“The hardest part of doing anything is simply deciding to do it.”
— John Abnet, who along with his wife, LaNae, kayaked 1,591 miles from the origin of the Wabash River in an Ohio farmer’s field to the Gulf of Mexico
John and LaNae Abnet at the Gulf of Mexico at the conclusion of their 98-day journey.
I had a lot of fun talking to the Abnets about their quest for this week’s News-Sentinel column. It would’ve been so easy for them to put off this dream. John had to quit his job. LaNae made 720 dehydrated meals from scratch, using mostly food from their garden, to make it more affordable. They had a grandchild born while they were gone over the summer.
One thing I forgot to mention in the article is that John is a terrible swimmer. When the current in the flooded Mississippi got so strong that it was sucking shipping-lane buoys under, he was putting his faith in both God and his personal floatation device.
There were a lot of reasons to put off their dream, or to do what most people do and just never get around to it. But the experience changed their lives — and is inspiring others to live life and not merely dream about it.
The Abnets leave New Orleans and head toward the Gulf of Mexico near the end of their journey.
