Alex Manne Paddles 310 Miles Down The Allegheny River-SUP Radio
June 18, 2013 | 
Author 
Alex Manne. Photo by JJ Imagery Miami
Hey there! This is Leslie Kolovich and joining me today is Alex Manne. On Friday June 14th he completed 310 miles down the Allegheny River in 10 days. He started this journey in Cloudersport PA as just something he wanted to see if he could do. He had been full time in the Army for 11 years, and now part time in the Army National Guard so his fitness, and understanding of survival are keen. He experienced rain and very cold temperatures, and in the beginning the river was rough with rapids, that dumped him and his gear a few times. His surf style Hobie 11’6″ SUP board got banged up, but never failed him.
One of many portages on the Allegheny River
The Allegheny River
It’s interesting to me as I talk with Alex, he really had no expectations of this trip other than starting it and finishing it. He describes for us the people that he met, the scenery, the portages, carrying his board and gear over a mile, paddling sometimes up to 50 miles a day with the river’s strong current, finding places to sleep along the banks, and then making it to Pittsburg just as he had hoped for the sunset. In this interview, you will also hear how Alex finds purpose in this paddle. It really was more than “just finishing”.
Alex pulls into Pittsburg for the sunset after 310 miles on the river!
I think his story goes along with a question I ask in my column, The Paddler’s Planet, in the The Paddler ezine, “Does paddling create passionate people or are passionate people drawn to paddling?”
It was an honor talking with Alex. What he accomplished on this river was big! You can check out his blog about this trip and see more beautiful photography of the river at http://alleghenysup.wordpress.com
His adventures do not end on the Allegheny River. Alex heads west to Seattle to meet Mt Rainer, then to British Columbia’s spectacular Tofino surf. In July Alex will also “run with the bulls” in Spain. Yes, I asked him the same question you are thinking right now. His answer, “you gotta live your life”.
Enjoy the podcast now:
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Posted in Sup Experience | 
Tags: Alex Manne, Allegheny River, Endurance paddling, leslie kolovich, Pittsburg, River Paddling, sup, sup radio show | 
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Day 900 For Planet Paddler Bob Purdy-SUP Radio
Hey there! I caught up with Bob Purdy just now as he got off the water for his 900th Paddle for the Planet!
Bob Purdy joins me at a coffee shop in Kelowna, British Columbia via Skype. He just complete day 900 of Paddling for the Planet
!
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Posted in Sup Experience | Tags: bob purdy, leslie kolovich, paddle for the planet, Stand up paddling, World Paddle For The Planet | No Comments »
Amazing Sea Turtles-The Paddler’s Planet-SUP Radio
This week on The Paddler’s Planet, it’s sea turtle nesting season along the southeast coast. Leslie and Christian talk about sea turtles and the many ways they fascinate and amaze us. That fascination creates a curiosity among many paddlers that leads to discussion about how turtles nest, their life histories, and the many threats they face in the modern world.
First of all, there are seven species of turtles that paddlers might see along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts—from the largest—the leatherback—to the smallest and rarest—the Kemp’s Ridley. The loggerhead is the most common, and nests by the thousands on south Florida beaches and all the way north to Virginia. All sea turtle species along America’s coasts are considered threatened or endangered due to a variety of threats.
The difficult path for a sea turtle begins with nesting, as a mother sea turtle must find a dark and quiet beach on which to nest—which is becoming harder and harder to find. After depositing her eggs, hatching occurs around 60 days or so later, and those hatchlings face incredible odds: Scientists estimate only between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 sea turtles makes it to adulthood.
Of course, there are always natural forces like predators that take a certain number of sea turtles. But it’s the many human influences that have dramatically reduced the number of sea turtles as they drown in nets or on fish hooks, are struck by motorboats, or are disoriented by light from buildings and roadways along our beaches.
Finally, Leslie shares her experiences with an a friend who was an assistant to Archie Carr, the most famous sea turtle researcher and advocate of all time. Tune in to this week’s SUP Radio Show to learn more about sea turtles, their life history, and the ways that we can coexist with these amazing animals. We’ll “see” you on the show!
Enjoy the podcast now:
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You can also listen on Stitcher Radio and iTunes
For more information on sea turtles visit www.conserveturtles.org
Please leave us your questions or comments we would love to hear from you!
Polar Bears And Paddle Boards, Expedition Greenland-SUP Radio
Hey there! This is Leslie Kolovich and joining me today from the United Kingdom is Adventurer Justin Miles and from Cape Town South Africa, Juliette Ball. Justin and Juliette are part of a 10 person team set for an expedition this August to be the first Stand Up Paddlers to to reach one of Greenland’s largest glaciers – Helheim Glacier. They will travel 100km up the Sermilik Fjord, on the East coast of Greenland.
Justin is a Professional adventurer. Experienced in polar, mountain, desert and jungle environments. Through illness, he has just returned from an expedition to explore a new route to the North Pole during the harsh arctic winter. He tells us how he and fellow adventurer and team member, Paul Hyman, (who by the way Justin calls the Granddaddy of British paddle boarding) came up with the plan for this expedition. Let’s say this, some of the best adventures are planned over a few glasses of wine.
Juliette is the only woman on the team. She is passionate for anything to do with the outdoors and especially the ocean. She talks about how she got involved with this expedition, her training schedule coming from the warm climate of Cape Town and how she will deal with the cold of Greenland. She runs her own charity called, Development Through Sport which focuses on getting kids out of their usual environment and teaches basic life skills including swimming, stand up paddling or lifesaving techniques. You can follow her on Facebook SA Mermaid and 9 Polar Bears
The expedition will be a documentary focusing on the following.
- Examine the impact of climate change on the icecaps and local wildlife in Greenland.
- Demonstrate the versatility of SUP as a water-sport, form of exercise and activity.
- Raise awareness of the effect of pollution and litter on waterways and marine wildlife.
- Highlight the underuse of the UK waterways for recreational and sporting activities.
- Actively fundraise for and raise awareness of several great charitable causes.
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Posted in Sup Experience | Tags: Adventurers, Arctic, Expedition, Juliette Ball, Justin Miles, leslie kolovich, Polar Bears and Paddle Boards, Stand Up Paddlers, sup radio show | 1 Comment »
Our Changing Oceans And Jellyfish The Paddler’s Planet-SUP Radio
This week on The Paddler’s Planet, Leslie and Christian talk about our changing oceans and why we’re seeing more jellyfish in many of our coastal waters. We also learn more about the coming restoration of the Gulf of Mexico through the RESTORE Act, and a listener question about hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill gets us thinking about whether we could see more oil on Gulf coast beaches.
As for jellyfish, Leslie’s recent bayside paddle brought her a surprise: A bayou full of jellyfish, and even a few stingrays. What’s going on, she asks. Christian explains that three weeks without rain has raised salinity levels in local bays, allowing more marine animals like jellyfish and stingrays to travel farther upstream in our waterways. It’s all part of the natural ebb and flow of fresh and salt water that happens in estuaries across the globe.
But there might be more to the story with jellyfish. Many scientists are concerned about explosions of jellyfish in some places, as this could be a sign of pollution and overfishing that has upset the natural balance of coastal waters. Christian and Leslie discuss the marine food chain and the role of small fish and jellyfish and even larger predators that eat jellyfish.
Finally, that listener question got us thinking back to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spiil in the Gulf of Mexico and whether hurricanes could bring ashore lingering oil from the spill. Tune in for the answer and to learn more about the many ways that paddlers can contribute to a healthy environment.
We look forward to receiving your questions and comments.
Enjoy the podcast now:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You can also listen on Stitcher Radio and iTunes
This show also corresponds to a monthly column in The Paddler Ezine
Posted in The Paddler's Planet | Tags: BP Oil Spill, Christian Wagley, environment, leslie kolovich, Oceans, RESTORE, Stand up paddling, sup radio show, The Paddler's Planet | No Comments »
