Paddler Profile: Kelle Lane

1) Where are you from?  Your profession?I am from Jacksonville, Florida.  Originally an Ohio native, I moved to Jacksonville in 1989.  I work as an RN in the home health field.

2) How did you become interested in paddling?
I bought a book two years ago on places to paddle in Florida.  I love to experience nature and, for me, paddling is the ultimate in natural serenity.  My first experience was Amelia Island last summer and I immediately fell in love with kayaking.

3) Do you have a favorite place to paddle? 
I have only been to a handful of places and still have a lot of exploring to do.  So far my favorite place is Amelia Island because it is very beautiful and you see so much wildlife.  The Suwannee River is cool too because you get to see all the springs along the way.

4) Our recent Suwannee River Wilderness Trail trip was your first with Paddle Florida. What did you most/least enjoy?  What did you learn?
What I liked most about the trip was the camaraderie with the other paddlers.  I was immediately welcomed and never felt like an inexperienced newcomer.  I enjoyed listening to stories of past paddling adventures and meeting so many interesting people.  The campsites were really nice, everything was very organized, and I always felt safe.  What I least enjoyed were the chilly temps on my last night of the trip.  I learned a lot about equipment, water conditions, and what to look for when selecting a kayak.

5) Can you describe a particular trip 'highlight' from your experience with us on the Suwannee?
The most important and meaningful highlights for me were the educational sessions we had on water conservation and the opportunity we had to participate in a day of river cleanup.  I went away feeling like I had become involved in something important and that I could make a difference.  The trip became much more than enjoying a few days of paddling.

6) Might you consider coming on future Paddle Florida trips?  Any particular ones interest you most?
I can't wait to go on more trips with Paddle Florida.  I wish I could go on all of them.  I don't want to miss any!

7) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip for the first time?
My advice is to get signed up so that you don't miss out on these great opportunities.  I wish I had heard about Paddle Florida sooner!  I had to cut the six-day Suwannee trip short and only paddled four days, thinking six would be too much.  I really regretted cutting my trip short.  I didn't want to leave!

Paddler Profile: Scott Keyes

1) Where are you from?  Your profession (or former one, if retired)?
I was born in Connecticut and moved to southwest Florida--Naples--in the mid 1950's.  After graduating from the University of Florida, I joined the US Air Force.  Starting in 1976, I spent 40 years as a commercial airline pilot for several airlines.  In 2007, I hit the mandatory retirement age of 60 and have been goofing off ever since.

2) When did you become interested in paddling?
I have been very fortunate to always have access to water.  Early in Naples, during its pre-development era, my water sports were fishing and water skiing.  During the past 20 years, I've done a lot of kayaking in the local area and longer kayak camping trips.

3) Where is your favorite place to paddle?
I enjoy the local Naples area.  We can kayak the Gulf for fishing and beaches.  We also do a lot of "tunnel tours."  The miles of mangrove tunnels offer great kayaking and wildlife viewing. 

4) What's the most interesting thing that ever happened to you on a paddling trip?
The most interesting/scary/funny experience would probably be one of our mangrove tours.  During the paddle a friend and I had an extended conversation about alligators and crocodiles.  There is a croc colony nearby and we have seen several gators in our saltwater bays.  With eight kayaks behind us, the water suddenly exploded around and over me.  My friends later suggested it looked like my kayak came out of the water.  As the water and mud rained down, I could only think I'm going to get my name in the newspaper.  After about a lifetime, two large manatees surfaced just ahead.  Then it was funny.

5) How many Paddle Florida trips have you gone on and to where?  
Paddle Florida staff have suggested 14 trips, but I have not yet visited all the locations.  I'm missing the St. Johns, which I hope to remedy later this month.  I'm planning to go on all five trips for the 2012-13 season and am looking forward to the new trip on the Withlacoochee River next February.  (Editor's note: Scott has more Paddle Florida miles under his lifejacket than any other paddler.  He should become a 1000-miler this season!)

6) What keeps you coming back?
Each trip is unique.  Even repeated trips are different.  For example, paddling the Suwannee River at low water allows you to ride some rapids and explore some beautiful springs.  Paddle that same river near flood stage, 25 feet higher and with a current of 5 knots, and you could literally be paddling through forests.

7) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
All the trips have been terrific and easy to finish.  Paddle Florida staff will do all the heavy lifting...you just have to paddle and enjoy.  As for my advice, show up with some camping gear, a boat, a paddle, and a big smile.  By the end of the trip, you will have had a great adventure, made new friends, and collected some great stories.

Paddler Profile: Executive Director Bill Richards

With our 2012-13 season kicking off this month, we thought folks might enjoy learning more about our fearless leader--Bill Richards.

1) Where are you from and what did you do professionally before Paddle Florida?
I grew up in a Boston suburb, enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 for boot camp in Orlando, and haven't left the Sunshine State for very long since 1974.  After trying my luck as a baseball umpire, I finished an Associate's degree in Daytona Beach in 1982, a Bachelor's degree in 1985, and a Master's at the University of Florida in 1987.  My main work experience was in putting on various athletic competitions with the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, until Governor Jeb Bush eliminated that program in 1999.  Since that time, I have worked as a management and political consultant for several organizations and candidates.  I got the idea for Paddle Florida in 2007 and we became a non-profit organization in 2011.

2) When and how did you first become interested in paddling?
Like many people, I paddled a lot as a kid, but didn't really "get it" until I was much older.  I'd say that I've been a regular paddler since the early 90's.

3) Describe one of your favorite places to paddle.  What makes it special?
Whew, that's a tough one.  There are so many great paddling venues in Florida, but there is still something magical and mystical about the Suwannee River.  Just this past August, I took a trip on the Marias/Missouri Rivers in Montana and Lac LaRonge and the Churchill River in Saskatchewan.  I have been fortunate to have some great mentors in my paddling life.  Two of them are Walt Jetter from Clearwater and Terry Johnson, who splits his time between Bozeman, MT and Homosassa, FL.  They were the main instigators for the two trips out West.  On the Missouri River, along with four Germans and four Canadians in our group, we re-traced some of Lewis and Clark's route from their 1805 expedition.  The lake paddling in Saskatchewan was labor-intensive, with many portages.  We explored "The Lost Land," which was described in the writings of Sig Olson, and where Alexander McKenzie and the first 'voyageurs' explored a decade before Lewis and Clark.  I returned from the trip in better paddling condition than I have been in for years.  Nearly 300 miles of paddling, camping, and portaging will do that.  I look back at these trips and see them as burnishing my paddling credentials.  I can now brag a little about having "street cred."  Ha!

4) Describe how Paddle Florida came into being and its transition to a non-profit organization.
The seeds for Paddle Florida were planted in November 2006, when four friends paddled most of the Suwannee River, self-contained.  About halfway through the 150-mile trip, we remarked that people would love to do this if they didn't have to carry all their gear and cook each day.  The idea was born.  We set out to make it happen.  In March of 2008, we had 163 people join us for a seven-day excursion on the Suwannee.  Since that time, over 500 people from 28 states have participated in 16 trips on water bodies in each of Florida's five water management districts.  

As we staged events in 2008 and 2009, we saw what was happening to our waterways, especially our springs...and a new non-profit mission emerged: the conservation of water, the preservation of wildlife, the restoration of springs, and the protection of waterways in Florida.  We couldn't have come this far without the cooperation of the Department of Environmental Protection through the Office of Greenways and Trails and the Florida Park Service.

5) What do you enjoy most about your work with Paddle Florida?  Least?
By far, the most enjoyable aspect of running a non-profit is the people I get to meet on each trip.  Whether they are seasoned Paddle Florida veterans or newbies, they always learn something from our trips and I always learn something from them.  The other great thing I get to do is work with some wonderful musicians, who seem to have similar sensibilities to my own.  What do I like least?  Maybe drying out, sorting, and unpacking from each trip.  

6) Tell us something about yourself that might surprise folks to learn about you.
Hmmm. Let's see.  I bet folks don't know that in 2006, with a group of five others, I helped to raise over $50,000 for the Climb for Cancer Foundation by climbing Mt. Kilimangaro in Tanzania.

7) Who tells the best jokes around the Paddle Florida campfire?
Guerry Bradley from St. Augustine is our reigning joke-teller extraordinaire.  He has regaled us with the same joke on the Suwannee and in the Keys, with great results.

8) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
I would suggest that they come with a sense of humor.  Paddlers tell me that by "going with the flow," they have some of the best experiences of their lives.  The upcoming season, beginning with the Suwannee later this month, should be our best yet.  At the peak of October's full moon, Tom Shed plays at Lafayette Blue Springs on the 29th and Grant Peeples will perform at the Suwannee River Rendezvous Resort and Campground on the 30th.  What could be better?

9) What do you hope to see Paddle Florida achieve in the future?
We hope to continue to advance our mission.  Springs are in dire condition in North Central Florida.  There is a water crisis because we are not better stewards of our precious resources.  We must be more engaged in water policy matters, because current policies indicate that we have forgotten one of the eternal truths: nature bats last.

 

Paddler Profile: Mim Duncan

1) Where are you from?  Your profession (or former one, if retired)?
I grew up in Pennsylvania and, because of the gloomy weather, didn't go outdoors until I was 25 and moved to Colorado.  And I haven't been indoors since!  I am now retired.  Most of my career was in education in Denver - elementary school teacher, school-home-community liaison, and middle school counselor.  In the mid 90's, I followed my husband to Page, Arizona for his promotion and worked as a mental health therapist in a community agency, mostly supporting Navajo families.  I finished my professional career back in Denver serving as part of the crisis intervention team for the Columbine shootings.  The next chapter was as a watercolor artist in Denver and Florida.

2) When and how did you become interested in paddling?
After my husband died in a plane crash, I needed a change and moved to Sebastian, Florida.  I traded skiing, backpacking, and amateur car racing for kayaking, road biking, and hiking in my attempt to find exercise sufficiently strenuous to work the muscles and mellow the mind.

3) Where is your favorite place to paddle?
My favorite place to paddle has to be the Sebastian River.  I can launch a mere block from my house and paddle 20 miles without running out of river.  I can extend from there and play on the Indian River.  I run out of daylight before I run out of possibilities.  Other favorites are the clear waters of the spring fed rivers.  The rivers in Florida continue to amaze me.  I moved here because of the beaches; I stay because of the rivers.

4) How many Paddle Florida trips have you gone on and to where?
I have gone on a number of wonderful trips with Paddle Florida, although not as many as Scott Keyes.  I've done the Suwannee three times, the Ochlockonee twice, and the ocean paddles in the Keys twice.

5) What keeps you coming back?
I keep signing up for Paddle Florida trips because they truly are wonderful experiences for me.  The long distances are the best part; I loved the 123-mile trips on the Suwannee.  Being with a group of like-minded people is another great aspect.  I feel privileged to be able to hang out with certain people I've connected with over the years and who have challenged me to grow as a paddler.  And I know we're looking out for each other on the water.  I greatly appreciate that Paddle Florida hauls my gear around and makes my meals...for a fee, of course.

6) Can you describe a particular trip highlight?
There have been many highlights...the early morning mist rising on the Suwannee, about 80 kayaks floating in front of a Disney cruise ship off Key West last January (knowing that we were the ones having the most fun) and realizing that my arms didn't fall off during the 120-mile ocean paddle.  However, the greatest highlight for me was probably coming to the finish line on my first trip, 123 miles on the Suwannee, and realizing what an accomplishment that was for me.  Remember that I didn't go outdoors until I was 25 and I grew up in a family that avoids the water.

7) What's the most number of oysters you've eaten in one sitting?
How could I count?  I was so busy eating!  But I know that I did not consume as many as Jill Lingard.  She definitely is the champion!  (Editor's note:  Don't know about that.  Mim is a fierce competitor!  The Panhandle surely experienced an oyster shortage after last March's Ochlockonee trip.)

8) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
I say "sign up!"  The leaders of the group are experienced, welcoming, and well organized.  A lot of people feel apprehensive on their first trip and then realize how well they're being supported.  Because of these trips, I have grown from being a wimpy paddler doing 5-mile local trips with friends to now regularly wanting to do 15-20 mile days in more difficult conditions.

Paddler Profile: Volunteer Jan Corcoran

1) Where are you from?

I had a fine time growing up in Gainesville, Florida...followed by 30 years of armed forces connected moves, stateside and overseas...then back "home," and now in St. Augustine.

2) When and how did you first become interested in paddling?

I've lost track of the "when," but the clincher was a Fargo-to-Suwannee trip on the Suwannee River led by Walt and Sally Jetter.

3) Describe one of your favorite places to paddle.  What makes it special?

Any place that gets me outside!  There are so many.  The (north) Withlacoochee River is a favorite.  Pellicer Creek when the lilies are blooming as far as the eye can see.

4) Describe what you do for Paddle Florida.  (Editor's Note: Jan got bashful on this question, so Executive Director Bill Richards was called upon for an answer.)

Jan is the co-founder of Paddle Florida.  She deserves much of the credit for any of the success we've been able to achieve.  She has promoted each event.  She has gone on every trip, and nearly every scouting trip.  She has handled all rest stops, menu and campsite preparations, and is really...the straw that stirs the drink, so to speak.  Without Jan, there never would have been a Paddle Florida.

5) What do you enjoy most about your work with Paddle Florida?  Least?

Most?  The awards and extraordinary salary I get!  Least?  Not having time to be with everyone as they paddle and get to know each other.

6) Who is the stronger kayaking water wars combatant--you or Bill?  On what do you base this assessment?  

Stealth wins out over strength!  Based on my many victories!!!

7) Tell us something about yourself that would surprise folks to learn (...that's printable).

I'm half Cuban and half Polish, I was a tomboy, I once ate 86 shrimp in one sitting...the rest is not printable.

8) We've met some of your grandkids on PF trips.  Are you encouraging them to paddle?

I talk to them about it all the time.  I would love it if any of them became avid paddlers.  It would help if they lived nearby...I could grab them and go any time.

9) Have there ever been any behind-the-scenes surprises or emergencies on PF trips that you've had to help resolve?

Have there ever NOT been surprises???  No power, ramps under water, roads under water, no water source, gate number changes, car breakdowns, etc.  Getting to the rest stops is always an adventure--some by boat!

10) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?

Well, I'm always interested in the FUN part of it.  Bring a camp chair, a musical instrument for beside the campfire, a masthead or flag for your boat, water gun, and most importantly a repertoire of jokes for the fireside competition.  Also...no whining (leave that to me!)

Paddler Profile: Jon Sairs

1) Where are you from?  Your profession (or former one, if retired)?

I am from Vermont and have been self-employed in residential remodeling and building for 15 years and spent the last 12 years working in the craft shows circuit.

2) When and how did you become interested in paddling?
My parents were paddling a cedar canvas Thompson canoe on Lake Michigan when I was a newborn!  In the early 60's, my dad built an 18' sailing canoe in our backyard in San Diego.  We didn't have any toys with keys.  When we moved to Vermont in 1969 we joined the Green Mountain Club, an active hiking and boating group.  At 13 years old, I saved up for my first boat--a 60's Folbot Super.  The club led multi-day trips to the Rangely Lake region of Maine as well as the Temagami region of Ontario.  We camped as often as we could given Vermont's short summers.  I restored cedar canvas canoes for about five years in the 80's during winters when construction was slow.

3) Tell us about your SAILING kayaks....
I was building sail rigs for our canoes and for our cedar canvas customers, took a break for 15 years to get into windsurfing, and just started kayaking three years ago.  I knew the answer for sore shoulders was a sail, so we picked out Easy Rider kayaks that were set up for sailing in the factory.  The trouble with sailing kayaks is you stand out a bit.  So we asked to join a Folbot Flotilla which met in Florida Bay one winter, and we had so much fun we started selling the BSD sail kit.  As we got to know Florida better, we heard about Paddle Florida.  Now an icy winter in Vermont is a tough sell!

4) Where is your favorite place to paddle?
Open water warmer than 55 degrees?  Florida Bay and the Keys are tops on the list.  We also want to see more of the Panhandle, so we will definitely be trying a Paddle Florida river trip soon.

5) How many Paddle Florida trips have you gone on and to where?
Our first was last year in the Keys on the 100th anniversary of Flagler's Overseas Railroad paddle...er, sail...trip.   We hope to go again this year in January and may squeeze in another trip on our way north.

6) Can you describe a particular Paddle Florida trip 'highlight?'
Just knowing that dinner was waiting and our gear was dry.  Actually, each day in the Keys was amazing.  When waters were calm, you could check out the turtles, fish, and wildlife as you paddled or visit with people from all over the U.S.  On windy days, I was sailing with a tail wind at 8 miles an hour.

7) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
Be prepared for a great time!  Paddle Florida offers a unique way to go out on a trip.  No one else does it this way.  It suits us since we know our way around the water and want to see new terrain without reinventing the wheel.

Paddler Profile: Guerry Bradley

1) Where are you from?  Your profession?  

I've lived in various parts of Florida for my whole life, and I am a firefighter with the City of St. Augustine.

2) When and how did you become interested in paddling?

When I moved to St. Augustine, I realized that I was surrounded by water in the form of creeks, inlets, etc.  I have always enjoyed canoeing, but as soon a I stepped into a kayak I knew it was the hobby for me.

3) Where is your favorite place to paddle?

My favorite place to paddle is Juniper Springs Run.  It's like a maze with all the branches and tree trunks blocking the way sometimes, but that's what makes it fun.

4) How many Paddle Florida trips have you gone on and to where?
I have been on five trips total.  I went on the Suwannee River trip three times and the Keys trip twice.

5) What keeps you coming back?
The thing I love most about Paddle Florida trips is the fact that I can get away for a week doing something I really enjoy, without having to do all of the planning.  I love the sense of teamwork that comes with it as well.

6) Can you describe a particular Paddle Florida trip 'highlight?'
One event that will always stick with me was an experience that left me with the nickname "The Beaver Guy."  I was paddling on the Suwannee River when I spotted something bobbing in the water.  Paddling closer, I realized it was a very weak baby beaver about the size of my hand.  I took my favorite hat off my head and placed the baby beaver in it.  It was a perfect fit.  When we arrived at the River Rendezvous campsite that afternoon, my biggest concern was finding Paddle Florida Director Bill Richards so that we could find help for this stranded animal.  However, it was Easter Sunday, so no park rangers were available to come out and take a look at it.  They advised us to let nature take its course.  That night, several of us huddled around the hat keeping the poor baby beaver company, anxious to see if it would recover.  In the middle of all this tension, the most comical thing happened.  A lady walked up and suggested we put the beaver back in the water "so it could breathe."  (Editor's Note: Beavers don't have gills?)  The outrageous suggestion was just enough to lighten the mood.  However, the beaver passed away shortly afterwards.  None of us had thought about what to do with it after it passed.  After a few minutes, someone suggested that we hold a beaver burial service.  So we buried the little guy, said a few loving words, and had ourselves a beaver funeral.  Although it was a sad event, I can now look back on our beaver burial with some humor.

7) What advice do you have for folks considering a Paddle Florida trip?
Bring lots of blankets and a good attitude.  As much fun as the trip is, it can get a little tiring and it's always nice to come back to a warm tent with lots of blankets, especially in the colder months.  Also remember that you can do this.  Some people get so worked up about the "hows" and the "what ifs."  With the right mindset, we can all do this together.