Progress report
Nov 24
My sleeping habits have been so ingrained, I couldn't help but get up at 4:30. The river spirits
had reinforced their blockade with rain, temperatures around 40 degrees, and winds blowing at 30 to 50 mph. Enough already.
We had already quit. As we passed Lake Pontchartrain the seas were a troubled frenzy of gray and brown waves frosted with
white caps under a dreary cloudy sky. The sight was enough to make me shiver. In the last four days of sailing we netted only
50 miles of progress, and the signs had become clear.
We had dipped our paddles millions of times since leaving West Virginia. We set up camp and tore
down camp 99 times. That routine stole at least two hours a day from us. I estimate we had about 24 hours of winds that were
favorable enough for us to sail without pedalling. Between Fairmont, WV and New Orleans we negotiated over 2003 miles of water,
and Arlene drove 8000 miles to provide our support. The drive to our launch point was 2000 miles, and the drive home from our
landing was 1300 miles. Ted and I both lost weight. I don't know how much Ted lost, but the only way he could keep his pajama
pants on was to wear long underwear over them. I started at 173 pounds, dropped to 161 during preparation for the trip, and
ended the trip at 154. I assume I gained weight in my legs, so lots came off my torso which is now skin and bones. I am still
six foot three tall.
Neither Ted nor I were ever sick until the end of our journey. I sprained my ankle early on, and
my foot was swollen for a few days. We both strained our backs early on, and that plagued us most of the trip. Our
uncomfortable beds created hip aches for Ted and a shoulder ache for me. We both still endure these pains which interfere
with sleeping comfortably.
In the last 5 hours of our two day trip home from New Orleans, one of my dental crowns came loose.
That was about perfect timing, and I was able to call on the cell phone and schedule an appointment for the next day.
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