This is a story about doing “it” anyway when others tell you: “You can’t!” “You shouldn’t!” “You’d be a fool!” or “You don’t belong!”
As a young adult, when I set out to hike all 2,000-plus miles of the Appalachian Trail, I was told that I would never finish it. I did.
When as beginning paddlers, my wife and I planned a 540-mile canoe trip down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola rivers, experienced canoeists thought us foolhardy and asked with concern, “are you sure you know what you’re doing?” In fact, we had no clue, but we did it anyway.
When in 2005, Dana Skelton, April Ingle and I determined we’d organize a week-long, group canoe/kayak journey down the Chattahoochee River under the banner of Georgia River Network, similar questions surfaced: “You’re doing what? With 300 people!?” We did it anyway. What was launched in a fit of ignorance and confidence has become the country’s largest week-long paddling sojourn.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve paddled some 2,000 miles with some 7,000 people and raised more than $1 million for river protection.
On the brink of my sixth decade on this Earth, I take this lesson from life thus far. When society tells you, “No;” calls you “foolish;” or says, “you don’t belong;” do it anyway. It’s likely to prove worthwhile, perhaps even life changing.
I was reminded of this recently during Georgia Rivers Okefenokee-Suwannee River Adventure when I met Ann (she asked that I not use her last name) and her friend Elizabeth. As we ventured down river, I noticed the two paddling stern-to-bow with Ann tailing close behind in her solo kayak, following Elizabeth’s every stroke with occasional instruction from Elizabeth: “left,” “right.” Though odd and unconventional, it seemed to work. I inquired.
Ann, as it turned out, is visually impaired (words she prefers to ”legally blind”) and on this trip, she was fulfilling a dream that she’d held for 25 years. To go paddling. With Elizabeth’s guidance, she navigated 22 miles of the Okefenokee Swamp and the Suwannee River’s narrow and winding path. I was impressed and inspired.
Recently retired from a career as a physical trainer, she was looking for new challenges and adventures. She shrugged off my admiration. When people tell her she’s courageous, she said, she dismisses it. She’s simply doing what she needs to do. “It’s just another obstacle,” she said.
This set me to thinking about other paddlers and the obstacles they’ve brushed off to “do it anyway.”
My friend, Alan Crawford, a scuba diver who once cleaned and repaired boats for a living, lost use of his legs to a rare neurological condition. His love of water brought him to kayaking and to Paddle Georgia. As his health permits, he’s logged hundreds of miles in his boat. Unbroken.
Long-time Paddle Georgia participant Marcelle Harris, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago, was still stroking this summer, despite that disease’s relentless and brutal progression. Persistent.
Then there’s the Barkes family—Philip and Liliana and their seven children. When they first inquired about joining us on our trips, I was dubious. Their youngest was under two, the oldest 14. As a young paddling parent, I could barely manage one daughter. Seven? In fact, the Barkes DID know what they were doing. Those kids controlled their canoe better than most adults! Seven children? Obstacle? Overcome.
Across twenty years of leading paddle trips, I’ve come to understand there’s obstacles that culture throws up as well. This has been especially evident during the past year as Georgia Rivers has worked to get underserved youth, women, people of color, people with physical challenges, recent immigrants and lower income families on our trips.
Lets be honest, the paddlesports world is one dominated largely by white, upper-middle class men of a certain age. For those that look different, entering this world can be intimidating.
Thankfully, our rivers don’t discriminate. They welcome all. Over the past year, I’ve paddled with a lot of folks who look, talk and act different than me…folks our culture might say don’t fit on wild rivers: refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine; a Black mom and her four children; a non-binary mom and her daughter…to name just a few.
Like Ann, the visually-impaired swamp paddler, each, in their own way, were overcoming obstacles. As one first-time paddler told me, “It was challenging, but in a good way.”
We need more folks on our rivers overcoming obstacles and staring down challenges. If the folks enjoying our rivers grow as diverse as the host of critters that live in them (Georgia ranks 3rd among states in aquatic biodiversity), Georgia’s water will have a powerful voice.
Old white guys alone cannot save a river, a stream or a swamp. It takes everyone. And, everyone needs to experience our rivers.
Joining a Georgia Rivers stewardship paddle trip or training class is a great way to challenge yourself. We welcome beginners and avid paddlers alike! See our full list of day trips, weekend adventures, and kayak training classes at garivers.org/events. (or button). If you’d like to donate to support our scholarship program aimed at diversifying the paddlesports and river advocacy communities, CLICK HERE!
Paddle Georgia, A Project of Georgia River Network - Weblog 