Kayaker's hurting, still determined
http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/story/11667682p-1255...
By Cynthia Hubert
December 5, 2004
For more than two months, Carlos de la Fuente has been alone at sea.
In his incredible journey by kayak, he has traveled hundreds of miles, braving high winds and pounding surf. He has survived mostly on water and
powdered beans, and has slept on remote beaches.
He has lost perhaps 15 pounds. His beard has grown long and his skin has turned the color of toasted almonds. He is tired. His hands are so sore that
he can barely grip his paddle some days. But he is determined to complete his 2,500-mile journey from California to Costa Rica, either by sea or on
foot.
"I'm not giving up," de la Fuente, 66, said by satellite phone last week from a fishing camp near La Paz, on Mexico's Baja Peninsula. "I'm very
strong, and my stamina is good. If I have to walk the rest of the way, I will do it. This is too important."
A longtime peace activist and retired Sacramento lawyer, de la Fuente hopes his mission will bring attention to his concerns about the environment,
particularly his beloved Sea of Cortez. In a statement against war, he intends to end his journey at the University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The school is affiliated with the United Nations and promotes conflict resolution, human rights and environmental security.
Since taking to the seas in late September, de la Fuente has had many adventures, including encounters with coyotes, fishermen and a few other
kayakers. He has been uplifted by the kindnesses of strangers who have shared food and water with him and discouraged by the dearth of sea life he has
observed.
"What I have seen off the California coast and in the Gulf of California breaks my heart," he said in a computer journal dictated to his wife. "I am
old enough to have seen what things were like in the past, and what is happening now is very sad."
So far, he said last week, he has seen 12 turtles, 15 sea lions and two dolphins.
"I often talk to the fishermen, and they tell me that there's hardly anything to catch anymore," he said. "This is a sea that once dazzled John
Steinbeck for its abundance. Now it's in terrible shape."
De la Fuente, a former sheriff's deputy and criminal defense lawyer, lives in the foothill town of Newcastle with his wife, Mariana, and daughter
Valentina. He decided to take the kayak trip after pondering what to do with his life after retirement, and thinking about the global issues that most
concerned him.
He has delivered his message so far to several groups of fellow kayakers, to residents of the tiny towns where he camps and even to students at a high
school in one small village.
"Everyone has been very kind and very receptive," he said. "I have had an incredible response." When he reaches more-populated areas, de la Fuente
said, he plans to speak at as many schools and universities as possible.
On the water, high winds, whitecaps and large rocks have challenged him. "I have been in some really heavy seas and had some pretty scary moments," he
said, but he has yet to crash or capsize.
"I'm a much stronger kayaker now," said de la Fuente, who trained for his trip under Roger Shuman, one of the world's foremost sea kayakers.
De la Fuente's original plan was to paddle through the Gulf of California, take a ferry to Mazatl?n and continue south all the way to Costa Rica. But
tendinitis in his hands may force him to discontinue paddling, he said.
"My right hand is very bad," he said. "It's getting pretty serious. I have to take three or four ibuprofens before I can go out every day. Sometimes I
can't even open my right hand; I have to pry it open with my left."
De la Fuente, who enjoyed a brief visit with his wife last week in a hotel with "a soft bed and a hot shower," plans to see a doctor in La Paz before
deciding how to proceed.
"If it's still very bad, I will do the rest on foot," he insisted. "I'll get a backpack and put a sign on it, 'From California to Costa Rica for World
Peace.' "
Mariana de la Fuente said she is concerned for her husband but will continue to support his efforts.
"He's very determined," she said. "He's going to go to Costa Rica, one way or the other."
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To read Carlos de la Fuente's online journal or to send him a message, log onto:
http: www.kayakingforpeace.org
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