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Crooked Old River: Rowing Toward Redemption on the Mississippi
When Trapper Haskins and his wife, Mandy, were young newlyweds, they built a wooden rowboat with the intention of traveling down the Mississippi River, from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The trip was supposed to take ninety days. It took sixteen years.
For reasons that would later haunt Trapper, they pulled their boat from the river in New Orleans, one hundred miles short of their goal. More than a decade and a half later—now with two children and a rotting rowboat in the backyard—Trapper found himself in the doldrums of midlife, deeply unsatisfied, and ultimately suffering an emotional breakdown. In an effort to reclaim who he once was—a craftsman and traveler—Trapper rebuilt the old rowboat with the help of his children and relaunched it into the Mississippi exactly where he and Mandy left off, this time as a family of four, determined to finally reach the Gulf.
With the adventure-inspiring verve of Barbarian Days, the cultural history chops of A Walk in the Woods, and the bracing vulnerability of Wild, Haskins’s Crooked Old River is the story of a man betting it all, losing everything, and finding his way back in the most American of the Mississippi River.
For reasons that would later haunt Trapper, they pulled their boat from the river in New Orleans, one hundred miles short of their goal. More than a decade and a half later—now with two children and a rotting rowboat in the backyard—Trapper found himself in the doldrums of midlife, deeply unsatisfied, and ultimately suffering an emotional breakdown. In an effort to reclaim who he once was—a craftsman and traveler—Trapper rebuilt the old rowboat with the help of his children and relaunched it into the Mississippi exactly where he and Mandy left off, this time as a family of four, determined to finally reach the Gulf.
With the adventure-inspiring verve of Barbarian Days, the cultural history chops of A Walk in the Woods, and the bracing vulnerability of Wild, Haskins’s Crooked Old River is the story of a man betting it all, losing everything, and finding his way back in the most American of the Mississippi River.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2024
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14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 24, 2024
Dive into the captivating world of ‘Crooked Old River: Rowing Toward Redemption on the Mississippi’ and prepare to be transported on an unforgettable journey. Trapper Haskins’s account of his family’s epic adventure down the Mississippi River is nothing short of mesmerizing. From the moment I read the first paragraph, I was hooked. Haskins’s storytelling effortlessly blends moments of heart-pounding excitement with poignant reflections on life, love, and the pursuit of dreams. Each page turn brought me deeper into the heart of their journey, and by the end, I felt like I had rowed alongside them every step of the way. If you’re looking for a book that’s both informative and entertaining, look no further. ‘Crooked Old River’ is a true gem that deserves a spot on every bookshelf. Trust me, you won’t be able to put it down.
May 19, 2024
Quixotic River Quest
Miguel de Cervantes meets Mark Twain in this touching tale of a man rowing down his dreams and drowning his demons.
All of us have dreams. A rare few have the guts and single-minded determination to pursue those dreams to their fulfillment. Even fewer still have a companion willing to share such dreams. Trapper Haskins is such a man. His intrepid wife Mandy is such a woman.
One might describe the Crooked Old River: Rowing Toward Redemption on the Mississippi as a story of one man’s fight to escape the eddies, falls, and whirlpools of a troubled mind, pulling for dear life to escape the fog of fear, reaching for the meaning of life through the shadows of self-doubt.
But that’s only part of the story.
This is also the story of a mighty river, its fascinating history, and a man and woman’s quest to reach back into the river of time and recapture a taste of an earlier, simpler, more uncertain and challenging existence.
I’m struck by two themes in this story.
The first, is the unfathomable power of the human spirit. I don’t mean just the power of the human spirit that compels us to reach beyond ourselves, but that spirit that connects us to the world around us and the people we share it with.
The second is the power of love. While love may not be able to hold back the mighty Mississippi, love changes the course of our lives in ways better than we could have ever imagined.
It was the human spirit that planed, sanded, and shaped the wood that became the Oxbow. It was the human spirit that energized the oars that compelled the little craft upon the waters of the mighty Mississippi. And indeed it was the human spirit that saw an impossible dream to its completion.
But it was love that kept two lives pulling towards a common goal. It was a love that was strong when the other was weak. It was love that gave when one or the other could only take. Most certainly it is was love that kept them going when the darkness tried to overtake.
Thanks for sharing your and Mandy’s story Trapper.
Miguel de Cervantes meets Mark Twain in this touching tale of a man rowing down his dreams and drowning his demons.
All of us have dreams. A rare few have the guts and single-minded determination to pursue those dreams to their fulfillment. Even fewer still have a companion willing to share such dreams. Trapper Haskins is such a man. His intrepid wife Mandy is such a woman.
One might describe the Crooked Old River: Rowing Toward Redemption on the Mississippi as a story of one man’s fight to escape the eddies, falls, and whirlpools of a troubled mind, pulling for dear life to escape the fog of fear, reaching for the meaning of life through the shadows of self-doubt.
But that’s only part of the story.
This is also the story of a mighty river, its fascinating history, and a man and woman’s quest to reach back into the river of time and recapture a taste of an earlier, simpler, more uncertain and challenging existence.
I’m struck by two themes in this story.
The first, is the unfathomable power of the human spirit. I don’t mean just the power of the human spirit that compels us to reach beyond ourselves, but that spirit that connects us to the world around us and the people we share it with.
The second is the power of love. While love may not be able to hold back the mighty Mississippi, love changes the course of our lives in ways better than we could have ever imagined.
It was the human spirit that planed, sanded, and shaped the wood that became the Oxbow. It was the human spirit that energized the oars that compelled the little craft upon the waters of the mighty Mississippi. And indeed it was the human spirit that saw an impossible dream to its completion.
But it was love that kept two lives pulling towards a common goal. It was a love that was strong when the other was weak. It was love that gave when one or the other could only take. Most certainly it is was love that kept them going when the darkness tried to overtake.
Thanks for sharing your and Mandy’s story Trapper.
June 7, 2024
"Crooked Old River" opens with a suitable analogy for our modern world: the author, floating with his family down the Mississippi in a handmade rowboat, invisible to the oil tanker bearing directly down upon them, left alone to his own devices to make it through. It's perhaps a little on the nose, but why shouldn't it be? The best metaphors arise from the real.
Literally speaking, this memoir is the story of a young man growing up in Memphis, finding himself not quite suited to the world's expectations and feeling the pull of the legendary waterway in his backyard. He moves to Maine, builds a rowboat (the "Oxbow"), and with his wife Mandy begins a journey from Minnesota to Louisiana, from the source to the sea. Along the way they experience glorious landscapes, meet new friends, encounter danger, and overcome obstacles, until the moment they decide they've gone far enough. And it is not a spoiler to say that "far enough" was ultimately not in fact so, which leads us to the book's second half and more serious challenges.
But if "river as life" is a guiding metaphor for this memoir (and to no surprise, it is), then "author as craftsman" is even more so. Not content merely to present an episodic recounting of his experiences, Haskins builds the narrative as a stylized representation of the very river he's writing, memory mixing with local color and side trips up the tributaries of history. A master of the non-trivial anecdote, Trapper Haskins' prose is as carefully constructed as his legendary rowboat, with a cleanly-jointed style peppered with astonishing turns of phrase. The book's very structure is masterful.
But in the end, this memoir's greatest strength is its honesty, an earnest lack of pretense, a careful, thoughtful stubbornness to see itself through for its own sake. It's a deeply moving work about identity, love, mental health, and the challenges of making it through together. Highly recommended.
Literally speaking, this memoir is the story of a young man growing up in Memphis, finding himself not quite suited to the world's expectations and feeling the pull of the legendary waterway in his backyard. He moves to Maine, builds a rowboat (the "Oxbow"), and with his wife Mandy begins a journey from Minnesota to Louisiana, from the source to the sea. Along the way they experience glorious landscapes, meet new friends, encounter danger, and overcome obstacles, until the moment they decide they've gone far enough. And it is not a spoiler to say that "far enough" was ultimately not in fact so, which leads us to the book's second half and more serious challenges.
But if "river as life" is a guiding metaphor for this memoir (and to no surprise, it is), then "author as craftsman" is even more so. Not content merely to present an episodic recounting of his experiences, Haskins builds the narrative as a stylized representation of the very river he's writing, memory mixing with local color and side trips up the tributaries of history. A master of the non-trivial anecdote, Trapper Haskins' prose is as carefully constructed as his legendary rowboat, with a cleanly-jointed style peppered with astonishing turns of phrase. The book's very structure is masterful.
But in the end, this memoir's greatest strength is its honesty, an earnest lack of pretense, a careful, thoughtful stubbornness to see itself through for its own sake. It's a deeply moving work about identity, love, mental health, and the challenges of making it through together. Highly recommended.
July 31, 2024
I might be biased (because I spent the summer of 2006 living in the upstairs of a barn on an organic farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina with my partner, Mandy, & Trapper, and therefore know what wonderful people they are!!), but I think Trapper has written one my new favorite books.
Not only does he write of their epic journey down The Mississippi, but he also mixes in fascinating history, personal vulnerability, humor, and philosophy, among other things.
“Crooked Old River” is reminiscent of Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” or Wendell Berry’s “Jayber Crow” to me — writing that encompasses so much more than a simple narrative. Honestly, what more would you expect from a true renaissance man — a carpenter, a writer, a musician, a farmer, an architect, a rower, a craftsman, a baseball enthusiast, a father, a husband, a son, and a friend?
I so enjoyed picking this book up every evening once our busy house quieted down. It was my nightly sanctuary until I sadly had to put it down and succumb to sleep. I’ll miss it.
I have shared numerous fascinating passages with my wife, kids, dad, and anyone else that will listen. Lastly, one of my favorite quotes:
“But it is an effortless task to build a schooner in your mind when time has no end and money is fictitious.”
Oh, to be young again! Thanks for this marvelous gift, Trapper!
Not only does he write of their epic journey down The Mississippi, but he also mixes in fascinating history, personal vulnerability, humor, and philosophy, among other things.
“Crooked Old River” is reminiscent of Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” or Wendell Berry’s “Jayber Crow” to me — writing that encompasses so much more than a simple narrative. Honestly, what more would you expect from a true renaissance man — a carpenter, a writer, a musician, a farmer, an architect, a rower, a craftsman, a baseball enthusiast, a father, a husband, a son, and a friend?
I so enjoyed picking this book up every evening once our busy house quieted down. It was my nightly sanctuary until I sadly had to put it down and succumb to sleep. I’ll miss it.
I have shared numerous fascinating passages with my wife, kids, dad, and anyone else that will listen. Lastly, one of my favorite quotes:
“But it is an effortless task to build a schooner in your mind when time has no end and money is fictitious.”
Oh, to be young again! Thanks for this marvelous gift, Trapper!
March 6, 2024
Thanks Trapper for the early read / uncorrected proof to consume ahead of your book release! Can't wait!
Written based on his personal experience, one man’s great quest which took the better part of his lifetime to conquer. Follow along Trapper (and Mandy) Haskins’ ultimate pirate tale which takes him from boyhood in Memphis, to young adult life in Maine, to setting the course in Minnesota with his hand-built river yawl (named Oxbow) subsequent journey, traveling (almost) the entire Mississippi, adult life bringing him back to Tennessee, and ultimately completing the last 100 miles of the journey with their kids in tow.
Wonderfully poetic writing, a tale that is a great adventure story on the surface, and an inspiring, yet dark, journey deep into ones soul of facing challenges, survival, life, love, heartbreak. Unfortunately for Trapper, many of these interruptions continue over and over, as he eventually makes his way to the Gulf of Mexico to complete his mighty feat. This inspiring journey will challenge the reader to find what personal achievements they aspire to leave as their legacy.
Written based on his personal experience, one man’s great quest which took the better part of his lifetime to conquer. Follow along Trapper (and Mandy) Haskins’ ultimate pirate tale which takes him from boyhood in Memphis, to young adult life in Maine, to setting the course in Minnesota with his hand-built river yawl (named Oxbow) subsequent journey, traveling (almost) the entire Mississippi, adult life bringing him back to Tennessee, and ultimately completing the last 100 miles of the journey with their kids in tow.
Wonderfully poetic writing, a tale that is a great adventure story on the surface, and an inspiring, yet dark, journey deep into ones soul of facing challenges, survival, life, love, heartbreak. Unfortunately for Trapper, many of these interruptions continue over and over, as he eventually makes his way to the Gulf of Mexico to complete his mighty feat. This inspiring journey will challenge the reader to find what personal achievements they aspire to leave as their legacy.
July 5, 2024
Like the crooked old river itself, Trapper's "Crooked Old River" provides the reader with a majestic view of our most primal instincts. Seeking, anger, pleasure, happiness, fear and play are all woven together with insight, vulnerability and honesty.
A story of stubborn aspiration, wanderlust, struggle, beauty, family, and redemption, combined with historical references and geographical lessons, make Crooked Old River a hard one to put down. I put it down only to research some of his references myself, as his words left me with wanting to learn more about the river's confluences, landmarks and tributaries.
As someone who's done a bit of exploring the limits of the physical and emotional self (mine in the form of running, trail running, cycling, hiking), Trapper's book left me inspired. Christopher McCandless wrote "happiness is only real when shared" - in the pages of "Crooked Old River", Trapper shared his happiness with his wife, Mandy, then their children, and now he's shared it with us.
A story of stubborn aspiration, wanderlust, struggle, beauty, family, and redemption, combined with historical references and geographical lessons, make Crooked Old River a hard one to put down. I put it down only to research some of his references myself, as his words left me with wanting to learn more about the river's confluences, landmarks and tributaries.
As someone who's done a bit of exploring the limits of the physical and emotional self (mine in the form of running, trail running, cycling, hiking), Trapper's book left me inspired. Christopher McCandless wrote "happiness is only real when shared" - in the pages of "Crooked Old River", Trapper shared his happiness with his wife, Mandy, then their children, and now he's shared it with us.
November 18, 2025
Trapper and I share the kinship that one has with close friends and strangers that have decided to take up paddle and/or oar and descended the Mississippi River. There are as many stories as every person that has ever gone down it. As much as I like doing and adventure myself, I find it hard to pick up a book about something I have done, or even something I want to do (unless mining it for information about how to get it done.)
Trapper’s story felt a bit like starting the voyage down the river again. Slow, but beautiful. As he continued his story between him and his wife I had to slow myself down from jumping ahead to see what happened next. I got some good laughs, and found myself pulling up google maps to look at places I remembered and places I had forgotten and was reminded of how much my own trip meant to me.
I appreciated his vulnerability when his river of life twisted ways he did not expect or like and how he sorted it all out in the end.
It’s a good read for someone wanting to get lost in a bit of a heartfelt wander for a bit.
Trapper’s story felt a bit like starting the voyage down the river again. Slow, but beautiful. As he continued his story between him and his wife I had to slow myself down from jumping ahead to see what happened next. I got some good laughs, and found myself pulling up google maps to look at places I remembered and places I had forgotten and was reminded of how much my own trip meant to me.
I appreciated his vulnerability when his river of life twisted ways he did not expect or like and how he sorted it all out in the end.
It’s a good read for someone wanting to get lost in a bit of a heartfelt wander for a bit.
July 4, 2024
Crooked Old River by Trapper Haskins is one of my favorite books of 2024! It’s a riveting read!!
I picked up this book at bedtime to help me fall asleep but found myself still awake and turning the pages at 2 am. And this is in spite of having little interest or knowledge in the areas of boat construction, rowing, or the Mississippi River! The secret to this book’s appeal, I think, is the stellar writing style, and the fact that most of us can relate to a quest — an inner quest for growth and fulfillment, and an outer quest or physical challenge to test our limits.
Trapper delivers the human story with lyrical language, tension, and unwavering candor and courage. This memoir is addictive. I absolutely recommend it…unless you need a book to put you to sleep. Then I recommend Anna Karenina!
I picked up this book at bedtime to help me fall asleep but found myself still awake and turning the pages at 2 am. And this is in spite of having little interest or knowledge in the areas of boat construction, rowing, or the Mississippi River! The secret to this book’s appeal, I think, is the stellar writing style, and the fact that most of us can relate to a quest — an inner quest for growth and fulfillment, and an outer quest or physical challenge to test our limits.
Trapper delivers the human story with lyrical language, tension, and unwavering candor and courage. This memoir is addictive. I absolutely recommend it…unless you need a book to put you to sleep. Then I recommend Anna Karenina!
June 12, 2024
I could not put Trapper Haskins book down. He pursued his dream. Something very few of us get to do. He is an inspiration. I was not only reading about their travels, but I felt I was there along for the ride with he and his wife on this gripping, exciting and emotional adventure of a lifetime. His wife Mandy is amazing. I could never be so brave.
October 16, 2025
This book was amazing. Felt like I was right there with them. It’s not just about the trip but about growing up. Sometimes you’re steering. Sometimes you’re being pulled along. But with the right partner, all things are possible.
April 28, 2024
well researched, well written story of a journey
Haskins writes about his and his wife’s journey from the source of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico in a handcrafted rowboat. The book is well researched in the history of all they pass. Haskins’ self reflections and observations reflect genuine and honest insight.
Altogether, a very good read.
Haskins writes about his and his wife’s journey from the source of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico in a handcrafted rowboat. The book is well researched in the history of all they pass. Haskins’ self reflections and observations reflect genuine and honest insight.
Altogether, a very good read.
May 16, 2024
Part history lesson, part love story, part adventure, total triumph.
November 23, 2024
A well written and thoroughly researched book-
Utterly fascinating! What an experience to share with the world!
Utterly fascinating! What an experience to share with the world!
October 31, 2024
This is one of those books that makes you say, “why hasn’t someone told me about this?!”
It is a true gem. Trapper Haskins is a masterful storyteller and historian. He blends these two talents into a narrative that I will never forget. My favorite read of 2024 so far!!
It is a true gem. Trapper Haskins is a masterful storyteller and historian. He blends these two talents into a narrative that I will never forget. My favorite read of 2024 so far!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews