So Much Things to Say

Here's a list of things we've done since I last posted:

1. After our buddy, Clay dropped us off, we put in at Kelly Creek beneath the dam and continued on down the river. It was such a beautiful place and we definitely want to revisit this creek to fish and float for a few days!

2. We arrived at this wonderful campsite where the mosquitoes were out of control, so we ate a granola bar and went straight to bed!

3. We did our first 22 mile day and made it to a place called Paradise Point. The folks there were super nice and very helpful...we also got to listen to the State vs. Alabama game on my phone. 

4. The wind has been out of control crazy in our faces and at our backs on and off our entire trip. One day was particularly hard for me, as I cried for the first time because the fears that I voiced before we began our trip became a reality. I was wet. I was cold. 

 I remember back to the first day of our trip. The weather was awesome, the sun was out, we were in great moods and having an incredible time. I told Nate that I wanted to remember how I felt at that moment because I knew there would be times throughout the trip that it wouldn't be that way and to not be discouraged when the opposite is happening to us. Again, I don't want to stop and quit because something is hard. I want to persevere. I want to push though. I want to finish this thing!

5. Besties are the best! Roger and Jan Shock, Addison, Mary, Dave and Hamp came to visit us! It was a surprise and it was awesome!

6. We paddled a few more days.

7. We celebrated Halloween by dressing up as professional kayakers.

8. We celebrated a full month on the river! Milestones!

9. Our brother and sister-in-law, William and Sarah came to see us and helped us around the Mitchell Dam! #familyisbest

10. Chris from Coosa River Adventures (CRA) helped us around the Jordan Dam and we experienced the first white water on the entire river trail. so. much. fun. He also let us stay at his house, take a hot shower, sleep under one of their buildings because it was supposed to storm pretty bad that night...and it did. Thank you, Lord, for Chris, Therese and CRA!

11. Saw Fort Toulouse which is at the confluence of the Tallapoosa River and the Coosa River. Together, those rivers form the Alabama River. Milestone!

12. We made it to Montgomery! Milestone!

13. Visits with friends, Clint and Heather and with family on the Paulk side. Had a tour of Montgomery with our cousin, Emerson and got to spend the day and night with his family. Such a great few days!

14. My mom and dad picked us up and we are currently spending the night in Prattville. We are trying our best to soak up every bit of this opportunity to be with family and friends on this trip. After my parents drop us off tomorrow, it might be a while before we have any visitors along our way. 

15. Because of the lack of visitors, we expect that we will be moving along at a quicker pace and will be cranking out more miles per day. Supposedly the next stretch of river is a little bit different than what we have experienced thus far. For the last month, we have been on lakes, enjoying the "Tour of Lake Houses". Now, we are seeing a part of the river where houses are few and far between, and major roads are heard less and less.

16. We are about 300 miles in and if feels good. Hitting some milestones encourages us so much and makes us want to press on! 

From the journal:

"There are times that I want to quit. When I just want something clean and different to put on, when I don't want my hair to be greasy, when I don't want my armpits to smell, when I just want a pillow and some comfy blankets to sleep with, when I don't want to have my arms and back and hands cramping.

But if I didn't have all of those things, I wouldn't get to see the rock walls and the spanish moss, the waterfalls in the back of a cove and the long-ago gorges. I wouldn't get to see the bald eagles, hawks, osprey, blue herons and ducks spread their wings or the turtles fall off of the floating logs, see the fish swimming or hear the crickets and owls making their signature noises. I wouldn't feel the same way about wind, water, clouds and sunshine. I wouldn't be as grateful for any of those wonderful things if I weren't where I am right now.  Even in the hard moments, I am grateful for being right here, because right here is exactly where I want to be."

I finally had a chance to upload some pictures, thanks to dad's computer! Hopefully these give you more of a perspective of what we get to see and do everyday.

Gratitude goes out to: capturing what this trip has been through the lens of a camera, taking some mental snapshots along the way, enjoying every minute of spending time with our greatest family and bestest friends, and to paddling our way down the historic waters of the Alabama River.