The Trip
Another fine story by Shannon Casas, Gainesville Times
Shannon Casas is someone to watch. This young woman has now written three pieces on my trip, and she always gets it right. She listens, she gets the facts right, and she writes well. Her stories are available online. The latest, with a nice attached video, is at http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/79682/ .
Done, but just beginning
Wednesday, 2/13/2013: 0.1 mile Trip: 1,502.7 miles I officially finished the trip at Elvin and Nancy Hilyer’s house Wednesday afternoon by paddling up to Chuck Shoals to the incredibly warm welcome of a crowd of friends and supporters. The really big surprise was seeing daughters, Erin and Sarah, who came over from Auburn, Alabama. Elvin, … Continue reading
Stopped just short
Today’s miles: 5.1 Trip: 1502.6 miles I am essentially done with my expedition, but I stopped just a tenth of a mile short of completion. This was so that friends could celebrate the conclusion of the trip with me next Wednesday. This was the toughest section yet, although yesterday was the tougher day, due to … Continue reading
My friends warned me
Today: 8.3 miles Trip: 1497.5 miles Richard Grove, Steve Harris, Mike Saunders, and Joe Smith all helped get me in the water at GA 136 this morning and shuttle my car up to Castleberry Bridge. Richard and Steve put in at Steve’s house near Castleberry Bridge and spent the day clearing trees from the river. … Continue reading
Three very tough but successful days
Sorry I haven’t written for a few days. I’ve just been so cold and tired that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yesterday was the easiest of the three, so I got my journal current, which I will now share: Tuesday, 2/5/13: 15.2 miles; Trip: 1468.7 miles Wednesday, 2/6/13: 11.9 miles; Trip: 1480.6 miles … Continue reading
Almost bit off more than I could chew
Today: 14.0 miles Trip: 1453.5 miles Richard Grove took me back to the point upriver of Canton where he took me off January 22. With the owner’s permission, we portaged the boat and equipment down through a pasture, loaded the boat (probably a mistake) and then maneuvered down into the water. It was a difficult … Continue reading
Sidelined by floods… again!
Paddled 1-29-13: 16.4 miles (4.1 miles were repeated from previous week) Trip: 1439.5 miles Richard Grove and I went back below Rome Monday to work on the sections of the Coosa River and the Etowah that I had skipped. I’ve written about what a great day Monday was, knocking out seventeen miles that I had … Continue reading
Got my confidence back.
Today: 17.0 miles Trip: 1423.1 miles Richard and I met at a convenience store west of Rome this morning, dropped a car a Lock and Dam Park, and then drove to the Old River Road boat ramp on the Coosa. We paddled the ten miles upriver to Lock and Dam Park with no great difficulty. … Continue reading
New paddle in hand!
My replacement paddle has arrived, and the floodwaters have receded over around Rome, so Richard Grove and I are heading to Lock and Dam Park in the morning to paddle the sections that the recent heavy rains forced me to bypass. Rough weather is forecast for Wednesday, so that may be a good day to … Continue reading
What a mess!
The day started good, though cold. It went from 26 all the way up to 34 during the afternoon. Three to five inch icicles hung from branches at every rapid or limb in the river generating splashes. Just after I passed I-575 in Canton, my beloved ZRE carbon fiber paddle broke. This is no reflection … Continue reading