Mark Fuhrmann, who is 65 years old, started his trip last June in N.S. He paddled all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and back in a kayak
Last year, a Canadian kayaker set out on an 11,000-kilometer solo trip from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico and back up the Atlantic coast. He got back to Nova Scotia exactly 14 months later, at the end of his journey.
Mark Fuhrmann, who is 65 years old, began paddling on June 1, 2017, in Halifax.
It has taken him down the St. Lawrence River system through Quebec and Ontario, along the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, and back up the Atlantic coast. He calls this route the “Greater Loop.”
Fuhrmann told CBC Radio, “I just had to keep my mind on it the whole time.”Information Morning HalifaxTuesday from Ketch Harbour, Nova Scotia, only a few hours before the end of his trip.
“I never knew what was around the next corner, but it was a great trip, and even though I wouldn’t do it again, I’m so glad I learned from it.”
Fuhrmann was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but moved to Los Angeles when he was 24. There, he met a Norwegian woman and fell in love with her.
He then became a “love refugee in Norway” and has lived there for the past 38 years.
Fuhrmann said that his tour, which he called “Reverse the Bad,” was about looking for adventure in the form of new relationships and experiences after his wife died 10 years ago.
He said that the phrase “reverse the bad” is meant to encourage people to let go of what is bringing them down and instead use that energy to help their neighbors and take care of the environment.
“I found that just waking up in my tent and listening to the sounds of nature around me—the birds waking up, the water lapping against the shoreline—had a big effect on my journey and how I saw myself,” he said.
Fuhrmann said that before he went on this trip, he didn’t know what “nature people” meant.
“But after living in nature for a year, I know it’s pure and part of us, and we need to escape into nature to find a part of ourselves,” he said.
Fuhrmann said that he also used the trip to raise money for Doctors Without Borders and Captains Without Borders, an organization that helps people who want to become sea captains.
Challenges of journe
He said that finding a place to sleep every night was one of the hardest parts of the trip. He said that 90% of the time he slept in tents, but he also “stealth camped” in open cabins and boats.
“At first, I was very embarrassed because I’m 65 years old and in a place where maybe I shouldn’t be. But I thought, “What would I do if it were me?” What would I do if it were my cabin? “When I left, it was better than when I went in,” he said.
“Sometimes I even took something like a Coca-Cola and left $5 or $10 with a note saying, “Hi, my name is Mark. I was here before. I’m going in the wrong direction.’ I just hope that it made people smile.”
Fuhrmann said he would stealth camp in Canada, but he was unsure about doing the same in the United States.
“The only time I met someone like that was in America. A woman had a gun in her housecoat and was ready to use it. But other than that, 99.9% of the people I’ve met along the way have been great,” he said.
Fuhrmann said that as he went up to Nova Scotia, he continued to camp in secret. He said that he has stayed on lobster boats in Clarks Harbour, Ingomar, and Jones Harbour in the last 15 days.
“If it was open, I went in and put my sleeping bag on a mattress. That’s how I’ve lived, you know? “I can’t believe it,” he said.
But on Monday night, the night before he got to Halifax, things were different.
He went to a house in Ketch Harbour, told the woman who opened the door what was going on, and asked if he could camp on her lawn.
Instead, the woman, whose name was Erica, offered him a room in her house.
“She let people in. We brought in pizza, and our neighbor Andrew came over. It was just a beautiful night last night,” he said.
“And I’m so excited to meet the wonderful people of Nova Scotia. I’ve met so many wonderful people along my route.”
Tuesday around 2 p.m., Fuhrmann arrived at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax.
“It’s probably one of the most dangerous things I’ve ever done. “I didn’t know it would be this hard when I started,” he said.
“I’ve been away from my family for 14 months, so I’m really looking forward to being done with this.”
Fuhrmann has been keeping track of his trip online. You can see where he went.here.
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