There were a lot of inspiring folks out there in the race, but these are my top 3 favorites:
1. Old Man and the Sea - solo paddler in his 60's (maybe 70?), plugging away, portaging over dams and jams. Awesome. Lucky he had a light composite canoe.
2. Not So Lucky: The Reluctant Solo Paddler - this guy's partner wanted out. He didn't. So he stayed in, found an old tire/rim on the river bank to use for ballast in the bow of his aluminum 2-seater. He finished not long after we did (and under the 100 hours). This is surprisingly not the first time I've heard of this happening, but it was cool to see.
3. El Cojonero Mas Loco - this guy is the first to try (and first to finish) the entire 260+ miles on a stand-up paddle board. Not really much more to say about that. Simply amazing.
Update (written 7/02/2012): well, it looks like there's mutual respect amongst all us folks who were told we couldn't finish. And speaking of the devil! Check out TheStandUpGuy blog!
Dude, I say we go with a 4 man stand up paddle board next year! Team Cuatro Surfo.....
ReplyDeleteSeriously, Shane's an inspiration and the reason why we keep moving forward. Simply put, someone who sees a challenge and is willing to follow their dream regardless of others saying "it can't be done". If all of us followed that advice, we'd still be carrying around clubs and living in caves.
Don
Nice write up. You guys should definitely do a 4 man stand up paddle. The stories of people overcoming all odds are, in my opinion, the best Safari stories. And for the record... I was one of the people on the forum who suggested you guys would be able to finish in your boat and have a great time doing it. However, I totally counted out Shane. A good lesson though and I will never doubt anyone who attempts the Safari again.
ReplyDeleteBrian: I think everyone counted out Shane. It's one of those times when it's fun to be wrong!
ReplyDeletePS- thanks for the support
Mike