Paddling the Apalachicola River

Wyatt Pasley and Sean Tisdale emerged from their 18-day kayak trip with sunburned faces, scruffy beards and more adventure tales to add to their growing collection.

Last week, the thrill-seeking duo completed a 445-mile journey down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers.

They began just north of Atlanta, traveled to the Apalachicola River's terminus, and paddled a final leg to Pasley's in-laws' home on Cape San Blas.

Pasley, a seventh grade geography teacher at the private Galloway School in Atlanta, and Tisdale, a retired Atlanta advertising executive, have embarked on numerous adventures over the course of their 12-year friendship.

They'd climbed mountains and hiked long distances, but had never embarked on such an ambitious kayaking journey when Pasley suggested they give it a go.

With their families' approval - "It's easier to convince your wives if you're not going to be falling into a crevice somewhere," quipped Tisdale - the duo traded the comforts of home for heat indexes over 100 and eight to 10 hours of grueling paddling per day.

Tisdale and Pasley are perpetually training for their next big adventure, and began the kayak trip confident that their physical strength would carry them through.

"We know we can grind out miles forever," said Tisdale. "So many of the things we do are all about suffering and endurance."

To keep in paddling shape, the duo drank gallons of water and got plenty of rest on campsites along the river system.

Though they carried along enough pre-packaged Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) to sustain them on their journey, they frequently broke bread with the friendly people they met along the way.

"People with next to nothing, living off the river in a houseboat would come over and say, ‘We'll cook you dinner,'" said Tisdale. "We had a low country boil one night. It was unbelievable."

Wherever they stopped to camp, curious strangers approached them to ask questions.

"People were very interested in what we were doing," said Pasley. "The most common response was, ‘There's not a motor on that thing?'"

Others asked why they'd not thought to bring a fishing pole.

Pasley kept a log of all their stops and recorded the names of those they met along the way, many of whom they gave nicknames.

The man who gave them a Bible, they dubbed "Gideon," and they will never forget one man at Neil's Landing who charged his television with his truck battery.

"He could watch a gallon of t.v. a night," quipped Tisdale.

Paddling eight to 10 hours a day translated to 20-30 miles of sometimes disturbing, and often wondrous, sights.

The duo observed firsthand the impact of the Army Corps of Engineer's decision to reduce water flow into the river system.

"There are sandbars everywhere that aren't natural. Old buoy markers, deep channel markers lying on the side of sandbars," said Tisdale.

"There was almost no river flow when you got south of Atlanta. It was basically lake paddling, which is grueling because when you stop paddling, you stop moving."

Just south of Atlanta, Tisdale and Pasley observed another disturbing site - islands of plastic water bottles, rubber balls, tires and other debris sprinkled among 60 miles of river.

Signs warning against pollution populated the river, but no one appeared to be enforcing the rules.

Before they embarked on their adventure, their friends warned them about the dangers of alligators, but nothing prepared Tisdale and Pasley for the gunfire they heard, with disturbing frequency, along the Apalachicola River.

"There was a lot of fishing and guns," said Tisdale.

Pasley, likening their close encounters to scenes from Baghdad, said they had the same response to the roar of gunfire: "Paddle fast."

When they weren't cursing polluters and dodging stray bullets, Tisdale and Pasley basked in the natural beauty of the landscape.

They watched ospreys pluck fish from the river, pelicans prance along the shore and butterflies stand motionless on the land long enough for Tisdale to snap a photograph.

Pasley plans to share his adventures with his geography students in the fall.

He will work with the school's science teacher to enhance his students' awareness and understanding of the river and its ecosystems.

"The river is less than 10 miles from my school, and nobody knows," said Pasley. "Ask 10 people where the river goes and two of them will be able to tell you."

Through his lessons, Pasley hopes to change all that. If he can encourage others to embark on their own adventures in the process, well even better.

For those who are less adventurous than he and his friend, Pasley suggests a shorter kayaking trip - seven days or even an afternoon.

"Paddling gives you a perspective that you won't get in a powerboat," said Pasley.

Just remember to bring sunblock.