Not-So-Smooth Sailing: Ann Rose hits a snag on her epic kayak journey

Ann Rose hit a snag about 500 miles into her nearly 2,000-mile kayaking trip from Ashe County, North Carolina, to the Gulf of Mexico to raise awareness about worsening water woes in the region. 

The 57-year-old off-grid farmer and environmental activist says her trip had been going well until one of the pedals on her kayak broke on the morning of July 31.

“I paddled all day today because the pedal broke this morning,” Rose says. “It was brutal because the current is so strong.” 

She’ll be paddling instead of pedaling until she receives  a new pedal on Monday. Because paddling goes slower than pedaling, she’ll allow herself fewer miles per day until the pedal is replaced. 

“I’m just going to have to suck it up and be OK with four or five days of just 20 miles instead of 30 or 35,” she says from a motel room in Ashland, Kentucky, where she stopped for the night to shower and recharge her electronics.

While it may extend her overall timetable, she hopes to make up as much as 5 miles a day when she gets to the Mississippi. She also planned an extra two-week window at the end of her trip, in case she was delayed, and still expects 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 so far, but there have been others. Her water-testing meter broke five days ago and she had to replace both fins on the pedal apparatus last week. All were expenses she hadn’t budgeted for.

She’ll receive a new water meter along with a donated dissolved oxygen meter on Monday as well.

Another unexpected expense has come up to keep herself hydrated. Her LifeStraw water filter, which she used until she left the Kanawha River, doesn’t 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.

In spite of the fatigue that comes with being on the move all day, Rose looks on the bright side.

“When you’re that tired at the end of the day from pedaling and paddling, you really sleep well no matter what conditions you’re sleeping in, so I’ve been able to sleep on a crappy little, half-inch thick foam pad on the ground most nights,” she says

The biggest highlight of her journey so far has been the people she’s met who have gone out of their way to see her or help her. And she’s found thoughtful allies among the lock operators on her route as word has spread among them about her trip.

“The lock operators are amazing people. Every time I go through a lock, they’re all throwing me bottled water now,” she says.

Hearing that her phone battery was running down quickly, one lock operator tracked her down where she camped for a night and brought her an extra battery pack for her phone and two power banks.

Rose says another bright spot in her trip has been overcast skies, which have shielded her from the summer heat. 

On Monday, Rose will meet up with a film production crew making a documentary about her trip.

“Ann has been on the river for going on four weeks now and the amount of people that we have met that have known about the project already has been wild,” wrote Haley Mellon, who is directing the documentary, in an email. “She really is turning into a sensation.”

“These people are helping us craft a wholesome, gritty awareness film and that’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of,” Mellon adds.

To keep up with Rose’s trip in real time, follow Rose Mountain Farm on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.  Updates from the River Warrior Documentary project can be found on Facebook and Instagram.