Forrester III, 24, of Castle Rock, Colo., has always loved hiking, kayaking and outdoor adventure. In 2005, his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a disorder in which neurons in an area of the brain lose the ability to supply dopamine. This causes symptoms such as tremors, a slowing of physical movement and postural instability.
Forrester began thinking of a way to combine raising money and awareness of Parkinson’s and his love of the outdoors. He finally decided to embark on an ambitious project of raising $20,000 while spending this summer paddling his red kayak over 3,900 miles down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
“My original plan was to take about four months. My motivation, my goal was to take something I love to do and make it beneficial for a lot of others as well,” said Forrester.
The trip began at 10 a.m. on June 2 at the Missouri River Headwaters State Park in Three Forks, Mont. After 20 days on the river and camping at various locations, he arrived in Williston to resupply and have a day of rest before continuing. Between stocking up on supplies, he stayed at the home of Linda Godejohn, an eighth grade English teacher at Williston Middle School. Godejohn said a daughter of a friend of hers works with Forrester’s father in Colorado and asked her if she could help him resupply. She said yes. “My mother also has Parkinson’s, so we’re connected in that way as well. He’s doing great things with this and I wanted to help,” said Godejohn.
Forrester said the trip has been very good and the weather for the most part has cooperated. He said the paddling for up to 12 hours a day has been tough, but he trained for nearly sixth months before the trip, which has really helped. He also said meeting people along the way has been very positive as well.
“I’ve seen some absolutely beautiful parts of the country and met some really great people, and some of it’s been when totally unexpected. The generosity people have shown has been almost overwhelming,” said Forrester.
Forrester said after being on the water for nearly three weeks, there was kind of a culture shock arriving in Williston. Forrester said the next leg of the trip is going through Lake Sakakawea on his way to Bismarck.
“My mom might come out for that; there’ll be some Parkinson’s support group people to meet with as well,” said Forrester.
Forrester had more than halfway met his goal when he arrived in Williston, with just shy of $12,000 raised. Forrester is pleased to see the steady progress toward his goal with so many miles left to paddle.
He also hopes his journey allows people to take a moment and reflect on the cause he’s trying to promote.
“If it gives people a chance to sit back and think about the challenges they face, or if they talked to a loved one and tried to understand what they face, I’d certainly feel pleased about that,” said Forrester.
Forrester’s journey is to take him along the Missouri through South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. After a stopover in St. Louis, he’ll continue down the Mississippi River until he reaches his final destination of New Orleans.
Forrester carries his own food and supplies with him and resupplies at cities. He also carries a satellite phone, a radio so he can pick up weather forecasts and SPOT beacon locater in case of an emergency.
He’s traveling an average of about 35 miles a day. He said the weather may slow him down, and the river current in the days to come could allow very good mileage in places.
Forrester III is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Va. He plans on going into surgery, but isn’t sure about a specialty.
Forrester has a Web site to view his progress, to learn about Parkinson’s disease and to for donations at www.paddlingforparkinsons.com.
To donate to his fundraising effort, click on the “Donate Now” icon.
Comments