Traci Martin: The Mississippi Mermaid
“You can sit in a recliner & hurt and watch life pass you by, Or you can get up and do things you love…You can choose how you want to live your life.” -Traci Martin
Traci Martin is no stranger to water. Though she didn’t grow up in an “outdoorsy” family, she fell in love with being out on the water on a canoe trip at age 10 and bought her first canoe from a garage sale at 18. To those that know her, it is not a surprise to see her as the current World Record holder for fastest female kayaker down the entire length of the Mississippi River. But to those of us just meeting this fearless woman with rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma, we can celebrate her brave choice to face life with determination, adaptability, and courage.
Traci has been kayaking and canoeing for quite some time now, even bringing her kids on races with her when they were old enough. She knew early on that she wanted to involve her kids in the activities she was passionate about. Now that they are older, she still takes any chance she gets to paddle. Her adventures have taken her and her kids to the Boundary Waters, multiple lakes & rivers, and as a solo paddler, on to bigger races and greater challenges.
In 2010, Traci was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This autoimmune disease didn’t stop her plans, however. She remembered not wanting this progressive illness to stop her, even if she had to adapt her plans. “You can sit in a recliner & hurt and watch life pass you by,” Traci says. “Or you can get up and do things you love…You can choose how you want to live your life.” Years of saving money, researching, training, and working around what her body would let her do, eventually brought her to 2017 where she was able to spend 10 months kayaking three of the five Great Lakes. You can see her progress from that trip on her website, justaroundthepointe.com.
Traci’s motivation to keep moving…inspiring those who live with chronic pain to still live their best lives.
But three lakes wasn’t five, and Traci looked into what she’d have to do to finish her goal. She planned to move forward in 2020, but Covid had other plans. The ability to travel internationally, stop anywhere, and use local resources wasn’t in the cards at this time. So Traci adapted her goals again.
Inspired by Freya Hoffmeister, Goddess of Love to the Seas, Traci pursued other kayaking options for the time being. She had heard of a competition between two teams of guys paddling the length of the Mississippi River. Looking further, she saw that the female record for completing that goal was 61 days. Traci thought, “I can beat that.” So she spent the next few months looking into Facebook groups for connections and local stops along the river route. She worked out plans for her family and her finances so that she could pursue this goal without the stress of “home” hanging over her head. She had a little more freedom in this “post-covid” time to travel from state to state than she had to travel internationally, but she still sought out rocky islands for camping spots as often as she could.
And on July 11, 2021, Traci set the record for the fastest solo female kayak trip down the Mississippi River and received the title, Mississippi Mermaid.
We at Strong Girls Travel love Traci’s story because it teaches us that life throws wrenches at us all the time - but we can move around them rather than letting them move us off track from our goals. We can redefine our dreams and make them work for us, rather than just quitting on them altogether. Even with Traci’s RA, she keeps moving. A recent diagnosis of scleroderma has her adapting more often, but she reminds us, “If you keep moving, you’ll keep moving. It doesn't hurt so bad when you’re doing what you love.” She has had plenty of other challenges along the way as well. When social media became a regular thing, blog posters and strangers had plenty to say about Traci’s canoe trips to the Boundary Waters with her kids - even though she was experienced and safe. People had things to say when she’d make travel plans and leave her children in the safe care of their father. Commenters have opinions on a single woman traveling solo, especially on water. “People are so quick to judge when we do these things with our kids or by ourselves,” Traci recalls. But she doesn’t let these things stop her. People will always have opinions, her body will always force her to adapt, but nothing will stop her from making new goals to do the things she loves.
And she encourages each of us to keep pursuing the things we love. Whether it’s outdoor activities, adventures with friends, or new hobbies, don’t give up on the things you choose to love. Find your passion and surround yourself with people who love you and will build you up. Isolating ourselves is one of the most goal-killing things we can do. Traci says, “I never want to be on my deathbed, reflecting on my life, and feel sad that there were things I didn’t do because I couldn’t find people to go with me.” She reminds us to find like-minded people who will cheer us on, even from afar, but not to let the idea of doing something alone stop us from living.
Traci has plenty on her “What’s Next” list of adventures. This month she is starting off on an Inside Passage kayak trip - you can follow her journey from Seattle to Alaska in her Facebook group! Next year she would love to continue on with a kayak adventure of the Yukon River, or maybe she’ll aim to beat her own Mississippi River record by completing the trip in under 45 days. She also has dreams of horseback riding across Iceland, seeing the Great Wall of China, and visiting New Zealand. Where you won’t see Traci is taking up room in a recliner anytime soon.
“I’ll never thru-hike the Continental Divide, but I’d still like to kayak the five Great Lakes while I can…and when I reach the point where I can’t do that, I can still drive my car and kayak beautiful places. And when it reaches the point where I can’t do that, I can drive to see the beautiful places.”
We love your attitude and determination, Traci, and wish you all the best on your Inside Passage trip!
