Chilhowee to Ft Loudon:Spring is here - Time to put in some miles

First of all, I want to thank all the Rotary Club members who listened, asked questions and were most welcoming as I presented the project to them. I really enjoyed talking about the project and welcome your support. Also, the Womens Club of Brsyon City for their incredible pie and questions. I really enjoyed listening as much as I did talking about it. Thank you.
Both of these groups were on my agenda last Thursday, and while a little nervous, I think they went well. In particular, thanks to Bunny Johns, Julie Thorner and Sandy Perrigo for their invitation to come speak. I look forward to returning with a slide show after the trip is complete.

Secondly, Last weeks Smoky Mountain Times had a great article about Michael Shuler who is a part of our high schools Jr. ROTC program. He has been selected to attend a prestigious Air Force Camp this summer and I couldn't be less surprised. Why do I mention him? Mike was one of my 5th graders when I taught 5th grade math and science. He was without a doubt, the best math student I taught. His drive and curiosity to understand a problem and finally defeat it was great fun to teach. One time I gave him and the class a problem and later that week I received a similar, but more complicated problem in a class i was taking at Western Carolina University. I mentioned it to them and Mike wanted the problem. He begged for the problem, so I gave it to him and the class. I challenged them to find the answer to this very complicated and almost riddle like problem. Something about monkeys and bananas I think. Anyway, they worked on it during lunch...during recess...any other time they could spend a few minutes talking and figuring. Finally at the end of the week, Mike and his group came up to me and showed me their solution. Big smiles on their faces. I looked at it for a little while and told them, nope...that not quite it. They accepted it and went back to working on it. That night, I went home and started thinking through their reasoning and solution. Wouldn't you know it, they had it right. They had just figured out a different way to do it. One I hadn't thought of. Mike looked like he had swallowed the canary after I told him this. The reason I tell this little story is that Mike is the type of student I would like to see receiving this scholarship. Now if Mike, or one of Mike's friends are reading this, I'm not awarding any scholarships yet. I do applaud his accomplishments and know that he would make an outstanding engineer. At the end of the article (wish I could find it on-line), he says he would like to go into space. I believe he can do it too...and I hope he does.

The slide show above is a few shots from this weekend. Spring has started to pop out with the Redbuds starting to show. I'm working on menu and food needs realize I need to put some time into this aspect. I was hungry after the 20 miles and want to make sure I've put the time into this very important aspect of planning.
A couple great items I had a chance to use.
1. The NRS Medium waterproof duffel was absolutely priceless. Compared to my old top loading NRS bag, the duffel was so easy to put in the boat, find and get things when I needed and the waterproof zipper is "da bomb". Thank you NRS for making such a great product. Any paddling trip would appreciate using this bag.
2. My TEVA Open Toachies are THE MOST COMFORTABLE SANDAL. Period! The sole feels well formed to my foot, soft and hang on to anything I step on in the water. Wish I had them 10 years ago. I could easily and comfortably play basketball in them. The Mountain Scuffs are about as comfortable, but as a camp shoe. The ease of putting them on and taking them off and hiking around is wonderful. A welcome respit. Thank you Peter Warren for the support.

Last, thanks to all my Louisiana friends and family for their donations. We are at $2700 right now and a lot of that is from there. I'm looking forward to talking and writing to more Swain/Bryson City folks and hopefully they will choose to support the project with as much enthusiasm. Remember, all donations go to the Swain County Schools Foundation. Any checks, please make out to them.

New Iberia Connecting and Fund-Rasing in Focus

Fellow New Iberia, LA native and paddler Tommy Decuir landing a clean line on the Green River, NC. I took this photo about 13 years ago..give or take a few years. We both followed our calling to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Western NC to make Bryson City our home and paddling a major part of our lives.

The warm rays of Spring are arriving and with it comes the realization that Launch day for Paddling for a Purpose isn't too far off. Today marks 97 days until launch and with it a change in focus for the project. I've been blessed so far with the donor contributions that I've received, but as the trip draws near, my need to step up promotion and donations become more of a priority. To date, the project has raised a little over $2600 with many friends from far and near saying they will donate. Some have asked what my goal is and truthfully I don't have a number that upon reaching will make me say this has been successful. If I had to pick, I would say $10-20k would be a satisfying amount, but I can't help but think more is better. How much does a college education cost these days? As I start speaking to local groups about the project and as I take a more active role in fund-raising, that is the question I'll be asking. The Paddling for a Purpose Project is more of a promotional vehicle than anything else. A grass-roots way for me to use my talents and abilities to send a message and request. The project has 2 very simple objectives. The first is to raise funds to establish a scholarship. The second is to honor my dad's service as a father, as a member of the Air Force and as a career teacher. The second one is the easier of the two and tells a great story. The first objective is now my primary focus. Next week, I'll be speaking to a couple local groups about the project. I'm outlining my talking points, putting together a presentation and talking about dreams. I'm also asking those who have said they will contribute, to go ahead and do so. Tax time is here so instead of checking that box for campaign donations, click on the link above, or send a check made out to "Swain County Public School Foundation" and send it to the address above. Now is just as good as tomorrow for investing in our future.

I also wanted to give an update on how I'm getting the word out on the project. First, the project has been a learning process for me. Some struggles, some enlightenment and some mis-steps are part and parcel with the journey. One of the great things about this journey has been the people along the way. I've tried to embrace the tools of New Media and especially social networking tools. Paddling forums and newsgroups have been fun to write and interact through postings, but I have to say that Facebook, Blogspot and Twitter have been a lot more fun and worthy of my time. It's been a hoot! Facebook in particular has re-connected me to old friends and past classmates that just a couple years ago would not have been possible. First, my local friends invited me to see photos and then I started connecting with old paddling buddies and fellow guides/instructors etc from NOC. Those connections have reached out even further to friends from further back in years. Finally, over the last couple weeks, I've reconnected with high school friends and teachers. Sharing life stories, photos of kids and talking about the project has been wonderful. A thank you goes to Trudi, a high school friend and former cheerleader from NISH (New Iberia Senior High where I graduated from and dad taught), who has helped to pass along the project to New Iberia friends and fellow teachers who worked with my dad. I love where I live now, but there is a big part of me that is still in New Iberia. Re-connecting with all my New Iberia friends shows how generous of spirit they are.
Find the project on Facebook: Paddling for a Purpose - The K L Hester Scholarship Project
Follow me on Twitter: Paddlepurpose