Where to from here?
I had a lot of time to think during the trip and (go figure) with a paddle in my hand I thought a lot about kayaking. In my mind I traced lines on a mental map of the world of other big trips I could do. Who knows what time will bring in the way of more big water bound adventures. At the moment however, I'm focusing on another dream that I've had - to get more young people involved in paddlesports.
Having grown up in a town that owes its existance to the three rivers that flow together in the area, and despite coming from a very active outdoor family, the opportunities to get into canoes or kayaks when I was a kid were very rare... and still are. There is no reason that every kid in my home town should not have the chance to be introduced to paddling and shown the variety of directions the sport can take you be it touring, whitewater, racing, etc. I'd love to put together a fleet of boats and gear and be able to get kids out on the water for lessons and outings to show them what it's all about, all of it provided at a very low cost to the kids (even free if possible).
To truly reach as many kids as I'd like it would cost more than I can pay for myself but I'm hoping that I can figure out how to make it happen.