Desi introduces Richard Grove

You may be wondering what attracted Richard to kayaking. Well, it’s a bit of a long story…

On July, 4, 2004, Richard was at his sister’s house for their July 4th party and he was joking with his nephew about a kayak that he owned, but rarely used. Richard remarked that if his nephew wasn’t going to use the kayak, then he would. When asked where he would paddle the kayak, he replied “Down the Chattahoochee” and his nephew replied “Well, how far?” and Richard replied “Hell, I don’t know…to the Gulf of Mexico!”.

From Trek_2006_Etowah_Promo

Those that know Richard know that when he says he’s going to do something, he does it. He’s not one to let a challenge slide by. So he went home and logged on to the internet to find out how big the kayak was that he just stuck in his mouth. After some research, he calculated that this trip would take him approximately 30 days and in the end, he would paddle over 450 miles down the Chattahoochee to the Gulf of Mexico.

Since his first journey in a kayak, Richard has fallen in love with the rivers of Georgia. He works with many organizations as a volunteer to help keep the rivers clean, to lead river trips and to educate others about our rivers. Richard has witnessed first hand what it’s like to fall in love with a river. He knows the peace it can bring. He is very well known in the SE USA paddling communities -both for his unique personality and for his concern for the rivers in our area.

After discovering kayaking in 2004, Richard loved the sport so much that he pursued becoming a certified kayak instructor. He now leads river trips in order to spread his knowledge of kayaking and help others learn and enjoy the sport. In addition to being a certified kayak instructor, he is also first aid and CPR certified.