We invited our paddling partners to share their thoughts as we reach Bahia Honda, the end of their journey. Here's their thoughts...
Preparing for this thru-paddle was an intense mental exercise. There were hundreds of decisions to be made: details of packing, leaving and getting to Florida, planning and arranging the paddling itinerary, what food to take and where to resupply, which exact items to bring (with limited space in the boats you can't bring anything frivolous but you need enough of the right things to be safe and we left items behind at various camps as we discovered their uselessness or mailed things back we no longer needed). Then there was the constant low-level anxiety of oh my god are we actually doing this, how is it going to work out??? Our brains were on overload!
But once
all the choices were made and we finally dipped a paddle in the water at the
put-in a wonderful thing happened. The trip was no longer a mental exercise,
our minds crammed full of things that would happen in the future, it was
suddenly real and we experienced a time shift to the here and now. There were
only a few easy choices to make each day, which of your two or three shirts to
put on (usually the dry one), when to stop for lunch, where to put up the tent,
what thing to pull out of the bag for a meal, and mental space opened up. The
outside world seemed far away, no news to process, oh wow, more mental space.
That was the best part of the trip for me. Even if the day was long or
challenging in some way there was always mental space to appreciate the
beautiful and interesting places we paddled and camped.
I learned
much from Fran and Rod on this trip. They tend to downplay their skills, but
let me tell you they have it together in so many ways! They taught me the
importance of clothes lines; how to put dry milk powder right on your cereal
and then add the water eliminating the need to mix milk and thus the need of a
milk bottle; the incredible strength, durability and usefulness of big blue
Ikea bags; how to manage with a broken skeg, and the list goes on. But more
than that, back in September they encouraged us to join them on their Florida
paddle, helped us make it happen, and were amazing companions throughout. We
can't thank you enough, you guys, and we hope the AT hike and RV part of your
journey is awesome in every way!
- Pat
When I heard
Rod and Fran describe the kayaking leg of the trip that they were inviting us
on I felt some apprehension, but not about the physical aspects or length of
time. I had backpacked the Pacific Crest Trail with Rod, known on the PCT as
Steady. My concern was that the long hiking trails are well described, well
marked, maintained, and there are many other hikers on the PCT. On the Gulf
Coast of Florida there would be residents and boaters, but it was unlikely anyone
else would be doing what we were doing. There is a recent book published on the
Florida Circumnavigation Trail, but this would be like doing the undeveloped
Pacific Crest Trail in 1977, compared to the PCT I did in 2004.
Rod and Fran
did an amazing job of locating people who could supply information about the
route. Rod even graphed out the likely wind patterns for each area to determine
how many layover days would be necessary for days too windy to paddle. I could
do the physical part, but had no idea how much food and water to take or what
conditions to expect. Thanks, Rod and Fran for the effort you put into planning
the trip.
- Roger
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