For 10 days, Andrew Akridge and Dave Petty have cut the calm flow of the Tennessee River with paddles, moving their kayaks downriver to a lifelong dream.
Mr. Akridge, 28, and Mr. Petty, 56, both from the Chattanooga area, plan to kayak the entire Tennessee River, which runs in a ‘U’ shape from Knoxville through Northeast Alabama to end in the western corner of Kentucky.
They plan to make the trip in 30 days.
“This has been on my bucket list,” said Mr. Petty, who is retired.
FUN FACTS
* The Tennessee River is 652 miles long.
* Downtown Chattanooga is at the 464 mile marker of the river.
* The Cherokee, Creek and Chickasaw tribes all had villages along the Tennessee River.
* The first recorded exploration of the river by Europeans was in 1540, when Hernando DeSoto’s Spanish expedition traveled from the present location of Chattanooga to Guntersville, Ala.
* The river starts where the Holston and French Broad rivers converge east of Knoxville.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior
Late Wednesday afternoon, the two sweaty and suntanned boaters were greeted under the Market Street bridge by friends cheering their adventure.
“We live in a beautiful city, and a river runs through it,” Mr. Petty said. “It’s like paying a tribute (to the river), giving it some love and attention it needs.”
Mr. Petty had wanted to kayak the length of the 652-mile Tennessee River for many years, but struggled to find a partner for the trip, said Philip Grymes, the director of Outdoor Chattanooga and a friend of the paddlers. It was not until Mr. Akridge, an employee at Rock/Creek Outfitters, called Mr. Grymes looking for a partner to paddle the entire river that the idea took off, Mr. Grymes said.
After months of planning with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers, the trip launched where the Holston and French Broad rivers converge east of Knoxville, Mr. Petty said.
They’ve paddled about 188 miles so far and have about 464 to go.
The two men paddle for eight to 11 hours a day, eating packed foods such as oatmeal, tuna and protein bars. At night, they camp along the river’s edge.
Time goes slowly under the sun, but Mr. Petty said they sing gospel, country and some rock ’*’ roll songs.
“Andrew harmonizes,” he said, laughing.
Though Mr. Akridge and Mr. Petty both are active and enjoy outdoor activities, the first four days of the trip were challenging physically. Mr. Petty said he experienced muscle aches and pains until his body adjusted to long days on the water.
At points, rain and storms have threatened the trip, Mr. Akridge said.
The most exciting experiences so far are going through the locks along the river and meeting strangers, the two men said. Mr. Petty said it is an amazing feeling to approach a dam at one water level and come out at the next level.
The men said people along the river are interested in their trip, and they were given food by a couple in Decatur, Tenn.
“It is amazing how good people take care of you on the river,” Mr. Petty said.
Mr. Petty and Mr. Akridge are accomplishing something that few have, and they are doing something valuable for the local kayaking community, Mr. Grymes said.
“(They) will notice changes along the way, the quality and condition of the river,” he said.
Mr. Grymes said the men will be a resource for campers and kayakers who want to know more about the river’s different sections.
“I am completely jealous,” he said.
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Kayakers
