Ellen is a 27-year-old pilot, flight instructor, and adventure traveler, with a background in writing, acting, and modeling. She grew up on a farm in rural Texas. In her short adult life, she’s been on five expeditions by bicycle, paddle, and oars, both domestic and international. Those journeys add up to a total of 18 months and roughly 10,000 miles - nearly all of which were human-powered and half of which were solo.
In 2017, Ellen, then 22, completed a solo descent of the Missouri from Three Forks to St. Louis. Ellen had previously paddled a tributary of the Amazon and cycled from England to Greece. Ellen is the youngest person to solo paddle the Missouri River from Three Forks, Montana to St. Louis.
In September 2022, Ellen Falterman paddled her 18-foot Grumman canoe to her family's Trinity River home in East Texas, completing a full descent of the Mississippi River and then some.
Her motivation and mentor for these trips have always been her brother Patrick, who died suddenly in 2016. She dedicates all of her expeditions to him, and even when she’s traveling by herself, she never feels as if she’s traveling alone.
***This episode was recorded at the end of 2021 to be released in early 2022. Ellen lost her fiancé in 2022 so we decided to delay the release of the episode until now. Our hearts and hugs go out to Ellen.***
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Show notes
Who is Ellen
Her trail name
Being based out of East Texas
The big challenge - gong around the world by rowboat
Being inspired by her brother
Her family
Wanting to make her own way in life
Thinking of becoming an actor
Losing her brother suddenly in September 2016
Starting to live life like there is no tomorrow
Dealing with the dark and tragic situations that happens in life
Going to Brazil with her brother in 2014
Talking about her grief
Hitching around Brazil and making money while on the road
Learning from her brother while travelling together
Doing a river trip after he died
Her first solo expedition on the Missouri River, the longest river in North America
Planning verses going with the flow
Daily life while on travelling on rivers
River time and working with tides and rowing in open water
Figuring out resupply and knowing what rations you have
The lessons from her first solo expedition
Why everyone should do a solo challenge at some point
Dealing with loneliness
Funding and paying for challenges
Working as a flight instructor to self fund challenges
Learning to fly and getting her pilot license at 17
Deciding to row the length of The Mississippi River
How her expeditions have tied together
Naming her boat after her grandma
Gaining ocean rowing experience
Doing a sea school course in the UK and gaining qualifications
Handling concerns before the journey
Creating a non-profit and how it works
Documenting and sharing the challenge
Working with UK non-profit IMMAs
Keeping stuff in storage
Creating a cozy cabin
Wanting to be in Panama in 12 months
Launching on September 4th 2022
Falling in love and the challenge of leaving
Wanting to be the captain of her ship and being alone for the first year
How you can support Ellen
How to connect with Ellen on the socials
Final words advice - The 3Ds - Desire, Decision, Details
Social Media
Website ellenmagellanexpeditions.com
Instagram @ellenmagellanexpeditions
Facebook Ellen Magellan Expeditions
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