"Bill" thru hiker and now a thru paddler

[danbrown]

I am looking for the journal of a thru paddler named "Bill" from Iowa who is currently paddling a canoe from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to St. Louis Missouri via Florida. He was paddling a few days ago in the Indian River between Stuart, FL and Ft. Pierce, FL, heading north.

He told me he had hiked the AT NOBO in 1982 and 2002 and SOBO in 2008. I believe he said he had also hiked the PCT and the CDT, which of course would make him a Triple Crowner. Is there a directory of Triple Crowners?

I believe he also said he had paddled the NFCT and expressed pleasure at having "re-enacted" some of Lewis and Clark's retrurn journey down the Missouri. Does anyone know this hiker/paddler? What is his trail name? Is there a site for thru paddlers to post journals?

[rotorbrent]

Sounds cool there have been guys do the lewis and clark. Thing, back during the golden age of canoe racing guys have gone all the way down to mexico and beyond paddling along the coast. Several book about journeys in a rob roy canoe.

[Jim Adams]

I've paddled from Pa to New Orleans and also thru hiked in 2002...I probably know this guy if I find out his name. Long distance paddling rocks...it is like luxurious backpacking, ie: cooler, chair, more food, roomier tent, etc.

geek

[Spokes]

Looks like your man is Bill Nedderman from Lovilia, IA (population 500 +/-).

This guy's pretty interesting. Not sure he's keeping an online journal since he "hasn't owned a car, television, or health insurance in the past 19 years" according to one of the articles below.

I found him by scanning the North Forest Canoe Trail (http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/Paddler-2/The-NFCT-List-74) list of paddlers who completed the trek then began digging deeper with Google searches.

Note: He went by the trailname "One Gallon" and was mentioned in this old WhiteBlaze post:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?28979-Who-are-the-AT-s-Greatest-Living-Legends&p=436999&viewfull=1#post436999

Here's a picture of him when he stayed at the Green Mountain House Hostel in 2008:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=249973

You could try contacting the Lovilia town hall at (641)946-7711 and ask if they know how to contact Bill. Small town folk usually keep up with local "celebrities".

Or better yet, try contacting Greg Seitz HERE (http://www.gregseitz.com/contact) since he wrote this article about him (he may be keeping up with him for a future spread):

http://mntrails.com/content/kayaking-across-minnesota

also here

http://www.gregseitz.com/2011/05/many-miles-man/

This article is interesting (ignore all the pop-ups):

http://www.granitefallsnews.com/news/x35352407/A-trip-around-the-world-with-the-paddle

Here's one more write up about Bill from 2006:

http://savannahnow.com/coastal-empire/2006-12-22/iowa-adventurer-backtracks-lewis-and-clark-trail#.T1CQN8yWRyg

Hope this helps.........

Cheers!

[danbrown]

Spokes,
You're gooood! You nailed him. I had searched the NFCT list of paddlers who had completed it and found 3 'Bills.' De Persis and Yarosh were both too young (31 & 26 today), and there was not enough information about Nederman (misspelled there) to follow up. But I found his name on some thru-hiker lists but could find no association with Iowa, or picture, or articles with confirming details. And I think of myself as a pretty good Google researcher. So, my hat is off to you, and thanks for all the work you did. You are a searcher!

[Spokes]

Glad to help. I enjoyed learning more about his adventure- Amazing.

[Half Note]

Holy crap that guy is awesome.

[danbrown]

Awesome is apt. According to an August 2010 story that 'Spokes' found in the Granite Falls MN Advocate Tribune, through which he was then passing on a cross-country thru kayak trip:

"Over the years Nedderman has traversed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails, completing what is known as the Triple Crown in the hiking world. He is only one of two people known to have completed them three different times.

"He has kayaked the Yukon passage 2,000 miles to the Bearing Sea, hiked through Patagonia of Argentina and Chile and bicycled from Germany all the way to North Cape Norway before turning around pedalling to the Straight of Gibraltar.

"In sum he has bicycled 63,000 miles, hiked 32,000 and kayaked 24,902. Upon reaching Breckenridge Minnesota he said he had paddled the equivalent of the circumference of the earth."

[Jim Adams]

Soooo cool!
Thanks!

geek