#canoeingadventure

[redgingerbloom]

River goodness

[redgingerbloom]

The need for wildness is written within our genes, in a language we are just beginning to understand

Krista Schlyer

[redgingerbloom]

[letslivelikewemeanit]

Inspiration Through Aspiration- 2300 Miles

Inspiration Through Aspiration: Canoeing 2,300 mi of the Mississippi to learn, grow, and help others

Made it back to Vancouver, Canada last night and am now jumping into my delayed and deferred college studies. Thank you all for the incredible support and engagement in my journey and projects coming down the Mississippi. There still are 8 days left for my fundraiser for kids, a big thank you to all those who have already contributed, but if any of you out there are interested on supporting a worthy cause for the 2300+ miles I paddled that would be awesome : ]

[letslivelikewemeanit]

Shipped back out on the water today and pulled off 30 miles in excellent conditions from Port Sulphur to Venice, Louisiana. Tomorrow I'll be paddling into the Gulf of Mexico with the goal of reaching the fringe islands of the South Pass.. 2328 miles downstream so far, 18 to go.. It's feeling kind of like Christmas Eve at the end of the world.

[letslivelikewemeanit]

So, with help from my friend A.J, I made a tactical retreat back to New Orleans.. Woke up at 7 in the morning with every intention of reaching Venice: the last town before the road ends, when huge gusts of wind started coming in broadside from the east. As this is exactly the direction I need to be facing (head on), when dealing with the waves from the ocean liners, it did not bode well. Furthermore, a low pressure system, coming into the Gulf from Florida, should be making a touch down in this neck of the woods for the next couple of days. The last place I want to be is out in the remote fringe finger islands, with no way of making contact, when it isn't a matter of if but when that storm will be coming through..

I've made it 2,300 miles in that canoe with under 50 to go, but how long can luck be on my side? As frustrating as it is to be so close from the end of this epic journey and have to come back; I have to ask myself, if I have learned anything from my trip so far, how much do all my future goals and ambitions mean if it costs me my life?

This is isn't the end of the dream my friends, just another twist in the road and lesson to learn and grow from before completing a hopefully positive final paragraph in this journey! The weather starting Wednesday looks a lot more encouraging, I will be returning to my boat then to give this another shot and hopefully make it all the way. Patience and persistence.. if you don't give up, and keep living to tell the tale, you cannot lose.

I just feel so fortunate to have incredible people supporting and encouraging this journey and projects.. it is through the interest, enthusiasm, insights, kindness from all of you that what I am doing becomes increasingly more meaningful; you all contribute to the energy of what this represents and become a part of it. A deep heartfelt thank you to everyone who stands with me.