I’ve now been paddling the east coast from NYC, heading south towards warmer weather. It has been quite the trip so far, and even though this is in itself the biggest self supported endeavor I have ever planned and executed, Long Island comes to me every single day out there.
I’ve probably bored LouAnne to death with my L.I stories. When the wind picks up, when the ocean turns furious, when it’s sunny and the sand on the beach is dry and doesn’t stick to your skin, when I make breakfast, when I unpack or re-pack, ALL THE TIME, AT ANY TIME, I might start another anecdote ‘when I was going around Long island….’.
That first solo, self supported trip taught me a lot. Not only in terms of showing me my limits or how stretchy and blurry those limits are, but also in terms of practicality. When it came to packing for the east coast trip, I knew the things I’d need, the things I’d want but wouldn’t need, and the ones I didn’t want. Every ounce counts. And yet, we over-packed a lot of pounds. Pounds we shed only 3 days after we left New York (and are still waiting to be picked up at a hotel in Seaside park).
We’ve re arranged and re packed our gear on the first night! Weight was all over the place. We got smart about a few things a bit late in the game, but better late than never! We still have plenty of food, although we’ll need to resupply soon, and we haven’t ran out of water ever. If anything, we always have at least 4 to 5 extra liters. Worrying about running out of water is actually worse than running out of water and being thirsty. At least for me it is.
I’m not sure if this trip will ever take over those first experiences. I wonder if during my next trip, whatever that might be, if I’ll burst into anecdote with “when I was paddling down the coast…’. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
Human powered 