Hey Everyone,
 It has been a very eventful few days for myself and my team. We have been
facing massive head winds on the water due to our travels through the gorge. If
you aren't familiar with this area, it is world renowned for crazy amounts of
wind and is a mecca for green energy windmills (which basically dot the horizon
everywhere) and wind surfing. I am also happy to announce that we have seemingly
exited the desert and are in the shadow of a Volcano named Mount Hood, and are
once again in some more temerate climate, less dry and more trees!
  Two  days ago, we hit some crazy wind right before a takeout above a dam. After
driving around the dam we were only a 9 kilometres from our camp, so most people
wanted to just take the rest of the day and relax. 12 of us formed two boats of
mixed crew from the die-hards in the brigade and decided to paddle that last 9k.
The catch? 6 foot waves in the middle of the river with a potentially very
dangerous crossing to the right side to get to camp. We put in and began the
crossing, where I got drenched from head to toe and gained an enormous respect
for the wind and the water, and the effect those two have when they meet. I saw
a kite-surfer hit a wave, and catch the wind sending him at least 20 feet
straight vertical. The wind is a force to be reckoned with. During the crossing
I felt dangerously close to tipping a few times as we angled our way across the
waves and rolled over the big swells. It was an interesting experience because
even the experienced paddlers I was with have never quite paddled in that much
current (being just below a dam) and in that much headwind at the same
time...two great opposite forces meeting in one small section of water. Despite
the potential for danger, we all agreed that we couldn't let that opportunity
slip away, and I wasn't about to not be a part of it. It was a great feeling of
sastisfaction when we reached camp and amongst the handshakes and
congratulations I could not help but feel a great respect for the water and a
massive sense of accomplishment. And boy was that not one of the best workouts
I've ever had.
  The next day I built my paddling resume up a bit more.
I sterned (steered) a boat in similar winds (but not as heavy) through 3 foot
waves across the river. Going across is always fun because of the potential for
tipping and getting soaked due to slamming down off the rolling waves. We also
hit some massive current around an island and nearly hit a rock, but with a
strong crew, an excellent bowman (guy in front that sets pace and helps steer)
and a paddle giving me great leverage for steering we were able to narrowly
avoid danger once again...but what a rush.
  Last night, in The Dalles,  we had dinner at a local pub that served only microbrew and craft beers. After a
few pints including a black cherry stout and a blueberry wheat ale, the drinking
songs began, we got the pub going and it wasn't long before we had made some
friends, were getting free rounds, and people had cameras making videos of us
singing enthusiastically at the tops of our respective lungs. One of the most
fun nights I've had in a while! We got back to camp and decided to sleep on the
top of a small rock outcropping about 2 stories up. The stars were out and
filling the sky and I soon drifted off into a very restful sleep, but morning
came much too early.
  Today was more of the same...really nice country,
super awesome paddle. We decided that the waves were fun and that playin a
little further out in the rollers would be a good idea, and boy was it ever. We
were never close to tipping but singing songs with your friends, including
"Bohemian Rhapsody" at the top of your lungs, and plunging in and out of waves
makes for an epic afternoon.
 
Until my paddle brings me home,


Andy

Hey Everyone,

Today was a pretty epic paddle day. We left Pasco, and had to paddle 25k to our stop point. Pasco is located at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, so the width of the river basically doubled. We also have to be on the lookout now for commercial barges and other commercial traffic as they move quickly and we do not want to be caught in their way. 
   We are approaching the Columbia River Gorge section and began to experience some of that crazy wind that we have heard about. Today we paddled in pretty decent headwind (but because of current our speed was still good) and were rising and falling in about 4 foot whitecaps...which means it was awesomely fun. I was steering our canoe today and was purposfully putting us in the biggest swells possible to maximize the fun. The canoe handled it like a champ and we weren't even close to tipping once, they are suprisingly sturdy. 
   At camp today we are having a massive potluck, where 5 turkeys are being deepfried by one team, with other teams providing the rest of the meal. I had a very modest lunch to prepare for it. We are also doing a big last minute arrival today for the tri-cities area and will be arriving to a crowd of nearly 15,000 people. It should be a lot of fun and will be the biggest crowd we've seen to date.

Thats it for now,

Till my paddle brings me home,

Andy

Hello Everyone,

This may be a bit of a long one as WIFI has been a little hard to find and sketchy at best recently. We are currently in Richland, WA in a huge tri-cities area enjoying a Canada Day off...of course we had to double up on paddling yesterday for a total of 83km to get the day off, but it was completely worth it. 

I realize my blog updates have not been as frequent as i would have liked, partly due to the lack of wireless networks and partly due to the fact that in the general happenings of things, not too much has occurred recently other than wake early, quick breakfast, pack, paddle, quick dinner, and sleep. We had a huge arrival in Wenachee the other day, easily the biggest crowd we've had yet. There was a great deal of community support which was great to see. We also got another free dinner....AWESOME! We haven't really done too many massive arrivals but in Vantage the other day we had a pretty good crowd and some media there greeting us...after an extremely difficult paddle. It was only 30km but it was pretty strong headwind most of the way and a paddle that would take a couple hours with current, took 5 hours going rather slowly. I've begun to notice how difficult a paddling day has been if my trapezoid muscles by my neck start to get sore, otherwise it just feels like a good workout.

The day before our team took advantage of a day off in Wenachee and travelled up past a tourist Bavarian style town called Levensworth and headed up an 8 hour mountain hike to a selcuded glacier lake calle Coal Chuck Lake. After 4 hours of hiking up steep switchback trails we finally crested a ridge and saw the most beautiful glacier lake and glacier that I've ever seen. The water was a shade of green I cannot describe and the mountain was just breathtaking. The water was also super cold, and myself, colin, matt, and dave could not resist taking a swim in the hypothermic waters. The swim was a grand total of 15 seconds, after which my extremeties were tingling. I know what you concerned friends and family are thinking, "Andy this is not smart" but really, how often do you get to take a swim in a secluded glacier lake? While it was some of the coldest water I've ever been in, it was totally worth it. There should be pictures of the hike on the main page of our site, inclding a beard i made out of old mans beard that i found in a tree while waiting for the group to catch up. Easily my favourite picture of this trip. 

Today, being Canada Day, we are doing some partying in the park we're staying at, and i'm going to try and catch some delicious bass in the bay. Managed to find a fishing store and get worms as well as replace the rod I broke before I left London. 

We have only a couple of weeks left in this trip, and I have mixed feelings. I am really excited to get home and see my family, but at the same time, this has been one of the singlemost amazing experiences of my life and part of me does not want it to end. 

Thats about it for now, I'll try and be more frequent as we go further, but it all depends on the networks.

Till my paddle brings me home,

Andy