Dave paddling the Columbia River

Hi, I’m Dave Johnson. (That's me on the right with the beard) ;-D  
I’m going to kayak the Columbia River, as much of the 1200+ miles accessible to me, and I am asking for your support to assist me in the completion of this goal.

I feel that this catagory of medical and healing is the correct spot for me to list my campaign. Some will think it has nothing to do with medical, but it is, kayaking may not heal my psyche, but it does help calm it while I am on the river.

A little about myself; I’m a retired disabled Veteran with over 25 years Active Duty Army, Army Reserve, and US Army Washington National Guard time.

My vehicle was hit with a large IED while conducting route clearance operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. I suffered herniated and bulging discs in my low back and neck along with mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI).  (Just because they say its mild doesn’t mean there are no lasting effects.)

Due to my injuries I have issues with intermittent numbness, tingling and swelling in both arms, both legs and memory loss issues as well. I can no longer lean forward on the handle bars of a normal bicycle, and don’t really have an area close by to ride a recumbent bike. I’ve had surgeries on my neck, elbows, and wrists to help alleviate some of the issues, but the constant pain will never go away. 

 
During an event for wounded Veterans I was introduced to kayaking as an alternative exercise. After kayaking several times over varying distances and time, I was hooked. Kayaking to me is very relaxing and I’ve learned that while kayaking when I start having issues I can just sit (relax) while slowly gliding along watching wild life.

My wife and I rented kayaks over a weekend to see if she would enjoy paddling, I am very glad that she does enjoy kayaking. We both enjoy the scenery that most people don’t get to see up close.

The headwaters of the Columbia are from Columbia Lake in Canal Flats, British Columbia. The Columbia River runs nearly 400 miles in Canada, the rest of the river runs through Washington State and is the border between Washington and Oregon.

It seems that everyone now days has a “Bucket List”, I’m no different. One of the top items on my Bucket List is to travel along the remote, beautiful, quiet and peaceful stretches of this river.

There is a lot of wildlife along the Columbia ( many different animals) to see in their natural habitat. Hawks, Heron, Geese, Eagles and Osprey among the avian that call the river home. Also Moose, Mountain Sheep, Bear, and Elk. There are parts of the Columbia that are rarely seen except by boat or airplane, but those types of transport are noisy and disturb the animals.

I want to be able to glide down the river observing, and using photography to capture their images without disturbing their environment.

This is the route that Lewis and Clark took while exploring the Pacific Northwest. They did the trip in 30 days with canoes. I think it will take me a little longer. I have a book written by someone who has already made the trip. The book is the ultimate (almost) guide book about kayaking the Columbia River. The author gives information about conditions on the river to include Put In and Take Out locations, lodging, where there are services, and if there are any services in the area, the best times of the year to paddle a specific stretch (leg) of the river.

My plan is to be able to finish all the sections of the river within 2 years.

My wife will be my support crew while I’m paddling the river, although there will be some sections that she does want to paddle with me. On those occasions we will enlist the help of her son.

 I’m not in any races on the river, my intentions are to take in as much of the environment as I can and if that means I don’t get a planned section done in one day, well I will just stay the night where I land.

I will try to post a rough schedule of days I will be on the river, and post updates as the urge grabs ahold. 

Thank you for any donations you make, you can follow my trip on my Columbia River Facebook Page. www.facebook.com/DavePaddlingtheColumbiaRiver

Feel free to send a friend request if you are interested. I will accept friend requests but will not follow you, that way I can keep the clutter down so that everyone interested can watch the journey instead of having to wade through posts that are not relevant.FaceBook page link