Mike Clark — aka Muddy Mike — is Big Muddy Adventures’ founder and senior guide. He answers your questions about paddling and beyond.

Hey Mike, in all your years of paddling, have you ever almost died on the water??

SIMONE, COLUMBIA, MO

Hmm. I once had lightning strike water while I was on it, Simone. The lightning hit the river while I was guiding. I had two boats out there. We got to the bank under the cover of some tall trees, where you’re supposed to be if you can’t get completely out of a lightning storm. And just as we got to the bank, the lightning hit in the middle of the river. The boat in front of me literally glowed from the electricity. And we saw like a thousand fish come flying out of the water. Everyone in the two boats witnessed this. But we were all fine. We were wearing rubber-soled shoes, and we were away from the lightning. We didn’t have any trouble. But it was close. It was a reminder of the power of storms like that.

Otherwise, no. I’ve never really done some of the huge, Class V whitewater like near the Grand Canyon, where if you flip a boat or a raft or get thrown out, you’d be close to death. I’ve done Class IV rapids, but I’ve never done Class V. And then with Big Muddy Adventures, the whole game is saying no for the sake of risk management. Taking chances is outside of what I consider best for all of us. So, fortunately, I haven’t been close to death.

I mean, I’ve had a gun put to my head. More than once. Once was in South St. Louis. And once was in Chicago. That’s not a good feeling. But that’s a story for another day.

Got a question for Muddy Mike? Send it to shawn@terrain-mag.com.  

Top image: By Reiss Wegman.