Cinco de Paddle-O

This Saturday while everyone in the US is celebrating Mexico's independence, my nephew and I will be paddling from Jefferson City, Mo to either St Charles, Mo or Hartford, IL.  This will be far and away the longest paddling trip I have ever attempted, and it makes me a little nervous.

I only hunt decoys!

We are planning on going non-stop all the way through the night.  It will take us over 24hours to cover the distance.  I have paddled at night before but never on a big river like the Missouri.  Safety is our number one priority and we hope to make to the end without incident.

The new paddle I ordered is scheduled to be delivered Friday and I am hoping it arrives before we leave.  The plan is to leave Friday after work and drive to Jeff City where we will stay the night.  Saturday morning we will get an early start and head east.  When we get to Hermann we will meet our wives and have some dinner before settling in for the long haul.  In Hermann we will decide whether to finish at St Charles, or Hartford.  Both routes will take us over 100miles.

There are a few things left to do to make sure my kayak is ready but for the most part I am prepared.  This is going to be a real adventure and while I am nervous about it I also anxious to get started!

I will be bringing my Spot Tracker and will post updates to facebook and twitter so stay tuned for all the fun!