Kayaking enthusiasts in Annapolis Saturday hobknobbed with the ultimate athlete ? Swede Renata Chlumska, who is circumnavigating the country by kayak, bike and in-line skates in an 11,200-mile journey that will take about 480 days.
Chlumska, 32, stopped in Annapolis after crossing the Chesapeake Bay to visit athletic store Helly Hensen, one of her sponsors. She started her trip in Seattle on July 4, 2005, and plans to finish by September.
“I am very curious, and I like to challenge myself,” Chlumska said Saturday.
Chlumska has said she is dedicating this trip to the memory of her late fiance, who died in a 2002 climbing accident.
Covering about 25 miles a day, Chlumska spends up to 12 hours on the water. She stops to sleep, sometimes in cities like Annapolis ? where she gets amuch-relished shower ? or in state parks or lands she finds to camp out on. She often goes weeks without human contact.
Her 16-foot log kayak weighs up to 220 pounds when fully stocked with gear, and she burns about 6,000 to 8,000 calories a day. Chlumksa keeps two weeks worth of freeze-dried food with her at all times.
“It?s like summitting a mountain every day,” said Chlumska, who in 1999 was the first Swedish woman to climb Mount Everest.
Maintaining a razor-sharp focus gets her through each day, she said.
“When the weather is bad, the surf is high, the waves swell, the wind is cold, I really have to be focused,” Chlumska said.
“Your hands hurt from blisters, and your butt hurts, and your shoulders and your back ? I mean, you?re in pain. You just have to focus on making it through that hour, or through that day.”
Chlumska trained for emergency situations, so she?s prepared for anything. She also has a global positioning system, weather radio, satellite phone and walkie-talkie.
Joel Sachs, a member of the Annapolis Rowing Club, said he was awed by Chlumska?s “ability to stay committed” to her journey.
“I think this is awesome,” he said.
Chlumska left Annapolis on Sunday morning for Ocean City, where she was headed to the mouth of the Delaware River.
“When you just feel the rewarding sensation after you?ve put up a high goal and you?ve reached it,” she said before departing, “you just want to continue.”
