Sometimes wanderlust starts like this. . .
I got up this morning and poured my first cup of coffee. Off a stack of old paddling magazines I grabbed the June 2007 issue of Canoe Focus which is published by the BCU. Flipping through the pages I stopped at a gray 2 page spread featuring part three of an article by Phil Clegg about the record 80 day circumnavigation of Great Britain he did with Barry Shaw & Harry Whelan in 2005. My eye was drawn to this bit;
“The strain was starting to tell on our bodies. Harry took only six days of resting recovery after dislocating his shoulder and was paddling phenomenally well. He had to adapt his paddling style to cope and his body was showing it, muscle around his damaged shoulder was wasting away as he tried to favour his good side throwing out the symmetry in his body and his stroke. In addition the pain was causing him to lose sleep and he was taking painkillers that would knock out a horse. Barry was suffering with suspected stomach ulcers and had lost weight that he could ill afford. His back was also causing problems and carrying the heavily laden boats was a big issue. . .” – phil clegg
I had visions of my time in PR when after injuring my ribs, I would eat acetaminophen and wince every time I put the paddle in the water. I thought, “Yikes Phil, you’re the man!”.
I remembered writing about this expedition in a past blog, but I couldn’t remember the year. So of course I came back to my office to find out. A quick search brought me to a lost page on the old SeaKayakingUK.com website. They started in May. May, 2005. On the page was a link to an interview with Barry Shaw. Barry was interviewed by Simon Willis who as you know has been producing amazing podcasts. “That’s Right!” I remembered I’d been wanting to do a write up here about Simon. That would have to come another day.
Suddenly I had a loose idea of what I wanted to write about. I was thinking spending a bit more time talking about Barry Shaw might be a great idea considering he and Justine Curgenven are planning to attempt to circumnavigate the South Island of New Zealand soon. Ok, then.
So as is my habit when I work on my blogs each day I opened my photo collection in a really cool program called, Adobe bridge which works like a file browser and light box all in one. I thought maybe I’d find a picture from Wales today. For some reason the image above, one I took while standing on South Stack, caught my attention. It was nothing really. Just some rocky cliffs heading out into the north Atlantic.
I remembered that day. I had taken the day off from the symposium and took my little rented Vauxhall Astra up the winding road along the cliffs. I really had no idea where I was going other than I was trying to soak in that I had finally actually made it to the UK. A dream since I was 14. The little road was just a single lane, walled in on either side by stone fence rows. If you met a car along the way, you, or the other driver would have to back up until you found a little spot where you could get over just enough for the other to go by. Eventually by taking every left turn, I ended up at South Stack.
Staring at the image on my screen, I began to feel a bit sad. I thought how nice it would be to be there right now, working my way around that low head. I thought to myself, “I wonder what it would take to get around Great Britain in 79 days!?” I thought of the work load I have to meet today and noticed the chill of the cold Wisconsin morning. Wanderlust was gnawing at me. I realized the line of loose thoughts that had brought me here. In my head I heard Jethro Tull’s “Skating Away”.
Funny the places your mind goes. I opened my browser and began to write.
- More Pictures of Wales? Check out my Wales Gallery
Below you can watch and listen to Jethro Tull
won’t you turn your head once more — and make your peace with everyone?
For those who choose to stay,
will live just one more day —
to do the things they should have done.
And as you cross the wilderness, spinning in your emptiness:
you feel you have to pray.
Looking for a sign
that the Universal Mind has written you into the Passion Play.
Skating away – Skating away – Skating away
Skating away on the thin ice of the New Day.
- tull
I got up this morning and poured my first cup of coffee. Off a stack of old paddling magazines I grabbed the June 2007 issue of Canoe Focus which is published by the BCU. Flipping through the pages I stopped at a gray 2 page spread featuring part three of an article by Phil Clegg about the record 80 day circumnavigation of Great Britain he did with Barry Shaw & Harry Whelan in 2005. My eye was drawn to this bit;
“The strain was starting to tell on our bodies. Harry took only six days of resting recovery after dislocating his shoulder and was paddling phenomenally well. He had to adapt his paddling style to cope and his body was showing it, muscle around his damaged shoulder was wasting away as he tried to favour his good side throwing out the symmetry in his body and his stroke. In addition the pain was causing him to lose sleep and he was taking painkillers that would knock out a horse. Barry was suffering with suspected stomach ulcers and had lost weight that he could ill afford. His back was also causing problems and carrying the heavily laden boats was a big issue. . .” – phil clegg
I had visions of my time in PR when after injuring my ribs, I would eat acetaminophen and wince every time I put the paddle in the water. I thought, “Yikes Phil, you’re the man!”.
I remembered writing about this expedition in a past blog, but I couldn’t remember the year. So of course I came back to my office to find out. A quick search brought me to a lost page on the old SeaKayakingUK.com website. They started in May. May, 2005. On the page was a link to an interview with Barry Shaw. Barry was interviewed by Simon Willis who as you know has been producing amazing podcasts. “That’s Right!” I remembered I’d been wanting to do a write up here about Simon. That would have to come another day.
Suddenly I had a loose idea of what I wanted to write about. I was thinking spending a bit more time talking about Barry Shaw might be a great idea considering he and Justine Curgenven are planning to attempt to circumnavigate the South Island of New Zealand soon. Ok, then.
So as is my habit when I work on my blogs each day I opened my photo collection in a really cool program called, Adobe bridge which works like a file browser and light box all in one. I thought maybe I’d find a picture from Wales today. For some reason the image above, one I took while standing on South Stack, caught my attention. It was nothing really. Just some rocky cliffs heading out into the north Atlantic.
I remembered that day. I had taken the day off from the symposium and took my little rented Vauxhall Astra up the winding road along the cliffs. I really had no idea where I was going other than I was trying to soak in that I had finally actually made it to the UK. A dream since I was 14. The little road was just a single lane, walled in on either side by stone fence rows. If you met a car along the way, you, or the other driver would have to back up until you found a little spot where you could get over just enough for the other to go by. Eventually by taking every left turn, I ended up at South Stack.
Staring at the image on my screen, I began to feel a bit sad. I thought how nice it would be to be there right now, working my way around that low head. I thought to myself, “I wonder what it would take to get around Great Britain in 79 days!?” I thought of the work load I have to meet today and noticed the chill of the cold Wisconsin morning. Wanderlust was gnawing at me. I realized the line of loose thoughts that had brought me here. In my head I heard Jethro Tull’s “Skating Away”.
Funny the places your mind goes. I opened my browser and began to write.
- More Pictures of Wales? Check out my Wales Gallery