The Challenge of Dreaming Big
The Challenge of Dreaming Big
by Alton Chewning
a Carolina Paddler article
Go simple, go solo, go now. -Audrey Sutherland
∞ Have you ever dreamed big? Something you’d really like to do but you realize it’s maybe too ambitious, too difficult for you. Maybe later. Next year. When the time is right.
For paddlers, the big goal can be training for a race, or getting ready for some big, scary water, or it can be a trip. A long trip.
Two members of the CCC have an itch to do something big this summer. Long trips with lots of logistics and physical demands. Their trips are similar in ways but the differences are many. One thing they share is… a complete dedication to getting the trip started.
Backgrounds
Each of our adventurers were born in another country. Matt Czajkowski’s father is from Ukraine, his mother from England. They came here when Matt was seven. Ilia Smirnov and his mother immigrated to the United States from Russia when he was a teen. Despite their origins, our subjects are as American as apple pie… or baseball.
Ilia spent his college days at Appalachian State University, where he met Megan, now his spouse. They moved to the Raleigh area, near her folks. When Megan and Ilia began a family, they started thinking about restructuring their lives. Ilia had a steady corporate job, working as a computer programmer. Megan decided to leave her day job to concentrate on the child on the way. She wanted a small business to run though, one requiring only a couple of days a week.
The couple browsed Craig’s List for an appropriate small business. A post caught their eyes: a canoe outfitter in Lillington, NC, on the Cape Fear River. Sounded interesting. Fairly close to their home. Neither Megan nor Ilia had much experience with canoes or kayaks. A paddle trip or two as kids. After meeting with the owner, the couple decided to give the business a try. A second meeting at the riverside location of the business closed the deal. As they were driving past the stored boats of their new enterprise, Ilia asked Megan, “Which ones are the canoes and which ones are the kayaks?”
They soon learned the difference between canoes and kayaks. The business side took longer. The first year was difficult with many rained-out weekends. Their sole employee made more money than they did. Ilia continued his weekday programming job and they hoped for better times.
Gradually the family and the business grew; three children and an efficient staff made life more predictable. Ilia started itching for a challenge. He left his computer job.
∞∞
Matt Czajkowski had many experiences around water growing up. His English grandfather rowed and coached at the Weybridge Rowing Club on the Thames. During his college days in Boston, Matt served as the coxswain on the university rowing team. The cox or coxswain sits in the stern of a racing shell, controlling the rudder and setting the pace and strategies for the rowers.
After college, Matt continued to row and sail, sometimes participating in races on the Charles River in Boston. A Navy career followed college and Matt became a navigator on specialized cruisers and destroyers. He learned navigation by sextant and dead reckoning to supplement the marvels of marine electronics.
Later, banking became Matt’s career and led him on many paths. Eventually when the flurry of work, family and public involvement calmed down, Matt turned to kayaking, joining the CCC and learning to paddle whitewater rivers.
The Inspiration
Czajkowski had been mulling over an expedition for a long time. The idea was to tour major league baseball parks by boat. He’s not the first to follow a water trail of stadiums. Several websites are dedicated to boating from one baseball harbor to another. Almost all the tours are done by motorboat.
Years ago, Matt and his family set out in a Bertram cruiser to visit part of the baseball-by-boat circuit. The enthusiasm for the trip was mostly Matt’s, not as much for the rest of household. When early mechanical problems sidelined their voyage, Matt called it off. The trip was sent into the off-season, perhaps never to see another opening day.
Much later Matt was at the Carolina Canoe Club’s Week of Rivers in 2025. The CCC had invited a documentary film team to talk about their project, River Warrior. The film centered on Ann Rose, a farmer and free spirit from Lansing, North Carolina. Ann had her own personal mission, her own songline to follow. Starting in July of 2024, Ann paddled and pedaled a Hobie kayak from the creek near her home in Lansing to the New River, then the Kanawha, the Ohio and finally the Mississippi River, finishing in the Delta. She covered over 1900 miles, mostly by herself.
Hearing Ann Rose talk about her journey, Matt was reinvigorated with thoughts of what his pursuit could be. After striking up a friendship with Haley Morgan, the director of River Warrior, Matt began envisioning how he could do his journey solo. Matt didn’t think he could paddle the whole way, the full circuit would take over 5000 miles. But maybe he could row it. Or better yet, row and sail in a small craft.
Ilia Smirnov says, “I have always been drawn to adventure, challenges, and the unknown.”
Ilia was reading a book, The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. The author mentioned a term, “misogi.” It refers to an extreme personal challenge with a high probability of failure. Misogi originated as a Japanese Shinto practice of ritual cleansing of mind, body and spirit. The misogi has been westernized into the “the Misogi Challenge.” The idea is to break out of your standard routine by doing something so novel and difficult that you could very well fail in the attempt. Experiencing extreme discomfort is part of the transformation. The misogi leaves the practitioner with a new respect for their capabilities, their resilience and their acceptance of possible failure–in short, a new confidence.
Ilia had been down the misogi path before. Smirnov is a strong paddler who’s grown quickly from novice to expert. From fumbling on the Cape Fear to rumbling and tumbling on the Upper Gauley. Ilia heard about the Green Narrows Race near Saluda, NC. The Green Race, held yearly in November, is considered one of the most difficult whitewater races in the world. In four-plus minutes the Green packs eight Class V rapids among an equal number of Class IVs. Near the end, when paddlers are exhausted from constant action and hasty reaction, the hardest rapids loom ahead–three Class V+s. The most famous is Gorilla, a notch followed by a vertical flume of water pounding down a rock face and into a wall and then another drop. If this cylinder of rock and water doesn’t claim the paddler, the next rapid is more difficult and dangerous. Sunshine, just ahead, is a 14 foot drop where paddlers must bullseye a narrow pool or else splat onto a back-breaking, jagged table rock.
Ilia trained for a month before the race, making the long drives to Saluda to catch the water releases used to energize the river. He admits he needed more practice time, particularly since he was using a long-boat. The race can be ran in short whitewater kayaks but to have a chance to win, paddlers must use twelve foot boats–faster, but more difficult to coerce into pin-point turns and pivots.
Ilia felt strong at the start of the race. The challenging Go Left rapid is an obelisk of stone dividing the river into narrow chutes. Take the difficult left fork and you’ll go faster–if you don’t pin. Ilia cleared Go Left but was tiring. A few more hard rapids and then Gorilla ahead, flexing its muscles. Racers are in a different world. Many accomplished paddlers would try to finish this course with minimal injury and call it a good day. Racers want to go fast.
Ilia topped Gorilla, dropped into the firehose tunnel and flipped in the chaos of Speed Trap below. “I was gassed, completely gassed. As I was preparing to roll, I dragged my paddle over the bedrock for a split moment. The moment was enough to pop my shoulder out.” His shoulder was dislocated but he still managed to roll up. A moment passed and he was in Scream Machine, the lower drop of Gorilla. His line was bad and the hole grabbed him, forcing a swim.
The Green Race is highly organized and daring rescuers are standing by to aid paddlers in trouble. Several rescuers entered the water or stood by with ropes to help Ilia. His rescue wasn’t easy, taking twenty minutes or more. The timed racers continue to come down every few minutes. Rescuers have to avoid creating more hazards for oncoming racers. This is one of the most difficult places in the world to rescue paddlers and on this day, one of the most congested.
Ilia was rescued and a doctor among the spectators reset his shoulder on the river bank. His pursuit of the Green Race had ended for now. A DNF was placed by his name on the race results, Did Not Finish. This had been a pursuit with “a strong possibility of failure.” Ilia left with thwarted hopes and a bum shoulder.
Ilia doesn’t give up easily. He vowed to get back in the race again. Spend more time training on the Green. Build up his knowledge of the little intricacies of the run and the places to gain seconds. He would be back.
Then in September, 2024, Hurricane Helene came and washed away the dreams of many. The dam at the top of the Green was rendered inoperable. Roads and accesses were blighted. There would be no scheduled releases for a long time. No Green Race in 2024.
∞∞
Czakowski has tackled some challenges. He shared, “Rowing in the Head of the Charles the first time was a challenge but it wasn’t a multi-month event. I have cycled across North Carolina and completed the Assault on Mt Mitchell but never had an undertaking of this length.”
After the 2025 Week of Rivers, Czajkowski began looking for the right boat to use to float his dream. He was 76 years old and if he was going to tackle something big, now was the time to do it. Matt happened on an advertisement for the boat he was dreaming of. Small, dependable, capable of rowing and sailing, with a sleeping cabin for one person. He went to Colorado to check it out.
The boat was an Angus Row Cruiser, a very special version of the proven rower design but also carrying sails. The Angus could handle tight, inshore water or open coastal expanses. Rigged as a ketch, with two sails, the boat could be sailed up to 11 or 12 knots and rowed at 4 knots. Camping spots in many coastals areas are few and far between. The sleeping cabin allowed mooring off from shore in coves or near protected areas. This boat could work for the expedition.
∞∞
Ilia’s hope of a return match with Green Narrows were stymied, at least for a while. He devoted his time to expanding the outfitting business and preparing to lead commercial trips in Chile and Colorado. Ilia and a small group, including his wife, Megan, and their three children: Harrison, Charlotte and Lucas, had made a Grand Canyon trip the year before. Another winter GC trip was in the works when Ilia received a surprise email. The park service note said two December trips had opened up for the Grand Canyon. The first two people to respond could have a trip permit. Ilia was third but when one dropped out, Ilia had a permit. There were a few difficulties. No one Ilia knew was in a position to go. Mostly because the trip permit specified a start time nine days away.
Ilia would go it alone. Scrambling to gather suitable gear and supplies, make business and family arrangements and weave in another obligatory trip, he was soon driving to Colorado.
The nine days and over 225 miles spent on the Colorado were full and embracing. Ilia paddling at his own pace, cramming many of the bigger rapids into one 30+ mile day. His preparations were thorough and his skills and body were up to the tasks. Even the usually frigid weather accomodated him with agreeable temperatures. The Grand Canyon solo was his second misogi and this time fate tilted the balance in his favor. DNF now meant, Did Not Fail. Cleansed, purifed… ready for more.
Paddling the entire Mississippi enticed him. Could he do it?
The Mission Objectives
Matt Czazkowski: “Travel by water approximately 5,500 miles on the coastal and inland waterways of the Eastern US and visit the 18 major league ballparks accessible by water. The trip will start in Washington DC, From there I will travel up the East Coast stopping at ballparks along the way and ending in Boston. I return to New York and travel up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal and into the Great Lakes and then down to Pittsburgh via Barcelona NY. Then, up to Cleveland and back into Lake Erie and start the leg taking me to Chicago via Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. From Chicago I will travel to Minneapolis and then down the Missouri to Kansas City. The route will take me through St Louis and Cincinnati. The final long stretch is down the Mississippi and the Tom Bigbee Canal to the Gulf, Tampa and Miami. The trip will run until the last regular season game of the season on September 27th in Miami – a period of 161 days.”
Ilia Smirnov: Paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River. “I will start at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and end at mile 0 in the Gulf of Mexico, over 100 miles past New Orleans and 20 past Venice, the last accessible point on the river by vehicle.”
Ilia is paddling solo, traveling as fast as he can with a small land support team, a one person canoe and whatever beneficial current the river provides.
Ilia shared, “At first, it simply seemed like a fascinating experience—and a serious challenge. I purchased a full map of the river and hung it in my office as a constant reminder of this ambitious goal. Later, I learned that a Guinness World Record for a male solo descent had not been established.
So, the goals are set for their journeys. They both understand the objectives are difficult and by no means a sure thing. What is important is to try. To give it a go.
Secondary Goals
Both Matt and Ilia want to use their personal missions as a springboard for raising money for deserving causes. Besides being the right thing to do, it also helps take some of the “it’s all about me” quality off the trips.
Yes, they would each like the feeling of accomplishment of completing their missions, or at least giving it a darn good try. And yes, a little notoreity can be an uplifting feeling. Still, they are mature, well adjusted members of society who have already accomplished much in their time on the spinning orb. These trips are for cleansing of spirit and purpose but also to help others.
Matt still has strong connections to Ukraine. The conflict with Russia has brought many emotions and memories to the surface. Matt’s wife, Jill, went to Ukraine early in the war to help displaced families. Because of the many ties, Matt chose Voices of Children to be the organization he’s supporting through this trip.
Voices of Children has been working over ten years to provide educational and psychological support for the youth in Ukraine and their families. The children are remarkably resilient but they need a helping hand with supplies, guidance, workshops and camps.
-Ilia and Megan Smirnov have built a solid business on the Cape Fear River. They have worked hard and they have been fortunate to have the support of their staff and the community. The Cape Fear has been the lifeblood of their business and they want to protect it and help people love and respect it. Ilia chose three organizations to support, ones whose missions are to speak up for rivers:
On the national scale, American Whitewater, has been the primary national advocate for rivers and paddlers’ rights.
Regionally, the Cape Fear River Watch is part of the national association of river advocates. The CFRW protects and promotes the Cape Fear and other rivers in this vast basin.
The Deep River Park Association is a small group of concerned citizens who maintain the parks and facilities at several accesses along the Deep.
Matt and Ilia hope you’ll contribute to these organizations in some meaningful way. The scope of their work goes from emptying trashcans on a local river to helping wounded, traumatized children in a part of the world far away. Information on how to participate is available on their websites.
Anyone attempting journeys of this length and scope will have trepidations. Matt and Ilia address this:
Matt: “Another objective–which is deeply personal–is to confront fear. I have always been plagued with anxiety. The immediate flight to worst case scenario. Believing I could not handle it. I have managed this over the course of my life but I am hoping that when I complete the trip I have changed that. It is, in fact, the most significant experiment of the voyage.”
Ilia: “I cannot conquer the river. I can only conquer my fear.”
The Vessels and the Gear.
By what noble steeds would our knights of the whitewater be carried on their lofty quests? Matt learned his lesson with the Bertram and the aborted tour. No motorized vessel, no stink pot, to soil his hands or foul his air. He would go with wind and waves, the sail and the oars.
The Angus Row Cruiser would be his chariot. Angus does not make the boat, Angus sells the plans and provides the support. Users make their own boat from the plans. The design is proven, the boat doing well in competitions like the Race to Alaska and the Everglades Challenge.
Matt saw several advantages in the boat. It’s actually called a “camping cruiser.” A small cabin provides weathertight sleeping quarters for the one person crew. This option gives him flexibility in planning his stops. Wherever he could prudently anchor, he could sleep.
A small galley can be set up on deck, allowing the crew to cook and dine al fresco. Of course, cooking on any boat is subject to the whims of the winds and waves but this option provides an occasional respite from cold food.
The boat can be rowed from the sliding seat. The oars are roughly ten feet long and mounted to a v-bracket. Oars and sails can be used at the same time to increase speed in suitable conditions.
The original design was propelled by oars alone. The version Matt owns is complete with two masts and sails, rigged in a ketch fashion. The ketch design uses a taller main mast up front and a shorter mizzen mast in the rear. This boat differs in the ketch design since both masts are roughly the same height. The reason lies behind the fact small boat designers and builders are a resourceful lot.
The Angus boat uses sails made for Hobie sailboats and catamarans. The Hobie sail conveniently wrap around the mast and can be hauled or reefed quickly with a cable near the rower’s seat. The Hobie sail comes in one size and so both masts on this ketch are the same height.
The cruiser uses two items for stability and steering. A dagger board drops into a slot and works like a keel to maintain the boat’s direction and stability. The dagger board can be raised and removed when beaching the boat.
The stern rudder is controlled by a rod from the rower’s position and can also be raised and lowered. Of course, just like in paddling, the rower can direct the boat with strokes.
Another critical feature of the sailing version of the Angus are the outriggers. Angus calls the outriggers, “planing amas.” While the amas have compartments in them and could be used to store very lightweight gear, their primary duty is to skim the top of the water, not to submerge. Matt has added to their buoyancy by installing airbags in the amas, adding to the safety factor. The cross pieces holding the amas are called akas. The words amas and akas are Polynesian in origin. Hobie also uses these terms.
The akas are wooden and hollow, to help with weight and buoyancy. They attach to the outriggers by simple straps. If an outrigger needs to be removed for some reason, like righting an overturned boat, the akas and amas can quickly be disassembled and later reattached.
Finally, Matt pondered… what to call his fetching ketch? A word spoke to him, one reflecting his hopes and determination…. Tenacity.
∞∞
Ilia had his own hull-searching to find the right boat to paddle 2500 miles. He wanted to go fast so it meant something long, say, 18 feet. It should be slim and lightweight. He wouldn’t be carrying it much but he wanted a hull that would glide over the water.
Smirnov mentioned his plans to a paddling friend. The friend advised, “You should definitely use a surfski.” Ilia replied, “What is a surfski?”
Ilia dived in and purchased a Stellar E18S. The Stellar surfs had many of the attributes Ilia wanted: speed, stability, storage. And it was so different from what he was used to paddling. “The experience was incredible—transitioning from playful whitewater boats that can’t track straight to an elite craft that glides effortlessly across the water.”
The romance quickly subsided. The seating position was limited. Since the surfski is an open boat, rolling was not an option, even with braces. The full body exposure of the surfski became less and less enticing. Waves crashing over Ilia all day. The sun baking him. Like a single person at a party, Ilia would look around for other dance partners.
The next love affair was Epic. Long, lanky, blindingly white, the Epic 18x was tempting. Built for speed, with a waist, eh, beam of 20″, the Epic could make time. Hull speed of 8 or 9 mph. And the boat could roll.
Again, after a few crazy, fun-filled days, the Epic spree wore off. Part of the problem lies with Ilia.
Ilia was suffering and the first boats weren’t helping. Ilia had leg pain. It’s an on again/off again condition but one that couldn’t be ignored by spending twelve hours a day for several weeks in a relationship with a confining boat.
Ilia was getting treatment for the leg. After visiting several doctors, some CCC members directed him to UNC Orthopedics. Through treatment there the pain was lessening but putting himself in a tight ship for weeks on end would certainly aggravate what pain he had. Ilia needed options.
And then a stranger made an offer, “Take my boat. Please, take my boat.” And that’s how the marriage started. In the course of learning more about the Mississippi and the racing culture around high performance canoes, Ilia stumbled into Scott Duffus. After hearing of Ilia’s plans for going fast on a Mississippi through paddle, Scott offered up his boat.
This boat was made for the trip. A Wenonah Voyager 18ft. solo expedition canoe, made of inky black graphite that allows it to weigh in at a petite 34lbs. The beam is narrow for a canoe, 21.5″ in the waist, flaring to 28.5 in the hips, a tumblehome to take home.
The curvy waterline and the narrow cockpit, three separate spray skirts, built-in floatation at bow and stern were much to like. The canoe is sleek and can handle the waves and heavy weather. Since adding air bags and an electric pump, Ilia believes he can roll the canoe. Good thing.The barges of the Mississippi might give him the chance.
What else to love? Scott Duffus was obviously invested in this boat. Every detail is thoughtfully chosen. The little brackets and just-right knobs for lines and lights. The foot-controlled rudder, the 3-piece skirt with robust attachment points. The lights, the electronics. The canoe was built with love and attention,
Best of all the canoe gives Ilia the option of different positions. Sitting high on his butt, sitting low, on his knees, single or double blade. Any trip this long and arduous will involve pain. Hey, wasn’t this one point of a misogi challenge? Exposure to discomfort?
Ilia hasn’t determined the hull speed of the canoe. Hull speed is the maximum possible speed allowed by the design of a boat. He hopes he can maintain 4 mph for twelve hours a day. The total distance is 2,340 miles. Anyone good at math?
The paddles are an important part of Ilia’s tool kit. After all he’s throwing hundreds of thousands of strokes, pulling the trim 250lbs. of paddler, boat and gear through the water. Best of all, the canoe allows flexibility in paddling. He can use a short single blade canoe paddle or a longer double bladed kayak paddle. After experimenting with a wing kayak paddle, frequently used in racing because of the aggressive catch, he opted not to wing it. Yes, he needed a blade style that allowed fast paddling and good catch but was it also good at bracing and various stroke styles? He decided to go with a new Aqua Bound Tetra carbon foam core paddle. A two piece with adjustable feathering and 220-230mm length. It’s very lightweight (22 ounces) but nothing like the ZRE canoe paddle he’s using. The ZRE weighs a mere 8.5 ounces.
Boats need names. At least boats you spend this much time with. So, what does Ilia call this borrowed beauty? What pet name suits a water diva that is long, black, sleek, fast and hopefully, forgiving?
Ilia chose, “Uncomfortable.”
Safety
Another facet of the misogi challenge is “It shouldn’t kill you.” Safety is important. It’s hard to be cleansed and purified if you’re dead.
Matt and Ilia are taking saftely seriously. As a first line of defense, both plan to wear a PFD the entire time on the water. With so many repeated motions of paddling and rowing, there will be a temptation to remove the PFD’s to ease the friction and heat from wearing them. They are aware of the sudden danger of being capsized or thrown overboard. They may choose to wear their PFDs a little looser than normal but otherwise it will be standard practice to keep the life vest on.
Matt is also toying with the idea of wearing a safety tether or using safety lines on his boat, perimeter lines for grabbing or attaching a short tether. He’ll need to stand and move about the ketch to adjust sails and other equipment. In calm water this is not a hazard but in wind and bucking waves, the degree of difficulty and danger increases greatly.
Neither paddler will wear helmets, although they may carry one. Weather protection from hats is more important with the hours spent under the relentless sun and beating rain (if it ever rains again.)
Ilia and Matt are both using electronics for safety. A base line complement is the ever present cellular phone, perhaps a second phone for photography and as a spare.
Matt will have an EPIRB (for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). The beacon can be manually or automatically activated alerting authorities and giving a pinpoint location. They are typically worn on the PFD. He will also have an emergency strobe light attached to his vest.
Ilia has a Garmin handheld GPS and a watch. They have the ability to send out emergency signals and texts.
Ilia’s canoe has an AIS (Automatic Identification System) radar on his canoe, installed by the owner. The AIS a maritime system that sends out extensive information from a vessel, including location and speed. With this, Ilia will know of barges and tugs within a 20 mile radius of him. They will not see him on their AIS. He could have that capability but chose to avoid the expense. It’s unlikely barges would be much concerned with looking for little blips of canoes. In any case, barges require several miles to stop and can’t change directions very easily. Furthermore, a barge pilot can’t see anything in front of the bow, for a distance of several hundred yards. Containers and barge superstructure block the view. When it comes to barges, it is up to the paddler to stay out of the way of them.
Barges present other challenges. They throw intimidating wakes, sometimes as high at ten feet. Barges cross each other, some going south and others north. When this happens the available width of the river narrows, giving small boaters less space to practice avoidance. The barge waves cross in chaotic patterns unsettling the water.
Ilia and Matt share one challenge–where to pull over for the night? The further south Ilia travels on the Mississippi the more limited the camping spaces become. Even connecting with his support team can be difficult when access points are over a hundred miles apart.
For Matt much coastal land is private. If wind, tides or exhaustion throw him off schedule, finding a place to ride out the night could be difficult. Matt is also concerned with the outrigger design of his boat. The pontoons make getting into and securing to a berth a challenge. And while durable, his rower is made of 1/4″ marine plywood with a skin of fiberglass and epoxy. Sturdy but not made for slamming into structures or repeated abrasions from barnacles.
For night travel, Ilia and Matt have all the required lighits, port and starboard and bright forward lights. Their reliance on electronics and lighting systems requires ample battery capacity. Ilia’s support team will charge his batteries and switch then out when they rendezvous. Matt has a large capacity main battery which he’ll charge at marinas or other layover points.
Support
Ilia will have a small support crew assisting him throughout the attempt. Ilia says, “The team will consist of my friend Anna and her sister Alise, who will join us for part of the journey. They will be traveling in an RV while I paddle, allowing me to focus fully on performance and recovery. The support crew will provide access to food, water, gear, and essential equipment, enabling efficient resupply and helping me keep the boat as light as possible. We plan to meet every one to three days to resupply and reset.”
In many ways the job of the support crew is equally difficult. They have to keep up with Ilia through sometimes uncertain communications. To anticipate possible meeting places he and they can reach. To stay ready with supplies, perhaps some cooked meals. To be able to deal with spontaneous needs of a medical, electronic or boating nature. To communicate with authorities and the various helpful River Angels who support through paddlers on the river.
The Mississippi River Angels maintain a robust FB page. Other groups do similar citizen support of long distance paddlers. Ann Rose, the NC distance paddler, was helped by the Cajun Navy as she neared the Delta.
Matt’s support base is different. His route, which is elaborate, has seen motorboat traffic but there isn’t a support culture for paddlers or rowers that he is aware of. He feels as he starts his peregrinations, he’ll learn of groups who aid wandering boaters.
Each of the guys will have a small social media presence. Ilia will do an occasional video blog and doubtless Matt will do something similar. Each has online maps that show their current location.
Although Ilia’s and Matt’s trips are not specifically designed around the misogi concept, there are a couple of guidelines they are following. The deemphasis on self, on personal achievement, is one. Another is keeping a modest social media presence.
That said, they do have links where you can learn more about the trips and how to support the organizations they endorse, shown below.
Starting
Ilia is going to Minnesota at the end of April. He plans to spend a few days scouting the difficult Head Waters. Lakes could still be iced over. The snow pack was smaller this year so the ice could be breaking up. Lake Winnekeboska is the biggest concern.
The many braids of water on the upper river could be choked with trees from heavy storms in the spring of 2025. Ilia plans to take a small kayak and a chainsaw. He’ll use a drone to look at paths and obstructions and do what he can to avoid or remove them. On or about May 1, he’ll climb into the good canoe, Uncomfortable, and start paddling. Ilia says, “If I make it to my first day on the water, this idea will be a success.”
Matt’s journey is started. The first stop was Washington’s Nationals Park on April 19. With him on the big screen is Voices of Children staffer, Sarah Slimp, who moved to Kyiv three years ago after graduating college.
Matt’s wife, Jill, joins Sarah and Matt is celebrating the Nats’ 3-0 victory. Off to a good start!
Learn more about Matt’s journey and opportunities to contribute and participate:
FB “Baseballbyboat” page, Instagram @mattbaseballbyboat”, you tube “Baseballbyboat” and www.baseballbyboat.com
Ilia just posted this. He can also be followed by linker.ee.capefear
Carolina Paddler will continue to follow the journeys of our water ramblers.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.