Last day

Meet me tomorrow at the Point (city side) at noon! Hope to see you there!

New blogs will be added soon.

Where is the kayak!?

Today we woke up and the kayak was gone! We noticed the water level had gone up several inches. James walked downstream while I walked to a canoe shop to rent out a canoe. Ended up being on a river island a couple miles away!

Thank you for your help, Parkers Landing and Rick!

120 miles to go

Making great progress with 120 miles to go. Swam my first 20 mile day a few days ago.

We are progressively seeing more and more homes along the river now. It’s interesting to see how people react when they see us. I have received several beer offers while swimming. One kid who was crabbing along the river asked if I was training for the Olympics. I told him I was an underwater archeologist searching for Native America artifacts. He looked confused. I wonder if he believed me!

Where is James?!

Had a late morning start. James and I decided it would be a good idea for me to start swimming ahead to warm up while he finished loading up the kayak. It takes ten minutes max. to load the kayak so neither of us thought much about it. After a half hour of swimming without seeing him I slowed by pace. That half hour turned into an hour and a half and I decided to wait on one of the river islands. I waited an hour on the island realizing I had no food, no water, and no sort of communication. Just me, my wetsuit, and my goggles! I decided to walk upstream and after a quarter of a mile, there he was− napping! At least he was making the best of the situation! He thought there was no way I could have made the progress I did and he decided to wait for me.

Day 12: Reaching Kinzua Dam

Last day on the reservoir. More waves. Navigation was a bit of a challenge. Several bays jut out from the lake so one wrong turn could mean an hour or two of extra swimming. Fortunately we stayed on course the entire 20 miles on the reservoir.

As we neared closer to the dam, stone cliffs lined the water and several people were jumping from one 30ft cliff into the water.

Once we arrived at the dam, we hitched a ride into Warren, a city about six miles south. Another quaint, slow-moving city. Did a restock on food and a laundry run. Some of my friends picked us up in Warren as tomorrow is our first rest day. I realized wet wounds tend to heal slowly so I am looking forward to my first dry day to recover!

The next week of swimming should be beautiful. We are going through the 500,000-acre Allegheny National forest and will be able to camp on protected wilderness islands all along the river.

Day 11: I'm thirsty

Waves, waves, and more waves. Swimming has been a real challenge in the Allegheny Reservoir. I feel quite small swimming in such a wide lake circled by vast mountains. It's also a bit discouraging swimming 1-2 mph beside boats cruising a good 50-60 mph. I am the small fish in the big pond!

Today has been the first day we ran into water issues. The lake is populated but we had no luck finding water. Must have stopped 20 times throughout the day (homes, boat access ramps, campsites, boats, etc) to find water. I ended up swimming 8 hours without water! Once we set up camp we used our emergency water tablets and boiled some water. Hope we don't get sick! James had Giardia (waterborne illness) a couple months ago and I hope we don't face that challenge.

Day 10: Swimming in glue

Finally reached the Allegheny Reservoir today. It is a 27 mile long lake with lots of motorboats, sailboats, and jet skiers. Very picturesque. Summer homes dot along the lake and it's the first time we have seen more than two people on water! After swimming the reservoir we will reach the first dam, the Kinzua Dam, and then several more until Pittsburgh.

Today's swimming conditions were rough, had about a one to two mile per hour headwind and choppy waters. Every time a boat would pass the waves would offset my course. It felt like I was swimming in glue! Throughout the day I kept asking James if I was even moving forward. I usually manage 2 mph swimming but today only 1 mph.

We found a campsite on a beach and the day ended with another beautiful sunset over the mountains. I can't fall asleep right now because I have some sort of itchy rash all over my body. It feels like my body is burning. I wonder what that's all about!?

Honerable Mention

Although James can continue the trip, I had to mention my friend Galen, my backup kayaker. He's my hero.

Day 9: Hello James

Good news! James is not going home. His uncle is flying to Georgia to take care of his grandmother. I amazes me how much things can change in a matter of hours!

Day 9: Goodbye James

In Salamanca, NY now and unfortunately James is heading home today. It's been a bit of a mess and I feel sorry for him and his family. We are about to head to the bus stop so he can catch a flight to Pittsburgh. This morning James taught me everything I need to know about the stove, GPS, etc. and we split up our stuff.

Day 8: Sad day

Swam 13.5 miles today and had a fair bit of rain. James and I waited under a bridge for the rain to pass for an hour or so.

I am starting to feel strong swimming. My body is adjusting and 10-15 mile swim days are manageable. Did I mention I was the worst in swim team in high school? I haven't swam more than an hour in over a year. So this is all a bit odd.

Overall, today was a sad day knowing James is heading home. His grandfather is very ill and on a pacemaker and he is heading home to Georgia to take care of his grandmother with Alzheimer's.

With this journey safety support is crucial. I had a hard think about whether I should continue or quit without him. I am terrible when it comes to giving up. Mentally, it would stick with me knowing i could have gone farther. And I do not want to wait until later. Later may never come and now is the time I have.

I called some friends and found someone to complete the journey as a safety kayaker. He can join August 10, so I have a bit of time to either wait or swim solo. James and I put together a harness and rope to the kayak to test out if I could swim with all my gear/food attached. Not quit sure yet what I will do until the 10th.

Day 7: Alleghany, NY

This morning James found out that his grandfather is very ill and he might need to head home. We are uncertain of what will happen next.

Today we traveled six miles and stopped in Alleghany, NY, a quaint town to grab a bite to eat. It's the type of town where you can smile and say "Hi" to a stranger without feeling awkward. I love those types of places! It felt quite strange to walk again for more than a couple hundred feet.

Day 6: New York

Swam to Olean, NY today with nothing but sunny skies! Another long, 9 hr day on the water and we are at about the 20% mark of the trip. The landscape is starting to change and the river is starting to flow through the Allegheny Mountains.

The excitement of the day was seeing two other kayakers. So far we have been on the river a week and have only seen a handful of people, and today the first kayakers. James managed to spot a fox but I was too busy looking into cloudy water.

It amazes me how remote the first week of swimming has been on the river. I was able to swim without the worry of running into other boats and the river is narrow enough where I can always see where I am on the river. One of my concerns further along the trip is stolen gear and so far we haven't worried about that being in the middle of nowhere.

The day ended with a beautiful sunset. The red sun glistened over the calm water, giving it a purple tint.

Tomorrow we plan to have another long day in hopes to be at the Kinzua Dam on Sunday. We originally were planning to have five days on and one day rest. Since we are in a bit of a time crunch, we altered that plan. James flies out of Pittsburgh on August 23 and starts college days after. We only have 30 days to cover 350 miles. And the first few days were slow, hard earned miles. We do plan a rest day on day 12, mile 150, if we make it to the dam.

At this point, I think I could swim until I pass out and enjoy it!

Day 5: Finally, progress

Swam to Eldred, PA today. Most of the day was spent swimming 4 ft water. It felt so good to finally make real progress swimming. I have been feeling anxious after the slow walking bits.

I am loving this challenge. I enjoy feeling against all odds. The swimming requires much focus and is mentally intense. I'm constantly adjusting myself to stay on course with the windy river. The water is cloudy so I have no sort of distraction. No scenery to view or people to chat with to make it mentally easier while swimming.

Favorite moment of the day was feeling that the present is enough. More than enough. There is so much richness in our present moment. I have a habit of investing so much energy into the future that I miss out on now. But today I felt at peace with now, not constantly seeking more, more, more. That is one aspect that draws me to endurance. I also enjoy endurance events because I feel I gain a better understanding of change. Or acceptance of change. With endurance, your body and mind are going through rapid change. Almost every day I am reaching a strong
high point and strong low point. But I learn it is easier for me to accept those changes instead of fight them. By learning to accept change in endurance events I feel I learn to carry that attitude throughout my life.

Sorry for the ramblings! Its just that, for me, what I become is more important than what I achieve so I like taking note of that side of the journey too.

Day 4: Just keep swimming

Today I realized that a 325 mile swim is a bit ridiculous! I'm not sure how I'm going to manage but that thought draws me to keep swimming. I love a challenge that makes you feel a bit over your head but you keep going anyway.

Another day of alternating my swim and walk. The water level has mainly been at 4 feet and swam most of the day. When planning the trip I thought the walking bits would be easier than swimming but it's more challenging. Walking on the water feels like I am dragging 20-30 pounds on my feet and its difficult to maintain balance on the rocks. The river is also getting muddier so I suck in when walking.

One minor frustration when swimming is my goggles. I made sure that I brought a pair that were anti-fog but mine are anything but anti-fog! I have tried a few tricks (tooth paste, olive oil, etc.) but nothing seems to work. I am resorting to putting a bit of water in each lense and bobbling my head to clear the fog. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right?!

I think my body is confused about all this swimming right now! I love this challenge!

Day 3: This is intense

Its starting to make sense why no one has swam or has attempted to swim the Allegheny River! Today was another day of alternating swim and walk with much more swimming. Had some surprises in the water. A deer skeleton and several tree branches. We ran into lots of dead-fall and had to drag the kayak around/over/under several trees. Due to the logging industry there are lots of areas on the river with piled up brush and trees. I have been using a snorkel and mask to avoid collisions but managed to tangle in a few branches. We spotted a beaver, frogs, and some more fish. Although we managed a 10 hour day, our progress is slow because the shallow water. I have been using weaker swim strokes and am not able to use much force with shallow, messy water. I look like a jelly fish gliding on top of the water, if that makes any sense!! I caught James laughing at how ridiculous I look a few times today!

Day 3 has been pleasant. I just enjoy the simple moments on the river, like watching a bird peacefully glide above the water or listening to the water move over the rocks. Today was not James' best though. He managed to jam his toe on a rock (it might be broken!). I always thought I had a high tolerance for pain but a minute later he was back on the water!

Day 2: Hole in kayak!

While chatting with the Coudersport police officer the night before he said, " Sorry to break it to ya, kid, but it's not calling for much rain." Waking up to a few hours of rain was a pleasant surprise. With rain we have a much better chance to make progress on this shallow bits of the river.

In the morning we had our first article done about the trip. After that, our first challenge of the day was getting the kayak into the water. There is a viaduct going all throughout the town and a steep climb to reach the water. Within minutes of being in the water we realized a leak in the kayak (it's inflatable) but thanks to the kindness of some residents of Coudersport we were able to fix the hole rather quickly and get on with the journey.

The river was deep enough for James to kayak most of the day. I managed to create my own swim stroke, basically crawling around water depths of 2-3 feet. It was basically an army crawl, every so often lodging into rocks. Unfortunately my blog may be a bit boring after this week when I start swimming consistently and my view is cloudy water all day!

Day 1: Where is the river?!

The first day of our journey started early. James and I had a 4 hour drive from my house in Ohio to the headwaters in Raymond, Pennsylvania. Thankfully my best friend was able to drive us. Before we hit the river we dropped off our gear at the Coudersport Police Station, losing at least 50 pounds of weight. We put together a simple pack with the aim to walk the first 14 miles from the headwaters to Coudersport that day.

Before the trip we decided we wanted to travel the entire river although the first 25 miles or so of the 350 miles river is walking only. Once we arrived we in Raymond we had the challenge of just finding the river! The Allegheny starts in a framers field as a spring, trickling under a rock. After trekking through tall grass and thick brush we found the river.

During the first day we were able to see the river constantly change going through open farmland to deep forest with lush ferns and moss coating the rocks and trees. We managed to hike 9.5 hours, basically crawling through thick brush and wobbling over rocks. We forged our way along the river without a clear path. We managed to crawl over some beaver dams too. At times the river would branch, not entirely certain what way to go. We spotted a bit of wildlife. Two blue herons, frogs, fish, crayfish, ducks, and deer. We only saw one other person that day, man fishing.

My favorite part of the day was our encounter with some angry cows and bulls. On the river we crawled under an electrical fence later to find out what it was for. Walking became more challenging and we realized we were trekking in cow patties! We spotted a large group of cows but didn't think much of it until they started following us and moo-ed loudly accompanied by a couple bulls. We decided to take a detour from the river and I managed to rip my pants hopping a barbed-wire fence (I only brought 2 pairs!).

Finished out first day at about 9pm and waited to retrieve our gear from the police. We were directed to a campsite on a hill overlooking a cemetery. A bit creepy. Even more creepy was walking through it alone in the middle of the night when I realized I was dehydrated and went on a quest for water.

Why Swim?

Only one week to go until the swim starts!

Most people wonder what my motivation is for swimming the Allegheny River. I am drawn to many aspects of this adventure. To sum it up:

1. It is an endurance challenge. I get into this zone when participating in endurance events and it becomes a form of meditation for me. I simply love most any endurance sport!
2. Being closer to nature. My passion for the environment runs deep and I feel a strong connection to nature. The Allegheny is clean, beautiful, and luckily not far from my home.
3. It has never been done. This adds a bit more excitement to the challenge being able to venture into the unknown.
4. Being able to use my passions to create change. I hope people will donate to the Blue Planet Run Foundation and become more involved with changing the current world water crisis.

What am I looking forward to the most on the Allegheny swim? The sense of accomplishment I receive everyday for following that little voice that says, "I can do it!"

About the Allegheny

The countdown is on, in about one month the 325 swim will begin!

A bit of background information on the river. The Allegheny begins in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Pennsylvania and ends in downtown Pittsburgh, where it joins the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River. It is considered to be one of America's "Scenic and Wild Rivers" because of its scenic values, cultural values and several river islands.

The Allegheny River is a popular spot for kayakers and canoers because of the size of the river and the constant release of water from the Kinzua Dam in Pennsylvania. The normal summer flow of the Allegheny River is roughly 2 to 3 miles per hour with leisurely paddling. The river is considered Class 1, meaning it is easy to navigate with few rapids (except for the Oil City rapids on a short stretch of the river). After riverboarding through Class 3 rapids in New Zealand, I am quite confident facing rapids anyway!

Along the swim I may find some great spots for viewing wildlife. Many animals inhabit the Allegheny and the lands surrounding it. These include bald eagles, muskrats, snapping Turtles, white-tailed deer, water snakes, weasels, Great Blue Herons, bats, mussels, clams and frogs. Paddlers typically see a combination of these animals. In 2007, a paddler reported seeing a black bear swimming across the river!

The river has loads of campsites, either developed or public lands. Free camping is also available on the many forested islands along the river. The Allegheny passes through several quaint small towns, important for resupply food and water.