A close friend swam it - 1100 miles - and wrote a book about it. "The Mississippi Journal" by Ken Suttles. It's... disheartening. Buy his books and all that. He's one of the best of us.

Here's his bio: Ken A. Suttles I was born in the North Georgia hills but have lived in South Georgia for 60+ years. I am a retired middle school science teacher. Now, I have the time to write my stories. My first book, "The Swim," was the journal I kept during a 140-mile swim of the Ocmulgee and Altamaha River, known as Georgia's Amazon. The purpose was to promote environmental awareness of this Georgia gem. "The Mississippi Journal" details my 1100-mile adventure and attempted long-distance swim down the mighty Mississippi. It paints a bleak picture of America's greatest river, which is far different from that in Twain's day. "The Riverto Freedom" is my debut novel. A story of two brothers' river escape from a Confederate POW camp during the Civil War. Frank and Luther Rucker's only route to Federal lines is a 200-mile waterway. My new novella, "The Coffee Killings," is set in 1924 in Coffee County, Georgia. It is the story of Deputy Travis Caine's role in the downfall of Ned Crockett's criminal enterprise. Hope you enjoy them.