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Garrett Gnade set off down the Mississippi River from Helena-West Helena Thursday on the next leg of his stand up paddleboard journey along with his good friend Thomas Irwin from Hawaii. Irwin has been tracking Gnade’s journey and flew to Memphis to meet up with him and finish the adventure. Irwin joins the journey just a day after his 40th birthday.
“My family thinks I’m crazy, but I want to prove that it can be done,” commented Irwin.
Austin, Texas native Gnade left the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca on Aug. 28 and is hoping to secure a handful of stand-up paddleboard world records including longest fresh water trip on a paddleboard, longest saltwater trip on a paddleboard and longest overall trip on a paddleboard by completing the 5,100-mile trip.
The decision to make the unusual journey was a spontaneous one, made after Gnade heard that British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite had just completed the Mississippi River trek on paddleboard for the Guinness Book of World Records. Gnade is winding his way down the Mississippi, achieving one of his world records for the smallest stand up paddleboard that’s ever traversed the entire river and hopes the adventure will bring awareness to the river.
Garrett Gnade set off down the Mississippi River from Helena-West Helena Thursday on the next leg of his stand up paddleboard journey along with his good friend Thomas Irwin from Hawaii. Irwin has been tracking Gnade’s journey and flew to Memphis to meet up with him and finish the adventure. Irwin joins the journey just a day after his 40th birthday.
“My family thinks I’m crazy, but I want to prove that it can be done,” commented Irwin.
Austin, Texas native Gnade left the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca on Aug. 28 and is hoping to secure a handful of stand-up paddleboard world records including longest fresh water trip on a paddleboard, longest saltwater trip on a paddleboard and longest overall trip on a paddleboard by completing the 5,100-mile trip.
The decision to make the unusual journey was a spontaneous one, made after Gnade heard that British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite had just completed the Mississippi River trek on paddleboard for the Guinness Book of World Records. Gnade is winding his way down the Mississippi, achieving one of his world records for the smallest stand up paddleboard that’s ever traversed the entire river and hopes the adventure will bring awareness to the river.
