09/02/2026
From One Adventure to Another 🛶
Three and a half years ago, we picked up a key piece of Salty’s Mississippi Movement—a beautifully sculpted 17.5-foot Northstar Northwind canoe, made specifically for Travel for a Cure.
We named her “The Salty Walrus,” after Ian’s nickname, “Salty,” and that legendary walrus-style mustache he wears so well. 🦭
The Salty Walrus went on to survive 67 days and more than 2,300 miles on the Mighty Mississippi, carrying Ian and his 13 paddle partners safely from the headwaters at Lake Itasca all the way to the Head of Passes in Venice, Louisiana.
Today, we have the honor of picking up another perfectly sculpted canoe. This time, we’re delivering it to the Friends of the Boundary Waters, helping make another person’s dreams and adventures possible.
We originally planned to donate the Salty Walrus after her grand adventure down the River. But after more than 2,300 miles, she came home with plenty of scratches, bruises, and stories to tell.
So instead, we feel much better knowing that someone will receive a brand-new canoe in honor of the Salty Walrus and the incredible journey she carried us on.
Northstar Canoes has been an incredible partner to Travel for a Cure. Even better, they’re a Minnesota-made company based in Princeton, Minnesota. There’s something pretty special about taking a canoe built in our home state and putting it to work on an adventure like the Mississippi River.
We’re incredibly grateful for their craftsmanship, generosity, and the memories they’ve helped create along the way.
And while the canoe was built for an adventure, Travel for a Cure was built for something bigger.
For more than a decade, we’ve been proud to support the Movember Foundation and its mission to improve men’s health. Through our adventures and events, we hope to raise awareness and start the conversations that can sometimes be difficult to have—about mental health and su***de prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.
Because sometimes an adventure is more than an adventure. Sometimes it gives us a reason to talk, a reason to connect, and a reason to look out for one another.
The Salty Walrus may have finished her journey down the Mississippi, but the stories of her grand adventure will be told for the rest of our lives.
🛶 One canoe. 2,300+ miles. 67 days. 13 paddle partners. One mighty river.
And now…
another canoe.
another dream.
another adventure begins.
For the conversations that matter. ❤️
Travel for a Cure — Adventure with a purpose.
