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The trip of a lifetime for Daniel Robison and David Heath of DeBary
By Pat Hatfield
posted Mar 20, 2009 - 6:11:41pm
UPDATE TUESDAY, MARCH 24: Daniel Robison is expected to reach the end of his river run at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville this afternoon. He will become the known record holder, making the 310-mile trip the length of the St. Johns River in just 9 days. The previous record was 11 days, set in December.
David Heath was forced to drop out of the competition a few days ago. The physical demands of all-day kayaking caused an old injury to the rotator cuff in his shoulder to flare up.
Heath has been cheering on his friend Robison.
Read more at their Web site, The Riverbluff League.
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Daniel Robison and David Heath have an affinity for the river, for kayaking and canoeing and camping along river banks. They are passionate in their love for the 310-stretch of the St. Johns.
That passion is being turned in to a kayaking trip they will remember for the rest of their lives: kayaking the entire length of the river in one trip.
The friends began their trip in the dark, early-morning hours of Monday, March 16, when DeBaryite Jay Erndl drove the pair and their equipment to Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County. That's at the southern, and beginning end, of the north-flowing St. Johns. They expect to complete their trip around March 24, at Huguenot Beach in Jacksonville some 310 miles later and nine days later.
They made it back to Highbanks Marina March 19, where they enjoyed a home cooked meal. They expected to spend the night Friday, March 20, at Lake George.
The two talked to The Beacon about their trip March 12, as they prepared for their adventure at the Erndl home in DeBary, where Heath lives. They two were packing up camping gear and supplies, some of which were donated to them by the St. Johns Riverkeeper organization.
Riverkeeper Executive Director Jimmy Orth said, " Only a handful of kayakers have ever even paddled the entire length of the river."
Robison and Heath are making good enough time to beat the known record of 11 days, completed by Seth Dent and Keith Legette in December.
Robison said of the trip, "It's like a personal challenge."
The pair want to beat the previously known record of 11 days to complete the kayak run of the river.
Heath said all of their previous experience prepared them for the journey.
Robison just completed college at University of North Florida at Jacksonville. He's moving back to the DeBary. He will soon get married.
Heath just completed his high-school studies at DeLand High School, and is preparing for graduation.
Both belong to a loose association of river lovers Robison founded, called the Riverbluff League. The group, "a loose coalition," Robison said, slowly developed among people who love experiencing the river. The group's rules include no alcohol and no drugs. Respect for the river is a must.
Heath and Robison have been posting their journey's progress online at the blog site Riverbluff League.
They want to share their appreciation of the river with others.
"We're big on giving people a personal connection with the river," Robison said. "It's a great natural resource."
He doesn't think much of plans to tap water from the St. Johns for municipal use. He said people who are working on those plans are people who don't really know the river, and see it only as a resource to be tapped, a reservoir.
Where else but on the river can you watch turtles and anhingas sunning themselves, or watch gar and gator swim the water, the pair wanted to know, or see Indian mounds as you paddle through the water?
There are lots of places you can see only by canoe or kayak. They may disappear if the river levels fall, Heath said.
Heath is often awed by the places they find, for example, an old shed the pair found after paddling through a half mile of weeds.
"You could tell nobody had been back there for years," he said.
The pair find a spiritual quality to life on the river. "You get a broader perspective," Robison said. "You may be one little person, but at the same time, you're so unique."
Heath has found an escape from life's pressures on the water.
"People on the river are real laid back and friendly," he said.
Both men knew the trip would not be just a test of their personal strength and endurance. The weather would be a gamble.
If the winds were against them, they would make slow progress. If the winds were at their back, they would make good time.
They've been making good time.
Heath's blog entry for Day 3, March 18, told the story:
"today daniel and i woke up outside of lone cabbage fish camp, hurriedly we packed up our stuff and left. shortly after leaving we made up the 7 miles that we couldnt finish the day before. with such a strong current and wind to our backs most of the time made us go pretty fast for a while with a top speed of 6.5 miles per hour."
"i dont care what anybody says. thats hauling butt for a kayak! today was nothing more than cows and a windy river. sounds pretty boring right? but with all the grass going on for miles and palm trees off in the distance it made the river much more exciting."
"kayaking into the night was very exciting after all. going through puzzle lake with nothing but a flashlight was pretty risky. but when you turned your light off there's millions of stars everywhere. in my whole life ive never seen as many stars at once than i did tonight."
This river trip of a lifetime will be one to tell to children and grandchildren yet to be born.
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