Ann Rose ran into an obstacle about 500 miles into her nearly 2,000-mile kayaking trip from Ashe County, North Carolina, to the Gulf of Mexico to raise awareness of the region’s growing water shortages.
The 53-year-old off-grid farmer and environmental activist says her journey was going well until one of her kayak’s pedals broke on the morning of July 31.
“I paddled all day today because the pedal broke this morning,” says Rose. “It was brutal because the current is so strong.”
Until she gets a new pedal on Monday, she’ll be paddling instead of pedaling. Since paddling is slower than pedaling, she’ll be doing fewer miles per day until the pedal is replaced.
“I just have to grit my teeth and be okay with only riding 20 miles in four or five days instead of 30 or 35,” she says from a motel room in Ashland, Kentucky, where she stopped for the night to shower and charge her electronic devices.
Although it may add to her schedule, she hopes to travel up to 5 miles a day until she reaches the Mississippi River. She has also built in an extra two-week window at the end of her trip in case of delays and hopes to return to her farm in Lansing, North Carolina, in time to campaign for a seat on the Ashe County Commission.
She says the broken pedal is her biggest challenge yet, but there have been others. Her water testing device broke five days ago, and last week she had to replace both blades on the pedal assembly. These were all expenses she hadn’t planned for.
She will also receive a new water meter and a donated dissolved oxygen meter on Monday.
Another unexpected expense has been related to her hydration. Her LifeStraw water filter, which she used until she left the Kanawha River, does not remove heavy metals and bacteria.
“I hate that I even have to buy bottled water, but the Ohio River is so full of toxic sludge,” Rose explains.
According to the nonprofit advocacy group American Rivers, the Ohio River is the second most polluted river in the United States. It has also been ranked in the top 25 most polluted rivers in the world.
Despite the exhaustion that comes with being on the road so much, Rose sees things positively.
“When you’re so tired at the end of the day from pedaling and paddling, you sleep really well no matter what conditions you sleep in. I was able to sleep on a crappy little half-inch foam pad on the floor most nights,” she says.
The biggest highlight of her journey so far has been the people she has met who have made the effort to see her or help her. And she has found thoughtful allies among the lock keepers along her route as word of her journey has spread among them.
“The lock keepers are incredible people. Every time I go through a lock now they all throw water bottles at me,” she says.
When a lock keeper heard that her phone battery was quickly draining, he tracked her down to where she had camped for one night and brought her an extra battery for her phone and two power banks.
Another bright spot on their trip was the cloudy skies that protected them from the summer heat, says Rose.
On Monday, Rose meets with a film crew making a documentary about her journey.
“Ann has been on the river for almost four weeks now, and the number of people we’ve met who already know about the project is incredible,” Haley Mellon, the documentary’s director, wrote in an email. “She’s really becoming a sensation.”
“These people are helping us make an honest and brutal educational film, and it’s pretty cool to be a part of it,” Mellon adds.
To follow Rose’s journey in real time, follow Rose Mountain Farm on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. For updates on the River Warrior documentary project, visit Facebook and Instagram.
