back in 2017, I too went down the rabbit hole and ran across a young man who just graduated from college. Before going to medical school, he paddled the River in 76 days.
June 2 to Aug 18 ... His longest paddle was 112 miles. I plotted his journey and estimated when he would be close so I could hook him up with a care package. Day 70 he would be in BR and I couldn't get away from work to meet Sam. Day 72 was a Sunday which was easier for me.

you can Follow his epic journey with awesome photos and the literacy of Hemingway

Sam told me he never felt scared with the riverboat traffic and large tankers/freighter ships. He said that navigating the lock system around Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee demanded lots of focus, attention, and communication since those tugboats and larger ships DGAF about kayaks and canoes. Sometimes it would take 2-4 hours before he could enter & exit the lock. He would communicate with boat traffic and listen to the River Boat pilots with a VHF Marine radio - Sam confirmed that was a MUST HAVE and made his travel so much easier and safer.

Weather conditions such as lightning and rainstorms were also scary at times. Day 67 and 69 were really bad rain storms. He also mentioned being alert for floating trees and debris in the river. Sam said that he could smell a noticeable difference in the air from the chemicals and refinery discharge when travelling through N. BR and Geismar. Sam paddled a 17' QCC kevlar kayak that weighed around 44 lbs. Very lightweight, sleek, and fast.

here is Sam's day 72 entry when I met up with him just South of the Hale Boggs bridge in Destrehan.

" ... Day 72: I woke up this morning around the usual 8am or so, packing up camp and paddling off around 9:20am. It was a gorgeous morning, with there being more blue sky than clouds for the entire day. I passed countless more ships today, many sporting some awesome names - Orient Tiger, Cielo di Iyo, Qi Xian Ling, Zaliv Baikal, Kazdanga, and my absolute favorite being the Southern Quokka (if you don't know what a Quokka is, google it, you'll smile). Around 1pm or so, I approached a pretty cool bridge, and ever so faintly thought I heard "SAAAAAAAAM! SAAAAAAAM!", over and over! I was completely confused, as I hadn't been contacted by anyone about meeting up and didn't know anyone that it might be. I scanned the shorelines (I was on LBD, left bank descending) and thought I may have seen a person under the bridge over on the opposite side of the river. It kind of looked like someone waving a white shirt around or something, but as it was the same height as the flags behind the levee I figured it was just that, a flag. Deciding I was maybe just imagining things and having auditory hallucinations, I continued on. Maybe 5 miles down the river, I heard the "SAAAAAM!" again! Only louder! I scanned the shorelines and on the one nearest to me (LBD still) I saw a man standing there waving around a white shirt! I realized he was definitely trying to flag me down and paddled over. The guy introduced himself as "Got Blaze", and had driven from Lafayette, LA (a 2-hour drive!!!) to meet me and give me supplies! He brought me water, fresh pineapple, watermelon and oranges, some AMAZING homemade jambalaya, Gatorade, Clif bars, and some gummy bears! He explained how he was from Cajun country, and that they're all about hospitality and taking care of their own (he recognized my french last name). We hung out in the shade for an hour and a half or so talking and eating lunch. Apparently, he was on the internet and somehow stumbled across the Stillwater Gazette article about me, and has been following me on Instagram ever since (he unfortunately doesn't have an account so wasn't sure how to contact me). While I had the amazing jambalaya (and ate all of the pineapple and watermelon)... "

Hale Boggs bridge - Destrehan ~ Luling