Cory Maria Dack is an Indigenous Latina who recently finished thru-paddling the entire Mississippi River - all 2,552 miles/4,108 km - source to sea, an incredible adventure that took over 134 days.
Born in Ecuador and raised in the U.S. (in Duluth, Minnesota near the Canadian border), Cory has been an adventure guide and outdoor leader for nearly 20 years. She decided to thru-paddle the most famous waterway in the U.S. in part to increase representation of women of color, fat bodied people, immigrants, queer folks, and other demographics often left out of the narrative on the water and in the outdoor recreation world.
Cory’s main mission and message on her Mississippi River Trip was to “Decolonize Thru-Paddling,” a play on words that highlighted how she and her paddle partners:
1. Decolonized the concept of a “thru-paddle” (paddling all the way through a waterway, source to sea)
2. Uplifed messages of decolonization “thru” the act of paddling.
What does it mean to “decolonize” something?
Decolonization is the important practice of unpacking ways of life that support and are informed by systemic racism, colonization, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, fat phobia, misogyny, xenophobia, and any other form of systemic violence.
Cory and her friends “Decolonized Thru Paddling” by:
* Bridging equity gaps through representation of Women, People of Color, fat bodied people, members of the LGBQT+ community, immigrants, economically disadvantaged people, and other demographics that are underrepresented on the water and in the outdoors
* Honoring Native American/Indigenous Land by being in community and ceremony with Native communities, elders, and water protectors across the country
* Being grounded in community-driven values: they prioritized meeting people who live on the River and delighted in making new friends and connections along the way
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Show notes
- Who is Cory
- Born in Ecuador, but being raised in Minnesota
- Currently being on a national tour called - Canoe Mobile
- Being adopted at 3 months old
- Her early years and not being outdoorsy
- Getting into the outdoors in her early 20s
- Working at a summer camp and learning new skills
- Gaining new qualifications while at camp
- Becoming a canoe guide
- Feeling like an imposter
- Having empowering mentors who have supported and encouraged her
- Knowing that she belongs and that she deserves to be there
- Ignoring the other systems (gender, wealth, race, age) that were telling her she didn’t belong
- Decolonization and why we do the things we do
- Who is worthy to spend time in the outdoors
- Coming up with the idea to thru-paddle the Mississippi River
- Spending 100 days on the Mississippi River and wanting to do another long river trip
- Working for 3 seasons and using grassroots funding to pay for the journey
- Recognising her privilige
- Wanting to empower others to go on adventures
- Wanting to take her time on the journey and meet communities along the way
- Fears and concerns before the journey
- Dealing with the cold weather and winter while on the river
- Starting the journey at the end of August
- Mental health struggles while on the river
- Reaching out to community and asking for help
- River Angels
- Magical moments
- 134 days on the river
- Having Emily Ford come and join her for 200 miles on the river
- Daily life while on the river and finding peace and a new rhythm to living
- Not feeling safe going solo
- Paddling with Sarah for the final 1000 miles
- Land Acknowledgements
- Paddling through the twin cities
- Connecting with many local community groups
- Black Lives Matter
- Native Lives Matter
- Minnesota Immigrants Rights Action Committee (MIRAC)
- Bdóte ('meeting of waters' or 'where two rivers meet') considered to be a place of spiritual importance to the Dakota People.
- Brining communities together in a moment of celebration
- The truth behind Fort Snelling and the land it stands on
- A time for medicine and a time for healing
- Making an offering to the water/river
- Reflecting back on the journey - success and lessons learned
- How do you define success on a journey
- Adjusting back to normal life
- Rolling straight into the canoe mobile tour
- Celebrating the end of the journey
- Working with a therapist and being able to speak to them while on the river
- How to connect with Cory
- Final words of advice
- Wanting everyone to know that they belong in nature, outside, outdoors and it’s safe for them to be there.
- The power of starting small
Social Media
Women on the Water Website: www.women-on-the-water22.com
Instagram: @corymaria13