John Guider, 2011 Beautiful Mind, professional photographer, adventurer, boater and author, has traveled 5,500 miles of America’s waterways, including the entire Mississippi, in small motorless boats.

And he’s doing it again.

He built a boat and has been traveling a route known as the Great Loop, a course down the Mississippi, around the Gulf and East Coasts, into the Hudson, the Great Lakes and back to the Mississippi. This month, he will sail the coastline of Everglades National Park. John is traveling with a Spot System Tracker so his fans may keep up with the journey in real time. By July, he plans to arrive in New York City.

John says the sailing trips have changed him physically and mentally. His asthma is in remission and his arthritis and chronic bronchitis have gone away.

He says, “At 62, I have everything to look forward to.”

To follow his travels, visit his Facebook page or website.

This video highlights John’s adventures on the river: