This editorial will hit the The Jupiter Courier Newsweekly tomorrow morning: Expedition Florida 500, Day 274. By Cynthia Trone As Project Lead for Expedition Florida 500, the past 274 days have been an adventure and education unlike any other. Working closely together since his training paddles in 2012, Justin and I communicate well; this project has been intensely challenging and rewarding. Recently, we paddled the Myakka River on an exquisitely peaceful day. A day trip with no gear on our paddleboards, we simply explored the meandering river. With many stern warnings about the river being full of alligators, Justin was excited to get some great photos. I knew that sightings of slithering alligators on the banks would keep me screaming and paddling hard. We reflected on 2013, the year of inspiring advocates statewide for our waterways and natural resources, in celebration of Florida’s 500th Anniversary (vivaflorida.org). It continues to be a great honor for me to help him succeed. Having sold everything he owns last year, Justin’s life is contained in four soggy bags of gear. The project is funded solely by “Friends of XF500”, individuals and businesses who each sponsor a day of the 365-day journey. This is not about money, and neither Justin nor I have made a penny this year. Crazy. But the rewards run deep; the value is in the lessons learned and the difference we can make here in Florida. The first six months of this project involved Justin paddling Florida’s Circumnavigational Trail. I helped him to gather communities and local officials in cleanup and awareness events along the way. As Justin paddled his 150 pounds of gear on his 14’ Tahoe paddleboard, I often drove to the coastal communities to join him at the events. 13,000 people now follow Justin on Facebook (fb/XF500), many of whom have had the pleasure of meeting this young man. Justin, in his humble and genuine way, has connected our diverse and vast state through his profound writing and stunning photographs. As we celebrated July 4th in Jacksonville and looked forward to Justin’s leisurely inland paddling route, the largest ecological and economic crisis in Florida’s recent history was becoming evident. Our home waters in the Indian River Lagoon grew increasingly dark and toxic as Justin prepared to paddle the St. Johns River. It was obvious that his voice would be valuable in gathering the state together to address the polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee, and the devastation of our estuaries and springs. As Justin called Jacqui Thurlow Lippisch to propose the idea of a peaceful rally in Clewiston, I worked on the logistics of planning a statewide gathering. Justin launched on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes with Gabriel Gray and my son, Jackson Berger, and they paddled towards Lake O. The documentation of these northern waters are critical to understanding the big picture of our enormous water flow issues. With the help of The Sierra Club, and dozens of other environmental nonprofits across the state, we made history by protesting the discharges with citizens from west, east, north and central Florida at The Sugarland Rally. There continue to be rallies and summits planned throughout the state in the coming months. The solutions will be slow in coming, and the fight for our environmental health will be a long one. Justin will be paddling the inland waterways for the remainder of the year, and will stay true to his primary goal of highlighting the importance of stewardship efforts as they relate to the ocean, coastlines, waterways and the marine ecosystem. As his name becomes more widely known, his face more recognizable, and his voice more powerful, the burdens associated with this fame have become heavy. As a private and sincere person, Justin is learning that he cannot be everywhere that people want him, nor can he do everything that he is asked to do. He is one man, with one iPhone and a paddleboard full of gear. With a big heart and a brilliant mind, this physically and emotionally spent young man is determined to finish these last months with his usual quiet strength and power. During his paddle this week on Fisheating Creek with the folks from the Florida Wildlife Corridor and Maggy Hurchalla, I am just as excited as our audience to see the untouched wilderness that still exists. Not unlike the Myakka, the water is high and the wildlife is lively. I will never forget when Justin and I paddled back into the strong flow of the Myakka. The gators had been moving the grass on the banks, the water was dark, and the river was narrow. I was on high alert for gators, and stood solid on my board. Justin was riding finless, and made his way gracefully around the first powerful turn of the river. I followed, and was very surprised at the power of the smooth dark water. My board did not turn the way I thought it would, and my best strokes did nothing. Suddenly, I was under water. Eyes wide open to see what was coming at me under water, I got back on my board as quickly as I could. Heart pounding, I tried again. And flipped again. Having not fallen off my board in years, I was in a little bit of shock as I got my legs and arms out of the alligator infested river as fast as I could. Hardly graceful, scared and quiet, I powered my way through the next turns of the river. Justin has navigated the Everglades alone, paddled through dozens of small craft advisories, worn out four boards, paddled with hundreds of people, and spent the last year of his life on the water, but he was now simply a comforting friend who had me laughing again. Justin was recently awarded Top Expedition of 2013 by SUP Magazine in San Clemente, California. Typical of his belief in teamwork, he convinced Quiksilver (his sponsor) to fly me to California to accept the award beside him. It was great fun to be among the legends of the SUP world, but it was really the chance to tell the story of Florida on a national stage that Justin was most proud of. We celebrated the moment with pure joy. Returning to Florida the next day, Justin headed for Fisheating Creek, as I continued to coordinate logistics. In the final three months of XF500, we look forward to being at the World Paddle For The Planet Day 2013 in Panama City Beach, the Saint Augustine Maritime Heritage Foundation Festival, The Youth Ocean Conservation Summit in Sarasota; Justin will enjoy paddling rivers (St. Johns, the Apalachicola, the Suwannee, the Peace), and we will be getting ready for the XF500 finale in Tallahassee on New Year’s Eve!
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 15:04:43 +0000
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