Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Nothing Went as Planned

this weekend, with all this crazy weather. Over the last 5 days I've managed a 6 mile paddle and a 1,000 mile car drive. What's with that.

Friday night I drove to Edenton, NC, to meet up with my good friends Dan and Ellen. Dan is my paddling partner with whom I did the 2003 Newfoundland paddling trip (among others), and whom I credit for my skills and interests in distance paddling and expedition. We've had quite a few adventures together, including the time that ended with his little red Romany making it's own way to the coast of France (but that's another story, written a couple years ago in Paddler Magazine). I blogged about Dan over a year ago in my post Friends in Need, Friends Indeed .


Dan's had some pretty tough breaks since that incredible trip, a major hurricane in his back yard (and then chain saw accident), and has for the past couple years been dealing with a very long recovery from a serious shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. Unfortunately it's going to be a very long recovery. Now, much to all our disappointment, Dan is also facing another big hurdle and challenge "C".

He has recently started to paddle a little (regardless of his shoulder). Though I continue to encourage him to use a single blade in his sea kayak, convinced it's a lot easier on his shoulder (and I think still lots of fun). Anyway, this weekend we were planning a paddling and camping trip to Durant Island on the Albemarle Sound at the Alligator River. This is a special island for us, one that we often paddled in training for our big trip. It's a great 20 mile circumnavigation that often put you in some very windy and choppy conditions on the North side of the island with it's very large Sound fetch. We'd often talked of camping on the island, but had never gotten around to doing it. This weekend, with Dan paddling a bit, was finally going to be the camping weekend. Dan and Ellen planned to paddle their double canoe (a special treat, Ellen rarely takes a day off from her plant nursery), and I was bringing my Kruger Dreamcatcher.

Then of course we had this weekends weather, the huge cold front (and nor'easter further North). Rain most of Saturday morning, and predicted thunderstorms with 30kt winds for Sunday changed our plans. Instead, on Saturday afternoon we had a more relaxed 6 miler between rain storms on the river that Dan and Ellen live that opens into the Sound. Sundays weather did not allow any paddling. But it was a great time none the less, lots of catching up, visiting, and planning future trips.

So what about the 1,000 mile drive. Well after returning from Edenton, I had a quick business trip to DC planned on Monday. By then, we were under serious wind advisories, with gusts up to 50 mph. My flight was cancelled and I ended up driving the 5 1/2 hrs, and driving back Tuesday afternoon.

We'll try again, and have better luck next time.

3 comments:

Captn O Dark 30 and Super Boo said...

Glad to have you home... safe and sound...

Michael said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael said...

I remember that Romany story written by ...! I had no idea it belonged to your friend Dan. Has he tried a Greenland paddle, said to be easier on the joints, etc?

(That's my deletion above - lousy spelling!)