Two Decorah friends are about to canoe the Mississippi River--all of it!

(Photos courtesy of Tyler Rinken Photography)

Decorah residents Corey Smock and Lance Loney will be taking a trip on the Mississippi River this summer.  Not just part of it, but all 2,320 miles of it.

Corey tells decorahnews.com he expects the trip from the headwaters in MInnesota to the Mississippi delta in Louisiana to take up to 70 days.  He and Loney will be traveling in an 18 foot long, three foot wide Wenonah canoe.  They have planned out their campsites along the entire trip and occasionally will be staying in a hotel or with friends.

Smock and Loney are both 2009 graduates of Decorah High School.  Smock is a 2013 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and the son of Mike and Renee Smock of Decorah.  Loney is a 2013 graduate of Iowa State University and the son of Mike and Kristin Loney of Decorah.

The two are canoeing the entire Mississippi River not just because it's a "challenge and an accomplishment," as Smock puts it, but because they will raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  Smock's cousin, Adam Christopherson, committed suicide in January of 2013.

Donations can be made at http://paddleforprevention.weebly.com/donate.html.  Already $2,600 in donations has been raised.

For more about Smock's and Loney's trip, visit www.paddleforprevention.weebly.com