Surprise Surprise!

15 Jan 2:46 pm by Nathan Welch Category: The Expedition

Well it is with much excitement that we report having just arrived in Manaus, Brazil. We have exceeded even our own expectations, arriving here some 16 days after leaving Iquitos in Peru.

We are absolutely knackered after paddling around the clock, 24 hrs a day, 6 hour individual shifts for almost 15 days straight. We have paddled just over 2000km in this period & we reckon we must be pretty bloody close to a world record for time/distance travelled in a whitewater raft on flat water!

With our bodies crying out for some rest & a few more equipment dramas that arose on our last stretch we will stop here in Manaus for the next few days or so.

We arrived at the confluence of the Negro River around 8:00am on Sunday the 13th Jan. The Negro River is the 4th most voluminous river on the planet & is a harsh dark brown tanin-stained colour. It is an awesome site to behold as it meets with the Solimoes River (i.e. the Amazon) – the 2 rivers do not mix for some 100km downstream & there is the distinctive colour contrast of the 2 rivers – the dark brown of the Negro vs. the milky sediment of the Solimoes. This junction also marks the point at which the river officially takes on the name of the Amazon River. From the first trickle, through all the name changes – the Quebreda stream, the Apurimac, the Ene, the Tambo, the Ucayali, the Maranon, the Solimoes, to finally now the mighty Amazon River!

The last 16 days has seen us encounter so many new adventures & with so many stories to tell, it’s hard to know where to start, so again we will try & keep it to our top 7, otherwise you will be here for days listening to our ramblings. Here goes…

1. We spent New Years Eve paddling hard towards Santa Rosa (Peru) & Tabitinga (Brazil), the 2 border towns. Throughout the night we could hear celebrations echoing from the villages along the way. As we chased the deepest, fastest currents we found ourselves on the Colombian side of the river – so according to international borders we were actually in Colombia. I was on the oars & around 10:30pm encountered lights, noise & boats on river left. I could not make out what was actually happening but suffice to say I suspect something a little shifty! Then suddenly there was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot ringing out in the cool night air. Now to honest, to this day I cannot be sure that the gunshot was a warning shot for us to keep away. It could have come from anywhere & perhaps it was an early New Years celebration from a nearby village – who knows. But I can tell you, at that moment – a shot of adrenalin pumped through my body as I considered the situation – Colombian border, strange sounds/happenings transpiring on the bank, shotgun blast… That’s all I needed to know, lights went out, Marko was awoken from his slumber to my tuning him “to be on his toes”, & the oars dug in hard & fast for the next hour as I stealthily exited the scene, intensely watching the boat lights that seemed to follow us for about 1/2 an hour. Night shifts can play tricks with your mind so to this day, what really happened on that night remains & will always be a mystery!

2. We experienced the beginning of 2008 in the middle of the river. 12:00 midnight marks our changing of shifts, so we exchanged a quick “Happy New Year”, spent a few minutes contemplating the beautiful star filled sky, listened to the village celebrations spewing into the night air & then I went to bed & Marko began his paddling shift. Marko paddled us into Santa Rosa, where we had to get our passports stamped before leaving Peru, around 5.00am. With New Years festivities still going strong, we were met by 2 local policemen on the river bank who ordered us to moor up in what seemed to be a nice secluded spot. Within 5 minutes of Markos head finding the pillow music started to bellow out just in front of us, then from another location on the other side. With the music thundering out & progressively getting louder we knew there would be no sleep for us but we were so tired we just lay there & rested. As the morning progressed so too did the music. When the clock struck 8 we were out & about trying to sort out our passports so we could leave for Tabitinga. But it seemed the Passport Control office was deserted. After about an hour I lost my patience (which is good for me) & visited the local police station to suss out the go with Passport Control. I discovered that the chap who runs the office lives inside & had simply had a huge night for New Years. That’s all I needed to know… I missioned back to the Immigration Office where I proceeded to bang on doors, windows, yelled out, made lots of loud noise & was pretty much as persistently annoying as possible – eventually a very hungover, unhappy camper greeted me. But we did get our passports stamped & were outa there. It was a big ferry across to the Tabitinga side of the river but we made it – again we were greeted by drunken revellers when we docked up. With no Brazilian money (Reals) & it being New Years Day it became another mission to sort it out. One at a time (so someone was always with the boat) we shot off to the Federal Police to sort out Passport stamps & entry into Brazil & then wandered across the border into Leticia (Colombia) to find a money changer who was working on New Years Day. A long day but we achieved what we set out to do. The next 1/2 day was spent resupplying & sourcing hydrographic maps to Manaus. This is another story in itself but we’ll cut it short by saying I eventually got the maps from the Navy after again being persistently annoying to the point where I’m pretty sure they just wanted to get rid of me. The Captain was called & he eventually gave me a hydrographic book shaking his head & said you can have this for 3 hrs & then must return it – I went & photocopied the whole book & we were sorted. We left Tabitinga that afternoon & it turned out to be our only break from Iquitos to Manaus.

3. Our champion raft, “Skop Gat” has 3 more holes in her since leaving Iquitos. Again the culprit has been the debris making its way from the river onto the raft floor through the self draining holes. It seems there is no real solution to this challenge other than accepting it is going to be a part of life until the end of the journey. However we have become quite adept at fixing these holes whilst still on the go. As the paddlers & rafters amongst us know, its always good repair practice to have about 25mm of patching extending from the outer reaches of the hole. However due to the fact that we are not able to use the heat gun & having no way of reactivating the glue, we make the patch as small as possible so it just covers the hole & there is less drying surface area. We apply pressure to the bonding site for 5 mins & whalaa! So far it has worked a treat & we suspect there will be quite a few more before expedition end!

3. In this last section we have experienced an abundance of animal life on board “Skop Gat”. Spiders, grasshoppers, frogs,crickets, bugs & a multiude of bities have joined us on board. For the most part it’s quite cool to have our new friends join us. The spiders keep us on our toes as they tend to pop up at the most challenging of times & to an outsider looking in it would be very amusing to see these 2 chaps jumping around the boat as we play & then try & avoid these little (& some not so little) fanged critters. But without a doubt the most annoying are the bities – mosquitoes, sandflies & moskies. Our bodies are a mess with bite marks all over due to these malicious little buggers! Then sometimes in the evenings we are invaded by these flying bugs that fly into your eyes, food & any other open orifice – but its all good protein I suppose!

4. Storms – oh my goodness there has been some storm action. The quantity & intensity of these little babies has progressively increased. For the last 3 days the weather for the first time showed some sort of pattern with clouds brewing in the morning & then wham…a big storm hitting in the afternoon & then settling down again in the evening. Marko has got quite a workout with 3 big storms hitting on his shift in the last 3 consecutive days. Prior to this, wicked storms would strike at any time of the day or night with little warning. Depending on where we are on the river sometimes the safest option is to head to the bank or an island & bunk down until the angry weather passes. Most of the time however a storm can hit you within a matter of minutes – the weather can be fine & then suddenly you’re in the middle of a raging beast. When you’re in the middle of the river there is no escape – you have to fight it out with mother nature. The most intense storm we have encountered happened a little while back on my shift just before the Brazilian town of Fonte Boa. It was 7.00pm at night & there was a little sprinkle of rain that suddenly burst into life – the river gods decided to turn it on – and turn it on they did! We were smack bang in the middle of a very angry river monster. The headwind was blowing a gale, thunder & lightening surrounded us, the rain was shooting bullets into my stinging eyes, there was a huge swell on the river itself tossing us around like a cork, you could not see an arms length in front of you & it was totally disorientating. For all intents & purposes we could have been in a storm in the middle of the ocean – it was hard to believe this was the same river we had been paddling on 5 minutes earlier. Whilst Marko was desperately securing things inside & making sure the canopy remained stable, I was battling with the beast outside. After a bit of experimentation I worked out that the best way to fight this monster was not to paddle but rather dig in the upstream paddle blade nice & close to the pontoon & then use the other as a working blade to try & keep the bow of the boat at a ferry angle into the howling wind. I had absolutely no idea where we were on the river or whether we were going forward or backwards – my only goal was to keep our nose at a slight angle into that headwind. It was hard work & seemed like an eternity but eventually the storm simmered down into a rain depression. What a ride! What a rush! The storms are actually one of those awesome experiences on the river – they are intimidating & can often fill you full of fear. But its these moments that I truly love – its a pretty normal emotion to feel that fear when nature decides to ‘ turn it on’ & I love stepping out there battling the elements, channelling that fear against the raging beast. Awesome!

5. Headwinds – they are now a daily part of our life. They normally start early morning & battle with us throughout the day. It can be hard yakka making ferries across to the other side of the river to ensure we take the correct channel. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about – we often have to begin a ferry or a move on the water 2-3 hours in advance to ensure we make it. And even then its never a ’sure thing’ due to the intensity of the headwind – so there are times when you can expand an enormous amount of energy trying to put us in the right place on the river only to have it slip through your fingers – it all depends on Mother Natures mood at the time.

5. Well while our new oarlocks have been great with no problems to report, our oars have not fared quite so well. It all started towards the end of one of my morning shifts. I had spent the morning battling a nasty headwind as I tried to get us into a channel on river right. We just made it & were now sitting in some nice flow. I was having a breather & of all things was actually brushing my teeth. With tooth brush hanging out of my mouth I went to raise the right oar out of the water to steer us around a piece of debris – immediately something felt different – I looked down & there was only half a shaft sitting in the oarlock – WHAT THE ….? After further investigation we discovered the spring loaded locking mechanism on the lower half of the shaft had failed, & with nothing locating it, the shaft & the blade were donated to the mighty river. Unbelievable, perhaps, but what is more unbelievable is that 2 days later the same thing happened to our spare – yes our brand new spanking oar. Now that is unbelievable! Thankfully this happened within 50m of a small pontoon on the opposite side to Manaus, as we paddled up the eddies on river right of the Negro River. We grabbed whitewater paddles & limped to the pontoon. We organised for the old chap who lives there to look after our raft & take us across to Manaus in his dugout.

6. A funny moment – well a funny 4 hrs actually – but not for us at the time. Yesterday we arrived at the confluence of the Negro & Amazon as mentioned. We moored up on a little beach at the end of an island, totally exposed to the comings & goings of river traffic. Perfect we thought for organising a small tow upstream across to Manaus (which is actually located upstream on the Negro before the confluence of the 2 rivers). We started out giving a bit of a friendly wave to the passing river traffic, motioning them over to us, but no response. 4 hours later, in the middle of a big storm & bucketing rain, we were waving flags, jumping around like lunatics & sometimes shouting creative phrases to the passing boats – just no one would stop for us. In the end I lost my patience (again) & we had to ever so slowly paddle our way upstream along the river bank (were talking about 1km hr stuff) – then our spare oar broke. The river gods received a few creative lashings from my tongue before we made it across to Manaus (as mentioned above) very wet, tired, in disbelief at our oar dilemma & spending 4 unsuccessful hours trying to flag down a boat (in a major traffic area). We’re not sure if that’s even possible – to be trying for 4 hrs to wave down someone on a major highway & getting no response! Maybe it’s our smell, maybe its Marko’s beard – who knows?

7. Our bodies – well they are feeling it. Our full on paddling regime has certainly taken its toll & there are certain times when we walk a fine line between pushing ourselves for optimum physical output & pushing ourselves over the edge. Aching shoulders, elbows, backs, lack of sleep, ear infections, fungal infections & old niggling injuries are a constant part of our existence at the moment. But again its one of those experiences that we tend to revel in. In a sick kind of way we enjoy the daily battle of getting yourself back on those oars & making it all happen day after day. For me it’s these experiences that are such an important part of any life journey. It is true that from ‘Little things big things grow” – & if you don’t do the little things every day – then there will be no big thing at the end! But in saying that, our bodies certainly are screaming for some rest so our time here in Manaus will let that happen.

Just before I check out & Marko passes on a few thoughts – there is an important experience I would like to share with you – well its important for me because its one of those special moments. It was right at the end of my night shift & was taking my usual bath in the river before hitting bed. So here I am naked in the river, jungle either side of me, 12:00 midnight, looking up at the clear night sky & gazed at all those beautiful stars silhouetted against the black black sky. It was a fleeting moment of oneness with the water, with the jungle, with stars. Nature has an enormous power & an enormous energy & sometimes we get so caught up in the “things” happening around us that we miss that beauty & that moment. Ahhh the Amazon!

Jeez Nathe, what a post! That is some excellent and creative writing right there folks. The above says it all. We are both stoked to have reached Manaus in excellent time. 2100km in 16 days is awesome! Manaus for months has just been a big city on our Amazon Basin map, a destination too far away to even think about and now we are here. Amazing!

Of course, it would not be Expedition Amazonas without dramas and the broken oars are the big issue at the moment. Funnily enough if we had managed to secure a lift during our 4 hour wait at the confluence of the 2 rivers we would not have rowed again until leaving Manaus. Consequently, the final oar would have broken probably a few hours down river. Of course a plan would be made, but better here than in the middle of the river!

Our second mission is maps. Through Nathe’s tenacity we secured excellent charts from Tabitinga to Manaus and believed doing the same would be much easier in a city of a couple of million people. Wrong! We spent all of Monday walking and bussing over Manaus to come up with nada. We do have directions to return to the naval offices at 8am Tuesday morning however which is hopeful.

So, once we have sorted our oars (which of course will be extremely easy and straightforward….!) and our maps (ditto!) we resupply with food and we are outta here. The best part about a 24 hour rowing regime is that we can leave at anytime, morning, afternoon, evening, it’s all good!

Personally, reaching Manaus has been a big step. Our next leg to Belem, about 1600km away feels like (rightly or wrongly) the big final leg. From Belem we have another 300km to the ocean but it feels everyday on water now is a day closer to the end point. This raises mixed emotions for me. Exhaustion, time, emotion and finance all contribute to our need to get this thing done. But…is that a good thing? As Nathe wrote of his naked river moment, what we are doing is special (mine was a few weeks back on night shift looking up at a billion stars reaching out to me). Every single day brings another amazing scene or happening into our lives. We have passed villages, people, wildlife and jungle that few, if any tourists will ever see. Parts of this earth that are slowly and forever changing. In the name of development and progress roads are being cut into the jungle, developers are coming in. It is entirely possible and likely that I will never pass by this way again (after all, it is a big planet and plenty more adventures to be had). When we reach the ocean the expedition will end and to a point (I will fight it I can assure you) we must return to the “real world”. No more river, no more rowing, cooking on the boat, bathing in the Amazon, looking at charts, reading, sleeping…the whole lot. But…back to our reality…we have about 2000km to go!!!! Plenty more rowing, sleeping, cooking, bathing. Jeez! What was I thinking? Let’s do it!

On a couple of finer points. Congratulations to James Castrission & Justin Jones who have just completed the first Trans-Tasman kayak crossing between Australia and New Zealand. Well done lads, 62 days of hard work and an awesome tribute to Andrew McAuley. Enjoy the feeling; you have most definitely earned it!

Oh yes…guess whose birthday it is? Big Phil Swart! Happy Birthday Popa! I am sure that since you are on the mend that a couple of San Juans will not go astray. Nathe and I will celebrate with…um…Amazon River water run through our filter and lashed with chlorine tabs…cheers bru.

15 Comments

15 Comments »

Yo fantastic post Welch and Buf! Happy Birthday Master P Swart!..The Devil Drives!

Matt

Comment by Matthew Kalch — January 15, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
Hello boys, Wow! What can we say! That is absolutely amazing what you have accomplished…..what you have survived against all odds. It’s amazing also what you have experienced…..experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life…..something really precious.
I know you are making the most of each moment.

Phil……Happy Happy Birthday!! Hope you are feeling well enough to celebrate…..we will be anyway!

Donna & family

Comment by Donna — January 15, 2008 @ 9:10 pm
G’Day to the 2 Wizards, 2000km. odd in 16Days.Bloody
Marvellous,& yes you must rest,& build back that fighting reserve.Sounds like y’all got through the drug kingdom very nicely. Nothing like a little fright to scare the shit out of a person. GUN SHOT,
GUN SHOT, What Bloody Gun Shot? I find it difficult to believe you almost lost your cool over a passport
stamping. You are normally are a very cool dude.HeHe.
You fellers sure know how to pick up strange bedfellows
I liked the Spider& frog,I would think they could make
interesting companions.
It would seem some people have no respect for a tired
advventurer,blasting out with their hilerous, happy
feelings just because it’s a New Year. Outrageous!!.
Just goes to prove, if one is persistent enough,it pays dividens. I can just imagine you keeping in that
poor bastards face and him having a hangover yet.
I hope your Navy maps prove true to river. Here you are with just over 2000km. left and your concerned
with a few little sticks buggering up the raft.Bloody
Hell. Next you’ll want white sheets for your cot.
I can well realise the adapt manner in which you fellers can repair a few small holes,you are both pretty good at adaptability. With regards the bities etc.[a remedy]Make a pot of strong tea,Pour into a container let cool.Now urinate into the tea and shake
well. Best if container has lid. When you anticipate the hords arrival rub the mixture onto the exposed areas. Ihave used this when backpacking in the
Mountains. OK!You only have each other to smell. No
guarantee it will work on those buggers from the
Amazon, but worth a try. Wash it off the next day.
Remember to be careful when in the drink, there is a tiny bugger that swims into any open orifice. When
people mention storms to you in the future you can
rightly say, “That’s not a storm”. I’ll tell you about
a storm. As I read your post about the storms I can
visualise in my minds eye what you you both have gone through. During during my younger years on some of the
backpacking hikes in the Clark& Danham Ranges my mate Basil Graham & i have experienced mountain storms. Not sudden fierce storms like what you fellas had,and
we didn’t have to contend with rough water either,but pelting rain with thunder & lightening, can be a bit scary. Our difference was we knew where we were all the time and were able to hunker down and let it pass. To ride out what you have described takes guts,
and I can emphasise with what you say about the feelings of fear and thrill and joy, all at the same time, of battling & channelling those emotions against what you are going through. YES AWESOME!!!.
Mother Nature is a demanding Lady. Wizman I showed Gran through a stack of photos today and we both thought you & Mark look very fit considering the journey you have so far had.
The Photos are great, but I cant access the Vidios.
Sorry to hear about those oars, just something else to try your patience, ability & resourcefulness. I have no fear you 2 will prevail. The more I read of your exploits the greener I turn with envy.

Yes Mark 2100km. in 16 days is awesome, and both you and Nath should be justly proud of youeselves, as we at home are proud of you. Its a great pity my other adopted G/son could not be with you but I’ll bet he is there in spirit. All the dramas & problems are helping to make this trip the amazing adventure it is.
Yes every day IS special & yes it is a good thing. Just think when you both are retired and Grandchildren
ask “What did you do in your young days grandad?” What
stories you both can tell them. What you fellers are doing is on a par with climbing “Everest”. It’s a
challenge, it’s there, it’s to be conquered. Yes,Yes
“LET’S DO IT” Good Luck for ahead.

Happy Birthday to our other adopted G/son Phil Swart.
Hope your health is better than it was and you are on the mend. Have a great day. Phil I had a scotch for you for your birthday.

Love from 20 Barton,
Grandma, Margy & Grumblebum.

Comment by Grumblebum — January 15, 2008 @ 10:34 pm
Hi Boy’s

Good to see the record breaking trip. The both of you seem to have the paddle down pat – shots over head – storms – bitties and then theres a bit of nudity in the waters of the amazon. Nath I thought when reading that you were going to tells us that there you were having your bath in the waters of the Amazon – when out of the forest came some rebels and . . . .

I am pleased to see that you are doing well and continuing to adapt as the mission goes on. It is just amazing when we look at some circumstances that from the eye just seem outrageous and even frustrating – as likened to you boys getting no lift on a high traffic intersection. But then as you make the journey you were trying to avoid – all of a sudden it gets worse (or you would naturally think this as you lost your replacement ore) – but amongst all the set back it just turns out that you have been saved from a failure that would have been past your major stop and actually would have probably caused a major delay instead of the minor setback. Glory to the Potter again my friends – I think that amonst the agrevation, aggetation and frustration. He is just sitting over you having a little laugh at just what he needs to make happen for the right timing to be made for you both . . .He He

He actually says that some ways seem right to man but those ways lead to death – He also says that it is not upon our understanding but His which is above all understanding – which again brings me back to the thought that unless we first believe we cannot begin to understand. If we do not first believe than we are just limited to or confined by our natural abilities – but to first believe will then open the door way of a greater understanding that can only come from the one who has made us and is forming us.

If we look at a map and we represent a single point on that map – all we see is where we are at that time – our immediate environment or surroundings. But If we then picture the perspective of looking over the whole map – start to finish than we are able to get an understanding to exactly where we are meant to be heading and what that tends to look like. That is why sometimes our circumstances change for what initially seems for the worst but after going through the necessary actually turns out for the best. It is because someone is always seeing the map from the whole perspective and guiding us through the path that will see us come to the right point at the right time.

I can only imagine the both of you standing on the side of an island thinking – well this shouldn’t be to hard – then an hour goes past – Buff says to Nath – “You would have thought that someone would have stopped by now” – Nath reply’s with a few choice words – yeh. After three hours Buff is now trying to put a poitive outlook on the situation and convince Nath that yelling obsenities at the boats going by isn’t going to help get a lift.

Four hours and after much contemplation the choice is made to paddle – then . . . what the. . . . the spare paddle just broke aswell. I can only imagine.

Boys – I am overwhelmed the the feeling of pride within in just knowing you guys and what you have achieved with and in each other so far. Buff I remember standing in Fridays early one morning (maybe a little tippsy) saying that you persoanlly remind me of Nath in attributes – and now hewre you both are in a boat in the middle of nowhere with only each other.

Always thinking of you guys,

I had a great time camping – got over to Fraser Isalnd for a day of 4×4 – Fantastic.

Boys – we must have had more rain in the first 2 weeks of Jan than in the last 6 months of 07.

Go strong and be courageous. Look forward to the next post.

In God’s speed and protection,

Mick

Comment by Mick — January 16, 2008 @ 1:44 am
Forgot,

Google search:

Nathan Welch – you trun up at 17 on the list

Mark Kalch – you have taken ownership of the first page of search.

God Bless

Comment by Mick — January 16, 2008 @ 1:47 am
Hay there, Just a quickey. Now, now not that kind of quicky. Concerning the concoction for bities. The mix is equal parts of T to P. You know all this would have been easier if someone had thought to bring the Bloody Aeroguard.

Grumblebum

Comment by Grumblebum — January 16, 2008 @ 10:17 am
Imagine trying to get aeroguard thru peruvian customs..

Well done boys keep up the strong work… and enjoy Brazil

Comment by willow — January 16, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
Mark and Nathan,

Happy New Year!!!

Congratulations – you made it to Manaus in raft – incredible – I remember winds from the east!.

Best to you on the way to Belem!. Find some time to stop in Parintins and Santarem – lovely places (in 1986)!

I was not sure that after delays in Iquitos you could get back on the river. There is more wind in front of you but you are stronger then wind. Keep moving east!!!

Will wait for a note from Belem,

Piotr Chmielinski

Comment by Piotr Chmielinski — January 16, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
Speechless…

Proud, ever sooooo proud of you boys.
Sending smiles, hugs and much love!

Lexy x

Comment by Lexy — January 16, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
WOW – sitting here speechless.

Proud …so proud of you guys

Big hugs and lots of love
Lexy x

Comment by Lexy — January 17, 2008 @ 3:04 am
Nathan & Mark you two are soooo amazing, what a brilliant post again. The photos, good to see some of the food & cooking facilities. Nathan that single photo of you sitting back enjoying a cuppa what was in that? Hope you both have been able to get a well deserved rest there in Manaus.

We are sooo proud of you boys words cannot explain!
Such an incrediable achievement in 16 days.

Nathan you sound very much at home with mother nature reading that post.

Phil we have been thinking of you too, hope you enjoyed your birthday. Hope you will be planning that trip over here soon as grumblebum is getting older every day & we all want to meet you.

Nathan & Mark wishing you both a safe journey for the next leg. Lots of love to you both & will be praying for you till we hear from you both again. Be Safe.
Love Toni & Bill xx

PS GRUMBLEBUM THINKS HE OWNS THIS PAGE !!!!!!

Comment by Toni-Maree — January 17, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
Hi, To Tonis’ PS, my answer is Bloody Oath. I am the
proudest Grandfather in Australia. Love to you both
enjoy the trip ahead.

Grumblebum

Comment by Grumblebum — January 18, 2008 @ 11:35 am
PS Just remember Grumblebum, you had a part in creating me, who then produced such an amazing man,Nathan Heath. We are all so very proud of our boys.

Safe trip, enjoy every moment of it Nathan & Mark
xx xx

Comment by Toni-Maree — January 18, 2008 @ 7:32 pm
Well done Nath & buddies! You guys are truely inspirational! Good luck with the rest of the trip & we look forward to hearing more.

Kerri & Nick

Comment by Kerri & Nick — January 23, 2008 @ 2:02 am
MAY THE LUCK OF THE IRISH BE WITH YOU & MAY GOD SPEED YOU ALL MARY

Comment by MARY B FRIEDEL — February 17, 2008 @ 11:38 pm