re: Could you swim across the Mississippi River?

I always wondered this, but with boat traffic I wouldn’t try it. My assumption has always been yes, and I think it’d be much easier than everyone makes it out to be. The currents would essentially do the work for you, there’s no fighting them, just tread and float until you hit a bend in the river and swim the last few meters. I think it comes down to how long can you stay afloat by alternating between floating and treading, and I think if my life depended on it, six hours wouldn’t be a stretch.

Now the REAL answer is that I think the average OTer could likely cross it with a well timed running leap.