I am proud to have been chosen as a SayYesMore ambassador. Such a simple and elegant philosophy that anyone can embrace straight away to add life to their years.
I have something that I have been putting off for a while but in true SayYesMore style I will put it off no longer and get started. Look for updates soon!
I am Dave Cornthwaite, and this is the strangest thing I've ever been asked to do. How can I sum up who I am in just a few words? I'm not sure it's possible but I'll try, because that's what I do.
Although my life, my personality, my lifestyle, my ambitions and my temperament (which wavers) intertwines completely with my work I hope I'll not be defined by the things I have done, so I won't mention them here. I am not an adventurer nor an author, a motivational speaker or a world traveller. I am simple. I travel light as often as I can, although I will always carry too much. Where once I talked and didn't do, now I do things and then I talk about them, but usually only when asked to.
I find myself funnier than others think I am, although sometimes people laugh at my jokes out of sympathy. My worst habit is tickling my nose hair with my tongue. Yes, I can reach my nose with my tongue. I'm still trying to work out the meaning of life, but have got as far as understanding that my interpretation will belong to nobody else. I struggle with the value of what I do because my life is unconventional, but shards of light appear when I see folks embarking on adventures for which they claim a meeting with me was the catalyst. If that's all I can offer it's enough.
I dislike doing something I don't enjoy just for money - happiness is more important. I become impatient when people believe in something enough to preach or vote for it based purely on inherited expectation. We live in a time where sitting on the fence is unnecessary, we have no excuse to base our opinions just because we read or heard somebody else's.
If I had to sum myself up in three words, they would be Say Yes More. I am Dave Cornthwaite, who are you?
To find out more about Dave go to DaveCornthwaite.com.
Dave Cornthwaite is coming back to the river! No not the Mississippi. This time the intrepid adventurer will be swimming over 1000miles down the Missouri river. That's right SWIMMING, over 1000miles!
"For 50 days, between August 10th and the end of September 2012, Dave Cornthwaite will be swimming 1000 miles along the Lower Missouri River in the USA, between Yankton, SD and St Louis, MO."
I have entertained the notion of swimming 100miles for the 100+Project, and decided to put it off for another time. Frankly the thought of swimming 100miles seemed too big to wrap my head around. When I heard the news that Dave was planning on swimming over 1000miles, my jaw hit the floor. The I learned that Dave is not really much of a swimmer. I wish him all the luck, but I fear this will be his most difficult challenge to date.
Dave won't be going it alone though. You can go with him!
"For the first time in six years Dave is opening up applications for a dedicated support team to join one of his expeditions; helping to create, document and ensure completion of the most testing acts of endurance in his career."
If you think you might have what it takes to be an Expedition 1000 team member visit Dave's website and learn more.
Trust me, if I could get the time away from work I would be there in a heartbeat. In fact as he gets closer to the St Louis area I plan to offer any support I can give. It's not often an opportunity like this presents itself so if you are available don't let it pass you by.
Living in Illinois and working in St Louis I drive over the Mississippi river two times each day, five days each week. Sometimes more. For most of my life the Mississippi was never looked upon as a source of recreation. Any recreation on the water was done at Carlyle lake, a longer drive than the river but "cleaner". I think Dave Cornthwaite was a bit shocked on his stand up paddleboard journey that more people didn't use the river for recreation. I told him that at least in the St Louis area the Mississippi is just not thought of in that way. It is seen more as a highway for barges and other commercial interests.
What I have discovered though is that while the locals may turn their backs to the river it is actually a super highway of adventure.
The first time I ever heard anyone suggest a trip down the length of the Mississippi was around ten years ago. The guy was all talk and I knew he would never do it (and he never did), but I was blown away by the enormity of the challenge. Since that day ten years ago my life has changed considerably and in the past few years I have become more aware of the world of adventure and in that awareness have realized that in 2011 no less than three people endeavored to stand up paddle board the length of the river on three different journeys. Alex Linnell was first, followed by Dave Cornthwaite, and last and in this case especially not least was Matthew Crofton . All three men hopped on a board and headed south until they reached the Gulf of Mexico. They only saw the adventure that was before them, and not the misgivings some locals might have about it being a "dirty" river unsuited for their purposes.
2012 proves to be another busy year on the mighty Mississippi, in fact it may even be busier than 2011. So far I know that Matt Fraser, Sam Norman, and Harry Hogg will be paddling their kayaks from Lake Itasca in Minnesota all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico for their Mississippi Challenge. Then there is Mark Kalch who will be paddling from the source of the Missouri river in Montana all the way to the confluence with the Mississippi and down to the gulf as part of his 7Rivers 7Continents project. Another adventurer coming down the Missouri-Mississippi route is Andy Campbell who starting in 2012 will be working his way around the world, in a wheelchair, "but not just a wheelchair" according to his website. Lastly and while not technically in the Mississippi, Dave Cornthwaite will be returning to swim 1000miles on the Missouri river ending at the confluence with the Mississippi.
This coming weekend I will be attending the Alpine Shop Great Canoe and Kayak Event to hear Michael Clark of Big Muddy Adventures speak about circumnavigating the city of St Louis. Apparently he and some friends paddled the River Ring around St Louis (Mississippi, Missouri, Meramec, Bourbeuse ). What an amazing accomplishment and until I read the announcement a couple days ago something I had never even considered and from what I understand they plan to do it again in 2012.
Wherever you live stop and take a look around with a fresh perspective, you might be surprised at all the opportunities that you never realized where available to you. Adventures are born from creative minds that see the possible, although often times difficult path before them.
Look for more information on all of these adventures here at Trail and Error.
There are probably hundreds of goals that I could set for the new year, but as I stated in the previous post I am keeping my focus on three, and because I am a nice guy here they are so you don't have to go back and look at the last post to jog your memory.
Build on the foundation of the 100+Project.
Increase my level of fitness
Spend 12nights in the bag.
The second half of 2011 was pretty much a waste, as far as training and racing was concerned. I won't go into the details of why, but if you don't know the reason take a look back at some of my other posts to get an idea of how things fell apart.
One of the good things that came out of 2011 was the creation of the 100+Project (click the link for details). It seems like so long ago it was just an idea. The project allows me to add a bit of adventure to my life while raising money for the St Louis Asthma and Allergy Foundation. I remember contacting them for the first time thinking that they would not want me to proceed with my plans. I found that the exact opposite was true. They seemed more excited than I was. Jessica (from the foundation) and I appeared together on a local AM radio station WBGZ 1570 to talk about the foundation and the 100+Project. I was invited to speak at a board meeting (an invitation that I have yet to take them up on), and I was a guest host at their annual trivia night along with some other local celebrities. So our relationship has been one thousand percent better than the flat NO I was half expecting. Skate 100+ was the first of the 100+Projects, since the whole idea was inspired by Dave Cornthwaite who first skateboarded the length of Great Britain, and then across Australia I though it would be a fitting homage for the first event to be skateboarding. The true benefit though lied in the fact that I already knew how to skateboard. I had never ridden a longboard before but the mechanics are the same, bend right leg, push with left, repeat. I did a few loops on the Madison county bike trails labor day weekend. The day started early and the temperature was cool, but it soon rose to over 100degrees. I had some relief in the late afternoon when severe thunderstorms moved in, and as the sun went down the temps became cooler again. My wife and daughters were my support crew for the event and I think I underestimated how hard the day was going to be on them. It took me a little under 19hours to skate the 107miles from the MCT trails on up to Grafton, IL and they were out on the road the whole time taking care of anything I might have needed. I received tons of emails, text messages, comments on facebook, and tweets to encourage me along the way, and they were very much appreciated. I met some of my friends along the route too. Cheri met me at the halfway point which was also the hottest part of the day. I was really doubting if I could finish, it was just so hot out. I had just left my family at Horseshoe lake where we had lunch, and I hid how much the heat was beating me down because I didn't want them to worry. Cheri rode alongside on her bike (the bike that she ran me over with in the past) and we talked about the heat and how far I had to go. Talking through it made it seem more manageable. I would go as long as I could and if I succumbed to heat I would figure out what to do at that point. The crazy thing about the heat was that the temperature the day before and the day after was about 25degrees cooler making the heat a non-issue. I happened to pick the freak September day was a heat wave. Cheri turned and rode home when her husband called and told her that there was a severe thunderstorm was on the way.
The storm was good news to me because when the leading edge rolled in it brought cooler temperatures with it. When I turned the corner on the Schoolhouse trail I could see the thunderheads in the distance, as well as the lightening strikes. Beating the heat was such a triumph but now I was faced with another potentially hazardous weather situation. The success of the first project was very important but was I willing to ignore some very real danger in order see it through? Checking the weather on my phone I found out that the storm was very narrow and fast moving. A message from Jackie who was at the Cardinals game said the storm would be very intense for about 15minutes and then gone. The decision to keep going was not an easy one but it seemed that if the storm was too bad I could find somewhere to ride it out before continuing on my way.
After making three loops on the MCT trails it was now time to head north making my way to Grafton. I almost made it to the Wanda park and ride lot before the the skies opened up and the rain drenched me to the bone.
Arriving at the Wanda park and ride it was time to take this show on the road, for a few miles at least. The shoulder of the road was fair but the road itself was smooth as could be so I skated toward traffic and moved to the shoulder when cars came toward me. It was fun to skate in the rain until I got to New Poag road when the storm really got going. The storm got really ugly when I made the turn. The wind was blowing me toward traffic so I switched sides of the road and fought the wind as it tried to push me off the shoulder into a ditch. It would be an understatement to say it was tough going. Tornado sirens could be heard in the distance and the very real possibility that I had made a mistake by continuing was upon me. It was then that Beth and Sarah pulled up in the car, I hopped in and rode out the storm. Safe in the car another check of the weather revealed that the storm was almost over. When it passed I was back out on the road. The shoulder at this point was not very good but there were too many cars for me to ride in the road. I pushed to the top of a pretty steep hill hoping to enjoy the freedom of the downhill side but again the cars were too frequent and the shoulder to littered with small deadly pieces of broken asphalt and gravel. Anyone who has ever ridden a skateboard knows that even the smallest piece of gravel can stop your board cold causing a sudden and immediate fall. So I spent the entire way down the hill checking my speed instead of freewheeling and enjoying the ride. Beth and Sarah were waiting for me at the Lewis and Clark visitor's center in Hartford so I resupplied and grabbed my headlamp since the daylight was fading fast and it was time to get back on the trail. After it got dark I kept my light off because I didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention. I was still feeling strong and kept on pushing. Near Alton I noticed a runner up ahead and tried to figure out the least frightening way to pass. I guy on a skateboard at night on the trail is an unusual sight indeed and I didn't want to freak her out and get pepper sprayed. I rolled by with my light on and wished her a good evening and went about my way relieved to not have been pepper sprayed or taken out with a few handy techniques from a women's self defense class.
Once again I met Beth and Sarah, resupplied and made my way to the Vadalabene bike trail. I stopped for a minute to explain what I was doing to a couple of curious on lookers. They seemed to think what I was doing was cool and not stupid so I was pretty pleased with myself. The way to the bike trail was very difficult, the shoulder of the road was very narrow and covered in loose gravel. After such a long day I was very frustrated almost falling every time I got going. The cycle of pushing and stopping myself from falling was a low point for sure and made me wonder how long I could go on like that. Luckily though it didn't last too long and once I hit the bike path it was smooth sailing, except for the spiders.
Yes spiders! By this time I was starting to feel the effects of the days journey and was really looking forward to finishing. But what I was really looking forward to in a more immediate sense was not riding face first into giant spiderwebs. My headlamp let me see quite a few webs before I got to them but most of the time I didn't have time to react. The worst ones were when I could see the spider in the web right before I rode through it. Now where did that spider go? Eventually I switched over to the shoulder next to river always thinking Raging Rivers water park was around the next bend. Moving very slowly I still couldn't believe that it was taking so long to get to the water park. It was like my mind was playing tricks on me. I stopped to rest for a minute watching a tree up on the bluffs burn. I guessed that it had been struck by lightning when the storm blew through earlier. Finally, Finally, Finally I made it to the water park. Raging Rivers was important because it was a big landmark on the way to Grafton, a sign of progress that the end was near. Even though I have never actually been there when it was open that night it was my favorite place in the world. As happy as I was though I still had a ways to go.
Grafton, dead ahead.
Beth sent me a text saying there was a patrol car heading in my direction. I had no idea what the police would think about me skating up the River Road in the middle of the night but I had a feeling that I was about to find out. I had visions of being hauled off to jail not being able to finish. Being hauled off for skateboarding may seem a bit extreme to some of you but I was around for the second revival of skateboarding in the 80's where the battle cry was "Skateboarding is NOT a Crime". In my experience when you combine law enforcement and skateboarding the outcome is not good. Soon the patrol car pulled along side me and I summoned enough strength to speed up and look strong. The car slowed down to match speed with me, and I swear I saw the cop look at me shake his head and drive off, or maybe I just imagined it. Either way he drove off and left me to my finish my journey.
Not long after the close encounter with the law I arrived in Grafton, 107miles from the start and almost 19hours later. Beth and Sarah were so tired after spending the day (and night) on the road. I was over 100miles and Skate 100+ was a success. I raised some money for a great cause and I was feeling pretty good. The day was long and full of highs and lows and I am glad I did it.
I was glad to get the 100+Project started in 2011 and I was trying to fit another project into the schedule before winter but it just didn't work out.
In 2012 the 100+Project will include Cycle 100+ on the KATY trail over Memorial day weekend (May 25-28) 200+ miles of cycling and camping. I am inviting anyone that wants to come along to join me for the adventure. We will cover about 70miles each day. There will be more details coming soon.
Also 2012 will see Kayak 100+ when I paddle the Missouri River 340 (July31-Aug3), a 340mile race across Missouri from Kansas City to St Charles.
Sometime in the Fall I plan to embark on Unicycle 100+ I don't have a route or a date but I do have a unicycle and time to learn how to ride it!
There is a lot to look forward to in 2012 for the 100+Project hopefully a string of success as well as a rising donation total!
A huge thanks to everyone that donated in 2011, without all of you my fundraising efforts would be a total failure. I do these things for the love of the adventure and to help out a great cause. By reading this terribly long post, or by following me on twitter or liking the facebook page you are telling me that what I am doing is worth while and that you feel that we can all do something to help out those that are less fortunate. In a nutshell that is what the St Louis Asthma and Allergy Foundation does, they help those that are less fortunate deal with conditions that at times can be life threatening. They are the ones that deserve your support and I am looking forward to helping bring awareness to the work they are doing in 2012.
The 100+Project is just getting started and there is much work to do.
I have always dreamed of leaving the shackles of the working world behind to become an adventurer of sorts. The problem was I never knew how, and always thought that I would never be able to do something so grand as the people I had read about. The reason why I love the longer events is that I don't want the adventure to end because it is the adventure that makes me feel whole. I remember a few years ago when Chuck and Robin needed a replacement teammate for the Goomna adventure race. Robin had sent out an email to the Metro Tri Club members saying that the first to respond was in. Luckily I happened to check my email at the right moment and thought "sweet!" because I had been wanting to try adventure racing for a while and figured this would be a great way in. I didn't respond right away though. I had doubts, I barely knew robin at the time, and I had never met Chuck. I didn't know how fast they were, I didn't want to hold them back, and so on. Finally I decided that if I didn't get on board I was a fool. I emailed Robin and I was in. It turned out to be a really great decision, one that would ultimately lead me down the path that I currently on. Together we have had some great adventures and the future will bring even more.
Chuck and I had planned on racing the MR340 this year but it was cancelled. We spent a lot of time paddling, and somehow in my Internet searching for paddling I came across Dave Cornthwaite, who I have mentioned before. I read his on his website and could relate to it really well. Too well. Dave made a change, he would skateboard across Australia. First though to warm up he skateboarded the length of the UK. He wasn't just going to do it though he was doing it for charity. As he said "skateboarding with a purpose". Since he completed the two skateboarding journeys Dave has created Expedition 1000 where he will raise money for his charities while completing journeys of 1000miles or more each using a different mode of non-motorized transport (sound familiar). So far he has kayaked the Murray river in Australia, and is currently paddling the length of the Mississippi on a stand up paddle board. That is how we met. I was pretty excited about an Adventurer coming through the area. I tracked his progress and when he got close I sent an email asking if he would mind if I joined him for a day. He said he wouldn't mind at all. It turned out to be a rough day of paddling with strong headwinds and a high temp of 103degrees. All the while I was trying to figure out how I could do what Dave does. While he has done some remarkable things he is just a person who puts his shoes on toes first just like me. I finally figured out that I don't have to do what he does or what anyone else does. Meaning I don't have to quit my job and become a full time adventurer (although I would still like to) in order to be happy. I can create meaning in all of the things I do by trying to raise awareness and money for a cause that has affected my life. And thus the 100+Project was born.
I chose the 100+ because face it 100 is an impressive number and on some "vehicles" I have in mind 100miles will be pushing me beyond my limits. The "+" is the other side of the coin, because some of the vehicles 100miles would be relatively simple. So 100+ leaves me with many options to work with since there is really only one guiding principle, that I travel a distance of more than 100miles.
Whenever possible I would like to complete these events with one continuous effort but there will be times when this is just not possible. For instance I plan to paddle the length of the Illinois river by canoe sometime next year, and because of the distance involved it will take a few days. Along the same lines I will be competing in the Missouri River 340 next year as well using my kayak. For those of you that may be wondering, yes I plan to run a 100mile race as part of the project although I can't say when.
There is no way, at least at this point to know how many of these I will be able to complete each year. Currently I am limited by how much time I can be away from work. Also the different types of training I will have to do will be a big factor. Running 100miles takes a huge amount of time effort and focus in order to run it slowly, while the two previously mentioned paddling adventures are similar enough that they could be trained for concurrently.
I chose skateboarding for my first project as an homage to Dave since he is the one that was the catalyst that started the wheels turning in my head. I was a skateboarder for many years until I gave it up about 6years ago so I knew it would be a good vehicle to start with since I wouldn't have a steep learning curve to deal with.
I have many adventures ahead of me and I am really looking forward to each one, especially the ones I haven't even thought of yet.
Have you heard about this guy Dave Cornthwaite? He is a British Adventurer embarking on a series of twenty five 1000+ mile journeys each with a different form of non-motorized transport. Dave has done many impressive feats such as skateboarding the length of Great Britain, and across Australia. He also kayaked the length of Australia's Murray River. This is just a sampling of Dave's adventures for a more complete and impressive list you should go check out his website at DaveCornthwaite.com, go ahead I'll wait... just don't forget to come back.
Dave taking break
Pretty cool right?
A couple months ago I stumbled across his website and thought WOW! This is the type of thing I would be doing if I could. More on this later...
Evan watches the dredging operation
When I saw that he was getting ready to start another journey, this time on a stand-up-paddle-board, traveling the length of the Mississippi river I thought "Wait a tick, I live near the Mississippi, in fact I cross it twice every work day." It was the equivalent of a major sporting event being played down the street from your house. There was no way I was going to miss it! Adventure was coming to me all I had to do was wait. I followed Dave's progress down the river on twitter, facebook, and his website.
one of the places we stopped
As he got closer I was starting to wonder how I was going to locate one person on such a great river. I started emailing back and forth and before I new it there was a time and a place to meet, Hamburg, IL. I asked if there was anything he might need, and he said they were running low on water. I wasn't sure who else was with but it didn't matter. I bought a 2.5gallon jug of water and Beth and I headed out to Hamburg. Upon arrival there was no sign of Dave, and believe me there is no place to hide in Hamburg. We drove back and forth, waited, and drove back and forth some more. Eventually I saw a canoe out on the water and then there was Dave Cornthwaite on a SUP. I turned around and headed back into town and started to unload my gear at the boat ramp. They pulled off a little up river from where I was and we introduced ourselves and I met Evan who on a whim decided with no paddling experience to travel from the Headwaters in Lake Itasca to St Louis to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation (he lost his mother to breast cancer, something we have in common). He definitely has the adventure spirit! Dave apologized for being late, the headwinds were terrible and they weren't making much progress. It was doubtful that we would make it to Grafton. We talked for a bit and then we were off like a shot, a slow shot into the mighty headwinds. Being low to the water in my kayak I was less affected by the headwinds, and it looked like Dave and Evan were really working hard. I kept it easy and maintained whatever pace they wanted to set. We stopped and rested a few times and discussed philosophical topics ranging from the subtle differences of candy in the UK vs US to speed dating at 60hours with no sleep. It was a good day out on the river the brutal headwinds helped us cool off, the heat index was 118degrees. Once it became clear that we were not going to make it to Grafton I was worried about where Beth was going to pick me up (I had just recently sent her driving all over the sketchy back roads of Okawville in an attempt to pick me up off the Kaskaskia river and I did not want a repeat of that experience).
Dave recording while Evan calls the Dam operator
We went through the lock at the Winfield dam which was an experience. Evan said I was lucky because my first lock was as difficult as it gets, which was only slightly difficult and mostly uninteresting. It's supposed to go like this: Paddle up to the location indicated by the signs, pull the chain, wait for the operator to open the lock, paddle in, wait for the water to lower, and paddle out the other side when it opens. Really a very simple procedure. In this case the chain was broken so Evan looked up the number and called them. They asked when we would be there and he informed them that we were there already and their chain was broken to which they replied something to the effect of 'we keep forgetting to fix that'. The rest of the trip through was uneventful. After we made it through the lock we looked for a marina that appeared to exist only on Evan's map.
Me, Dave, and Evan
We ended up taking a rest over on the shore. Dave and Evan rested on their mats while I sat on a pointy rock. Since you can only sit on a pointy rock for a limited amount of time I went down to the water and waded out a bit where I called Beth who had scouted some locations to pick me up. We decided on the Double Ranch Marina because there was a store. I had planned on buying Dave and Evan a beer when we got to Grafton so I thought this would be a good alternative. Unfortunately we pulled in just after 5pm and the store had closed. I felt horrible. I gave them the rest of the water and food that I had with me and wished them well. I hope they enjoyed the burritos I gave them. They both seemed very excited to have them.
Dave's SUP, Artemis.
As Beth and I drove away I felt a bit sad to not be going back out on the river. Beth was all but certain that I was going to tell her that I was going back out with them. While my time with Dave was short I found it to be very inspirational. While I cant't travel all over the world completing grand adventures the way Dave does I can embark on my own adventures in the surrounding area. I am very fortunate to live in the St Louis area, in that there are many opportunities on a wide variety of terrain all within a couple hours drive in any direction.
I've got some ideas of a few things that want to do but I will keep them under wraps until I work out a few of the details. Suffice it to say that my Adventure Spirit has been rekindled and I am looking forward to what the future holds. Now if I could just find a way to quit my job...does anyone want to pay me to be a professional adventurer?
I wish Dave the best of luck on the rest of his journey down the river and on all the rest of his adventures. If you haven't yet Check out his website and at least consider making a donation to one of his charities. They are both really good causes.
Skate 100+ was the first of the 100+Projects, since the whole idea was inspired by Dave Cornthwaite who first skateboarded the length of Great Britain, and then across Australia I though it would be a fitting homage for the first event to be skateboarding. The true benefit though lied in the fact that I already knew how to skateboard. I had never ridden a longboard before but the mechanics are the same, bend right leg, push with left, repeat. I did a few loops on the Madison county bike trails labor day weekend. The day started early and the temperature was cool, but it soon rose to over 100degrees. I had some relief in the late afternoon when severe thunderstorms moved in, and as the sun went down the temps became cooler again. My wife and daughters were my support crew for the event and I think I underestimated how hard the day was going to be on them. It took me a little under 19hours to skate the 107miles from the MCT trails on up to Grafton, IL and they were out on the road the whole time taking care of anything I might have needed. I received tons of emails, text messages, comments on facebook, and tweets to encourage me along the way, and they were very much appreciated. I met some of my friends along the route too. Cheri met me at the halfway point which was also the hottest part of the day. I was really doubting if I could finish, it was just so hot out. I had just left my family at Horseshoe lake where we had lunch, and I hid how much the heat was beating me down because I didn't want them to worry. Cheri rode alongside on her bike (the bike that she ran me over with in the past) and we talked about the heat and how far I had to go. Talking through it made it seem more manageable. I would go as long as I could and if I succumbed to heat I would figure out what to do at that point. The crazy thing about the heat was that the temperature the day before and the day after was about 25degrees cooler making the heat a non-issue. I happened to pick the freak September day was a heat wave. Cheri turned and rode home when her husband called and told her that there was a severe thunderstorm was on the way.
Grafton, dead ahead. 
