Push the Boundaries

     It's that time of year again for this father-son duo to immerse ourselves in a brand new challenge we know next to nothing about. We've run through the city of Chengdu, pedaled across the entire state of Iowa, and now it's time to train to achieve something new, tough, and meaningful. This adventure will keep us close to home, right in the land of 10,000 lakes, in fact, on some of those lakes, for an epic trip called Hope in Motion: No Boundaries.

     In the past, our prep was all about physical training. When the event started, it was easy, just follow the crowd and stop at the drink station when thirsty. This time, it’s a whole new ballgame. I’ve had to study maps, learn paddling terminology with mnemonic devices (I take a bow at the front of the stage, Howard Stern, is a backward dude), master different strokes, tie knots, and figure out what to do if we encounter a bear.

Luckily, Lionel and I won’t be alone this summer. We’ll have a crew of five tackling a 100 km trip (still trying to convert that into rods) over seven days across the Boundary Waters.

Just like with the marathon and RAGBRAI, Lionel and I have been training regularly to get ready for this physical challenge. Thankfully, the lake by our school has opened for canoe rentals, so we’ve been working on getting our strokes in sync and improving our rowing form.

I’ve meant to write more about our training, but after countless laps across our soccer-field-sized lake, the repetition has been a bit mind-numbing as we are literally paddling in circles. Lionel, on the other hand, enjoys repeatedly going through the stretch near the shoreline where he can dip his hands into the seaweed-filled water to pull out the “yuckos.”

 

Time’s tight, but we’re grateful for every bit of support. A quick email or message cheers us on more than you know. And if you’re able to, a donation to the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation would mean the world to us. Thanks for being part of our journey. We don’t know when we will hit the finish line, but we are enjoying each step, pedal, and paddle of the way (mostly).

 

"As one goes through life, one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move."

 

-Katherine Hepburn