To be a glutton for punishment is an idiom that means to willfully take on difficult or disagreeable tasks that may be very uncomfortable. The word glutton tends to mean overeating, and originates in Latin with the related words gluttus which means greedy, and gluttires which is translated as to swallow. The word gula may be similarly related and translates as throat.
The Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. Taken together, they form the largest river system in North America. If measured from the head of the Missouri, the length of the Missouri/Mississippi combination is approximately 3,895 miles (6,270 km) long.
Mississippi River State Water Trail. The Mississippi River is the fourth longest river in the world, flowing 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. In Minnesota, the river flows through valleys, bluffs, prairies, and woodlands in a variety of flow rates and widths. Portions of the river have been designated as a Wild and Scenic river.