Long Distance Paddling For a Cause

This is a great time of year to think about why we paddle. For me, it's the camaraderie with friends, the rush of being so close to the pulsating force of the river, and the sheer joy that comes from having connected with such a passion in my life.

For a few other folks, there are different reasons for paddling, and all have a purpose.

There are three long-distance paddles underway or in the planning stage right now that have caught my attention, and each is an inspiration in its own right.

In Australia, Scott Timbrell and Rob Lowe recently set off on a 665 km ocean paddle -- about 400 miles -- from Byron Bay to Sydney's Bondi Beach off the east coast of New South Wales.

Their goal? To raise $10,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, while raising awareness of this disease: 3,000 men die of prostate cancer in Australia each year, which is equal to the number of women who die of breast cancer there annually.


But here's the kicker: Neither of the pair has ever been in a kayak before, though from the looks of their blog, they got plenty of safety gear and training leading up to their departure two days ago.

For me, I just love the enthusiasm they display on the blog: "It's 665 kms of New South Wales coast line!" the pair write. "This isn't a group organized trip - it's just the two of us and neither of us has ever been in a sea kayak before. We've both got jobs that'll sack us if we don't get back in time. There are tides, fog, waves, wind, maps, sharks, sores, cramp, reefs, cliffs and surf beaches to contend with. There's only 5 months to plan and train for the journey. We'll be celebrating Christmas and New Year in a kayak!"

I can't think of a better place to ring in the holidays. Good luck to both of them.

Their mission is similar to that of Joe Forrester, a medical student at the University of Virginia who's planning on paddling nearly 4,000 miles from Three Forks, Montana, on the Missouri River, down into the Mississippi and then all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. His purpose? To raise $20,000 for the National Parkinson Foundation.

After Forrester's grandfather received treatment for the disease in 2005, he was amazed by his improvement afterward, and his mission, "Paddling for Parkinson's" was born.

"After treatment, he seemed like a whole new man to me," Forrester writes on his blog. "As I was thinking about this trip, I thought, well, I could just organize this trip for myself and it would be a wonderful experience. However, if I put in a bit more work and time, I would have the opportunity to change this trip into something really special that would make a huge difference in a number of other people's lives. I decided it was worth the work, and asked the National Parkinson Foundation if I could raise money for them. And here I am today."

Forrester will start his journey next summer, in 2009.

As a former Cavalier myself, all I can say is my hat's off to you, Joe. Wahoowa!

Then, there's the pair of "Dan and Mike," who are paddling 1,500 miles on the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. While they aren't paddling for any cause outside of the sheer joy of being in a boat and camping on the beach for four months, for me, that's reason enough.

Spending that much time in a boat is good for anyone's soul, I think, and I bet they'll come back from the trip with a fresh perspective, and the ability to inspire others.

I can't think of a better cause than that.