Paraplegic takes on river; Paddle Georgia draws 300 boaters

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June 22, 2009

Paraplegic takes on river; Paddle Georgia draws 300 boaters

Mark Millican The Dalton Daily Citizen Mon Jun 22, 2009, 08:02 PM EDT

Having grown up on a lake and around the rivers of Rome, paddling a boat seemed to come natural for Alan Crawford.

But after an MRI scan four years ago detected sarcoidosis — an inflammation that produces tiny lumps of cells — in his lungs, Crawford found himself watching from the river bank as others launched their boats on the same trips he used to take.

“It spread to my spine and nervous system, and I became paralyzed from the waist down,” the 43-year-old said Monday on the third day of Paddle Georgia, an eight-day canoe and kayak trip sponsored by the Georgia River Network, a citizens watchdog and awareness organization. “Now I have leukemia, but I didn’t want to give (paddling) up. So I went home (after a launch) and started doodling — drawing up little ways I might be able to get my boat through the rough terrain to the river.”

The sketches developed into what he calls his “crawler,” a mobile buggy that gets him and his kayak down river banks. Special hard rubber, waterproof wheelchair wheels ordered from California carry his kayak, and a fifth wheel helps him maneuver himself into the water.

Crawford said since his rebirth as a paddler, the thing he enjoys most on trips like Paddle Georgia is what he once took for granted — seeing people enjoying the river.

“It’s like a brotherhood and sisterhood out here,” he said, waiting his turn to join the aquatic entourage. “You make a lot of new friends.”

That didn’t seem to be a problem for any of the 300 canoeists and kayakers who departed from the spillway of the reregulation dam below Carters Lake Monday morning, where the Coosawattee River begins anew after dumping into the reservoir on the Gilmer County side. A camaraderie of shared adventure filled the air as sunscreen and bug repellent were slapped on and broad-brimmed hats were donned.

“This has been fabulous,” said Kris Cutright of Macon. “This is the best, most well-run, well-organized (trip) I have ever participated in. To know they do this with 300 people is amazing. You never have to worry about getting into trouble, because there’s always someone there to help you out.”

That’s by design, said April Ingle, the network’s executive director.

“We have a safety briefing on the first night and go over the hazards,” she said. “We also have boats with red crosses on them that show there are medically trained people on board.”

Eleven-year-old Jacob Cavender of Monticello is in a three-person canoe with his uncle and aunt, David and Victoria Fairley of Kennesaw.

“The part I liked best was coming through the rapids,” he said of a section below Ellijay. Jacob is documenting the trip for his family back home with a video camera.

Parrie Pinyan of Hickory Flats will celebrate her 70th birthday on Saturday when the trip finishes in Rome.

“All we have to do is paddle,” she said. “They do everything else for us. You can’t help but have fun on the water.”

Highlights of the trip have included seeing a black bear, a bald eagle and numerous waterfowl. During their 10-mile leg on Monday, participants were to stop at an organic farm and also the archaeological site of a Creek Indian village. High schools provide bivouac sites along the route.

To follow the Paddle Georgia trip this week on the Coosawattee and Oostanaula rivers, go to www.garivers.org and click on the “Jessica Lindberg blogs” link.

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Paraplegic takes on river; Paddle Georgia draws 300 boaters

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