1) Where are you from? Your profession?
I was born in a Chicago suburb and grew up there until I was eleven. In the early 1960's, we had to drive for hours to find a waterway that wasn't polluted. I developed a full body rash from one lake. That's why my family fell in love with Florida's springs, rivers and coast when we moved to Tallahassee in 1968. Florida's waterways certainly have their problems today, but not quite like the Chicago area in the 1960's. I still live in the Tallahassee area.
I work for the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails. I was the paddling trails coordinator for almost eight years, but I have recently been promoted to assistant chief. I've also been writing for publication since I was eighteen years old.
2) Tell us a little about some of your books related to paddling in Florida.
I've written ten books and three of them directly relate to paddling. The first is about paddling Florida's wild Big Bend Coast--Waters Less Traveled. The second is about paddling from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee through the Kissimmee chain of lakes and rivers--New Dawn for the Kissimmee River. And a third is a collection of paddling stories from throughout the state, including accounts of a couple Paddle Florida trips--Wild Florida Waters. I'm putting together another book of paddling stories that might be ready next year. In all of my books, I like to weave together historical and ecological information. I feel it's important that people know more about the places they paddle, and I try to be entertaining as well because many of these trips are fun, even when sand fleas are swarming and waves are crashing across the bow of your kayak. It's all part of the adventure.
All of my books are available on Amazon, through local bookstores, and some are available on my website, www.dougalderson.net.
3) When and how did you become interested in paddling?
My first canoe trip was through the Des Plaines River sewage canals as a boy, but my first trip on a pristine river was on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan. Both sides of my family loved to canoe, and I continued the tradition as an adult. I graduated to serious kayaking in 2003 when I paddled the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail with Liz Sparks to help research the Big Bend guidebook.
4) Where is your favorite place to paddle?
It's probably the Wacissa River because it is close, beautiful and wild, especially in the lower section where you can get away from all motorized watercraft.
5) What's the most interesting thing that ever happened to you on a paddling trip?
More recently, it is giving a PowerPoint presentation inside of a Penske truck in the driving rain on Paddle Florida's last Ochlockonee River trip. Everyone was in good spirits and it showed how flexible we can be.
6) How many Paddle Florida trips have you gone on and to where?
My initial Paddle Florida trip was the first Ochlockonee adventure in 2011. I've been on six others, I believe,and have written trip accounts for four of them. The trips include the Suwannee, Withlacoochee South, the 2012 Keys trip, Wekiva/St. Johns, and all or part of the three Ochlockonee trips.
7) What keeps you coming back?
When I first heard about Paddle Florida, I was leery because I wasn't sure I would enjoy paddling with so many people, but after the 2011 Ochlockonee trip, I was hooked. I enjoyed the camaraderie of everyone and realized that once the group began paddling and stretched out, I could still have some quiet time. The trips have a community atmosphere and they are educational. They remind me of a group walk I organized from coast to coast in 1984, though a little less intense.
8) Can you describe a particular trip highlight?
I've enjoyed how the group kept their spirits high through the rain and cold on the Withlacoochee River South trip last February. I've also enjoyed seeing some paddlers grow and gain confidence through different trips, since I initially coached them in my role as sweep boat.
9) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
Try it, you'll like it. Most Paddle Florida trips are good for a range of experience levels and watercraft, and it's a good way for people to break into multi-day trips since Paddle Florida makes it so easy. But be careful--you might get hooked!
1) Where are you from? Your profession?
I grew up in a military family. During my pre-teen years we lived in Florida and during my teen years we lived in Arkansas. We had a short few years in Louisiana as well. After college, I went to law school in the Midwest (Missouri) and ended up practicing my professions (law, and later forensic psychology and teaching) up there. I had good careers and good friends up there, but I always wanted to return to the South and was happy to do so when I retired three years ago. (Editor's Note: Delany is also a talented photographer. Check out her beautiful photos, many capturing Florida's waterways and wildlife, at: http://delany.zenfolio.com/
2) When and how did you become interested in paddling?
Up until a couple years ago, I had never been in a kayak. I had done a lot of other kinds of boating (including a little canoeing), but never much enjoyed the canoe experience and assumed that kayaking would be pretty similar. But after friends invited me on a kayak paddling trip on the St. Johns and I got into my first kayak, I fell in love. It just felt like the most wonderful boating experience a person could have--being so close to the surface of the water in such an easily maneuverable boat was a revelation to me.
3) Where is your favorite place to paddle?
I love Rock Springs Run in the wintertime, early in the morning when the mist is rising from the river. It's absolutely gorgeous.
4) What's the most interesting thing that ever happened to you on a paddling trip?
On one particularly grueling day during our Paddle to the Sea expedition, we were fighting headwind, very choppy seas and whitecaps, and an incoming tide. After about seven hours of paddling, it began to get dark. We realized we had to stop short of our planned destination, and we detoured into the Ortega River where there's a marina we figured we could tie up at. The conditions had been too bad for us to use our cell phones to call anyone, but one of us sent out a garbled text just saying that we were "running late." Ha! As we approached the drawbridge over the Ortega, a nice cruising boat stopped nearby and tooted its horn. We thought they were trying to get the bridge keeper's attention and pretty much ignored them. But then a woman came out onto the back deck of the boat and began calling our names! "Delany! Debbie! Jane!" It turned out that our fiends had been worried about us and came out to look for us. They had a nearby place for us to beach and tie up our boats overnight, and they drove us to the place in Riverside where we had been planning to stay. In our exhaustion, it felt as if angels had appeared on the water to help us out!
5) Tell us about the Paddle to the Sea expedition you recently completed on the St. Johns River. What did you experience and learn in 180 miles of paddling over 13 days?
Paddle to the Sea was a dream come true and the trip of a lifetime. I had always been intrigued and enchanted by the fact that the St. Johns River that runs in front of my house (at Lake Monroe) goes all the way to the ocean. I knew it would be an amazing experience to get in a boat and go from my front yard to the beach at Mayport. My teammates and friends (Debbie LaFreniere and Jane Goddard) and I experienced the beauty, grace, and power of the St. Johns River and the enormous generosity and hospitality of the people who live on the river and who care deeply about her. And I learned a crucial lesson about the imprtance of taking our dreams and turning them into reality.
6) Which Paddle Florida trip have you gone on and to where? What did you enjoy most about it?
My first (and so far only) trip with Paddle Florida was the Ochlockonee trip this past spring. It was also my first multi-day paddling trip with overnight camping. I had a total blast on that trip! I think that most of all I enjoyed paddling the wilderness sections on a beautiful Florida river that was new to me. A close second was having all my gear transported for me so that I could quickly and easily set up camp and relax while someone else was fixing my dinner!
7) Do you plan to come on future trips?
Most definitely!
8) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
Don't hesitate! If this kind of trip is even remotely a dream of yours, make it happen! The Paddle Florida organizers and staff will give you an experience you'll never forget.
