The Mississippi begins it's long journey to the ocean by trickling out of Lake Itasca in Northern Minnesota and gently winding it's way down through Central Minnesota. Once the river passes through Minneapolis it changes from it's pristine youth to a major waterway. I have spent a considerable amount of time camping, fishing, hunting, and photographing the first 300 miles of this great river, this gallery tries to capture some of the splender of our nation's largest river.