Lucy's Revenge is a project in memory of Lucy Plunkett to raise funds for Alzheimer's research and support services while showcasing Mississippi's waterways. All donations go directly to the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
Anna Cannington writes a great blog, Kayak Blogs From Mississippi. I always keep a close eye on her posts as she is very much in tune with paddling on the Gulf Coast. My hope is that she will join me for a paddle out to Horn Island sometime this month before I begin focusing more on the East Mississippi Region. That's me in the middle of the picture with Doug Heller and Anna before we launched our kayaks on Old Fort Bayou. Below is an excerpt from a recent post. You can check it out in its entirety and see some pictures HERE.
It was an honor to be a part of Keith and Sharon's kickoff of the Lucy's Revenge Paddling Project. The paddle was the same path as the Battle on the Bayou -- started at Gulf Hills Hotel and ended at the Shed. Doug and I did a shortened version of it, going up halfway and heading back, saving the logistical difficulties of a one-way trip.
I had some thoughts about this intriguing concept that Keith came up with, to embark on a physical journey involving fitness of the body, in order to connect with a mental/emotional/spiritual inspiration involving fitness of the mind. Alzheimer's... a particularly damaging disease of the brain, but just like the body -- can suffer devastating afflictions, or small deteriorizations. Mental fitness is so important. Those of us who get caught up in physical fitness sometimes forget to tend to the mind. Feed it, use it, care for it, nurture it... Your mind and your body need each other and make up YOU.
Related thoughts. Tyler was telling me about adrenaline and how it makes your mind work faster, explaining the slow-motion feeling when you're in the midst of a crisis. Makes me wonder if a lower level of adrenaline is kicking in when I ride my bike, fast pace ride in a paceline when you are so alert at all times. Just afterwards, things seem to move in slow motion. As I'm driving home, everyone is in my way. At home, I trip over the dog... somehow she isn't as quick as usual. I wait for D or T at the sink or refrigerator, why are they taking so long? Everything seems slow. Maybe my brain waves take a while to settle back into a normal pattern.
The mental and the physical. Keith put in his blog "Whatever mental filing or head-work needed to organize a persons hustle and bustle life, it has been my experience that out on the water is not the place to do it. I simply can't. There's too much else to think about. Being on the water strips things down to the bare, meaningful essentials. There is plenty of time for thought, plenty of time for discussion, plenty of time for prayer and meditation. But, no time for false worries, or self imposed problems. It's time for refocusing away from such things." I love this thought and how he expressed it. How true this is of paddling, bike riding, running, hiking... anything where you get away and your activity demands that you focus on it. It's a forced break from what normally weighs you down. I have so many thoughts to keep track of -- things to do at work, issues, lists of things I need to buy, appointments to make and things to arrange, needs of my family, groceries, home care, correspondence, etc. etc. So nice to take breaks from that load.
Lucy's Revenge Kickoff Weekend was July 10-11, and was a huge success. Fifty people were on hand for the Launch on Old Fort Bayou. Thirty Paddlers took on 10 miles Saturday to help bring attention to Alzheimer's Disease and to raise money for research and support services. Another 10 paddled 8 miles on Davis Bayou on Sunday.
Special thanks to Camellia Home Health and Hospice for being a Gold Level Sponsor, and to the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain for their conservation work and providing such an excellent resource for paddlers on Old Fort Bayou. Also, a big thank you to Gulf Hills Resort and Hotel for providing such incredible hospitality, and The Shed BBQ Joint for helping us end the paddle with some excellent grub. Finally, thanks go to South Coast Paddling Company. Melissa Johnson was available to take my call anytime over the weekend, and Paul Nettles did an excellent job giving our first time paddlers a quick lesson and shuttled us anywhere we needed to be.
Only one yakker flipped their boat (my nephew, who was likely clowning around and did it on purpose). We saw dolphin on both days, and found there is much to explore on the coast, and much fun can be had despite the oil spill. We didn't see a drop of oil!
To my friends at the Alzheimer's Association, thank you for the support, we're off to an excellent start! Next up: 35 miles on the Wolf River July 16-18. Details will be available soon.
Miles traveled this weekend: 18 Miles traveled in July: 18 Miles Traveled this Region: 18 Total Miles Traveled: 18
