U.S. vet paddles the Mississippi
Joshua Ploetz, a Marine who fought in Afghanistan, paddles his canoe in the Mississippi River near Venice, La., July 27, 2014. Ploetz, who has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, canoed the entire Mississippi River. The trip to the mouth of the river at the Gulf of Mexico would take 69 days, about 50 of them spent paddling. But Ploetz said he needed every inch of the more than 2,500-mile river to paddle away the demons of the war, or at least calm them a bit. He created a Facebook page called "Paddle Off the War" to keep track of his journey.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz, a former Marine who fought in Afghanistan, bottom, paddles past barges as he canoes down the Mississippi River just south of Baton Rouge, La., July 23, 2014.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz retrieves gear from his canoe as he sets up camp along the Mississippi River, in Donaldsonville, La., July 23, 2014.
The idea of the river journey was set in motion years ago by a chance encounter in a bar with Matthew Mohlke, author of “Floating Down the Country,” who told Ploetz about his book describing his solo canoe journey paddling the Mississippi in 1999.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz, right, a Marine vet who fought in Afghanistan, and his traveling companion Aleks Nelson, take off from camp underneath the Hale Boggs Bridge in Luling, La., July 25, 2014. Ploetz, who paddled the length of the river, brought with him a baton made from the handle of a stretcher that carried wounded troops in Afghanistan, which Ploetz called a symbol of hope for struggling veterans.
Paddling off the war
Names of Marines who died either in battle or after returning home and who were close to Joshua Ploetz, his "battle buddies," are printed on the side of his canoe near Port Eades, La., July 28, 2014.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz, a former Marine vet who has post-traumatic stress disorder, left, and his traveling companion Aleks Nelson, set up camp after nightfall, while canoeing in the Mississippi River in Donaldsonville, La., July 23, 2014. Nelson, a kayaker from Duluth, Minn., joined Ploetz about 10 days into the trip and paddled alongside him to the end.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz and his traveling companion Aleks Nelson, bottom, launch from a rest break, underneath the Huey P. Long Bridge, in the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish, La., July 25, 2014.
Paddling off the war
A large group of U.S. Marines hold signs as they greet Joshua Ploetz, a Marine vet who fought in Afghanistan, as he arrives in New Orleans, July 25, 2014, while canoeing the Mississippi River.
Paddling off the war
A U.S. Marine greets Joshua Ploetz, a Marine vet who fought in Afghanistan, left, as he arrives in New Orleans, July 25, 2014. About 100 Marines surprised Ploetz in New Orleans.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz, left, a Marine who fought in Afghanistan, revels with a fellow canoer he had met on the Mississippi River, after they ran into each other during a night of fun on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, July 26, 2014.
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz reads Biblical scripture the morning of to his final day of paddling to the Gulf of Mexico, in Venice, La., July 28, 2014.
Ploetz who has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder canoed the entire length of the Mississippi River. “You’re going to have your troubles on the river, but just keep paddling,” Ploetz said. “You’ll make it through it.”
Paddling off the war
Joshua Ploetz paddles towards the mouth of the Mississippi river near Venice, La., Sunday, July 27, 2014.
Paddling off the war
Ploetz rests on a jetty after reaching the Gulf of Mexico, on a canoe journey that started at the beginning of the Mississippi River, in Venice, La., July 28, 2014. The finish, he said, was bittersweet: “I want to be done, but I want more river to paddle.”