continue north to New York, loop through the Great Lakes, back down the Mississippi and then home. So far he’s completed over 4,000 miles of the approximately 6,500 it will take to finish the journey. This year he plans to complete another thousand miles, starting sometime this spring.
John, we wish you well on your journey and we’re looking forward to seeing more amazing images and hearing more of your continuing tales.
