August 14 2009 » Skeena Swim » Vancouver Province
610-km swim almost finished
By Carmen Chai, Times Colonist
Ali Howard is only 26 kilometres away from land.
By Saturday afternoon, she will emerge from the Skeena River as the first person to swim B.C.‘s second-longest river in its entirety.
Howard will reach her final checkpoint at the Pacific Cannery docks in Port Edward near Prince Rupert, where a community banquet will be set up to celebrate her 28-day trip.
“We’ve had a hectic past few days. Long, long swim days and lots of cold water,” Howard said via satellite phone to her audioblog on Wednesday night.
“Energy’s lagging, but I’m happy for everybody’s support.”
She said she gets a boost of adrenalin from drivers who honk, whistle and wave at her as they pass by on the highway.
The 33-year-old water-polo player and resort chef began the 610-km swim on July 21.
She had no previous river-swimming experience, but she trained for two months on two of the Skeena’s tributaries, the Bulkley and the Suskwa.
Howard has swum against Class 4 whitewater rapids and navigated the river’s narrow canyons with the help of professionals including a first-aid attendant, videographer and chef.
The crew followed her with equipment on whitewater rafts, which they traded for sturdy canoes once they got closer to the ocean.
Each night, Howard and the team prop up tents and camp along the river after a full day’s progress.
The expedition is costing about $30,000, money raised from donations and sponsors.
Howard said she undertook the historic swim to raise awareness about the threats to the Skeena watershed.
At issue is Royal Dutch Shell’s plan to drill for methane near the head-waters, home to wildlife and a salmon-spawning habitat.
