Hochiem to Cuero

Great day on the river. I saw a bald eagle up close. Pretty cool. The carb loading helped a bunch. I didn't fade at all. What I mean by carb loading. I went off my diet on Friday and ate some pizza for lunch, and had pasta, bread, fruit and whatever I could stuff my face with. I was miserable I was so full. But it worked. When you paddle at around 4 mph you expend about 400 calories an hour. But your body can only absorb 250 calories an hour. So you get behind pretty quick. The idea is to load up a couple days before to help sustain your energy level. We paddled almost 8 hours, or 3200 calories burned. I made sure I was drinking a type of Gatorade every hour and eating something every 2 hours.

The weather perfect, and we the music going to keep us on pace. I had Garth playing and Greg and I were singing and we were in sync. Our time today, 7 hrs 54 minutes. Average speed 4.9 mph. Everytime we have paddled we have gotten faster. From 4.2 to 4.9 mph. The prelim race is next week. I think we are ready. 4.9 mph is good, real good. I think our strategy is going to be to stay around 4.9 or 5 plus mph and just wear our opposition down. I'm pumped about that possibly.

I'm not so tired or as sore as I have been in the past. I think the conditioning and running during the plus paddling these distances is starting to pay off. We'll see. The adventure continues and I'm standing inside the fire.

Rain, The Bay, Nightime Paddling

Here's a further update. Greg and I went paddling again last Friday evening around 9:30 p.m. We were at a deacon's retreat located right on the bay. After the evening session was over, the water on the bay was calling us. Yes, it was raining and yes the wind was blowing, not bad maybe 15 miles an hour.

Our plan was to stick to the southern shoreline of the bay to get some relief from the wind. It was a great for awhile. We paddling about 3 miles out around a point to a reef Greg wanted to show me for fishing. As we turned around I told Greg, since it was only 3 miles back, I wanted to paddle as hard and as fast as we could. We started back across the bay,and naturally the wind was in our face, the waves turned into occasional whitecaps and breaking over the bow every one and awhile.

What fun it was. The wind, the waves, the lightening. ( We were in an aluminium boat.) We were paddling with everything we had, getting soaking wet, enjoying every minute of it. I am going to the find the them song to Hawaii Five O, for out next trip when we do that.

We got back without swamping the boat, soaking wet and extremely tired. The next I my legs muscles were pretty sore. I am adding that my things I want to do again list. We are continuing to prepare and train for the 262 mile Texas Water Safari in June. We need to get in another 120 miles of paddling minimum as preparation. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for this great adventure.

The Challenge - The Decision

Here in Texas, there is a race called, the Texas Water Safari. It's billed as the toughest race in the world. It 262 miles long, and begins in San Marcos, Texas, and ends in Seadrift, Texas, right on the coast. It's 262 miles of paddling in a kayak or canoe. You have 100 hours to cover those 262 miles. So, there is little or no time for sleep, all food and provisions, have to be taken with you. The only outside help you can receive is ice or water from your team captain. I have heard about it for several years now. I didn't think much of it until last year one the men in out church competed in it with his brother.

A couple of weeks ago, Greg Wynn, that's his name, told me that his brother would not be in it this year. Greg, said he had asked around and really couldn't find a partner. Out of no where I said, hey I might give it a try. ( Now I don't where that can from. I might have just stuck my foot in my mouth.) I told Greg, I have never paddled any long distances. He suggested we try a short run one day and see. Well, we did. The idea was to paddle about say 8 miles, just something short to get a feel for it. We went instead 14 miles, and I was pumped. Could this be what God had in store for me? I don't know. We have now gone two more times on various sections of the river. Both times paddling close to 40 miles on each outing, averaging over 4 miles an hour. I know that may sound slow, but in a 17 foot canoe, that's a pretty good clip.

So that's the Challenge- to paddle in the Texas Water Safari, all 262 miles, with little or no sleep, stopping only as needed, going full tilt for 3 solid days. Pushing myself and Greg to the limit physically, mentally and emotionally. Being sunburned, maybe drowned, being wet and cold, surviving on liquid protein and power bars, getting so tired that you begin to hallucinate at night and see all sorts of weird things. Not to mention, putting up with snakes, gars, alligators, and bugs, and whatever else nature can throw at you. Just to finish is an accomplishment. There is no prize, just a patch that says you did it.

My Decision- Is to accept the challenge. Why, I do not know. I have asked my wife Becky to pray about it with me. She says go, I can see it in you. She told me, I can tell you are looking for a challenge, you have been restless and searching. My Men's group I meet with says go. Almost all my friends say, go. For me, the real deciding factor is what I sense God saying to me- G0. Now, I don't know why, I don't understand why I have been drawn to this, and what lies ahead, and what task God has for me to do in His name. Maybe it's not even about me, maybe it's about someone else along the way that needs a touch from God.

So here goes, I know it's weird, but for those that know me, they know I have never been real normal. Here's link to Greg's story about he and his brother's race from last year so you can read and get a sense of the size of this task.
http://pages.suddenlink.net/1/TWS.html

Here is also a link to the Texas Water Safari Website.
http://www.texaswatersafari.org/

Please lift Greg Wynn and I up in prayer as we continue to train and prepare for this great adventure.