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HHHp ** uml sonal meeting was memorable. I learned that every one has a story and every life is worthwhile." Along the way, Guider captured mesmerizing photographs of people and landscapes, more than 10,000 shots in all, which he plans to exhibit in museums in 2008. A hero’s welcome ... sort of Of course, no journey of such magnitude ever had a more slapstick ending than Guider's victorious arrival into downtown New Orleans. Reaching his take-out point, he joyously reunited with his wife, Mona, there to greet him at journey’s end. Suddenly, four squad cars, a police helicopter, the Coast Guard and the harbor patrol descended upon the pair, after a protective citizen spotted Guid er from a bridge overpass and phoned police, convinced the city was under terrorist attack. Fortunately, a quick explanation by the mild-mannered Guider soon diffused the situation. Guider took to his canoe again in August 2005, this time journeying the Mississippi from its point of origin, near Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, to Minneapolis—a jaunt of 550 river miles. The month-long passage was high lighted by a near-death experience, in which Guider capsized in marsh water near Bemidji, spending the night in 38-degree temperatures and paddling through the night to ward off hypothermia. But even under those harrowing circumstances, Guider found splendor in the experience. "It was the most beautiful evening I've ever seen in my life,” he recalls. "Meteorites were going this way and that; I saw constellations I ve never seen before. I was Piam.itit.illy Oil Incut 'tBHKL. . fib ~ - r - * vM' An.,, “I learned that N. everyone has a story \ and every life is & ■ X. worthwhile.” JBP™ Bj Guider’s camera captures a fisherman at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in Cairo, 111. just enthralled. I thanked God that, if this was the night I was going to go. He couldn't have provided A young angler’s catch hard for me to ever be afraid again.” Alan Ross is a freelance writer in Columbia, Tenn. Visit www.johnguider.com to learn more. E 'llhv, \V* J ■L Ih-lit r lnes, l l/iv./zf.. (j&r/liid, '/m Skiri.y SiPi'kiity.i ( WWW.THUI-ICLASSICS.rOM "1 ■flL KiUTinj>i(»n. I! • Phone: 847 W)4 4961 • I mail: I a better exit. This past August, Guider attempted canoeing the final leg, from Minneapolis to Cairo, 111., to complete his 2,800-river mile excursion. A misadventure, however, near Bellevue, 111., in which his canoe capsized outside a river lock, sinking his camera equipment, caused him to abort. Undaunted, he will try again in the spring. Nonetheless, the many and varied lessons gained from his eventful voyage have registered an indelible impact upon him. “I don’t know if it's so much what I learned about myself, but what I affirmed within myself," he says of his experience. One thing is that it's really going to be Online Extras To see more photos & discuss this story, visit AmericanProfile.com f A \ a mk T A Ski) •( Qulitf 1 Vilit CLASSICS iKk. ' / John Guider’s journey began near his Franklin,Tenn„ home.; 68 styles 4 1/2 40 tall 5 year light warranty 10 year tree warranty 100% satisfaction guarantee factory Direct Save 40% 60% f ""If',',/ Always jUgi JBL free shipping.jjßng*