Canoeists raise awareness for victims of COVID-19

By Caroline Rosacker

Scott and Sam Armacost, a father/daughter-paddling duo from Oakland, Calif., are making their way down the Mississippi River in a canoe, raising awareness for those who lost their lives, their survivors and individuals facing hardship all brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Armacosts began their journey on Aug. 16, launching from Lake Itasca in Minnesota. They have been traveling approximately 20-25 miles each day and retiring for the evening at campgrounds, islands, federal land and wildlife refuges. 

Sam Armacost

Sam is a canoe guide and camp counselor at Camp Ogichi Daa Kwe in International Falls, Minn. She shared the inspiration for their journey. "It started as an idea for a birthday trip. We were originally going to climb Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states, but our plans fell through," said Sam. "I had been doing research on the Mississippi River for my camp girls anyway, and called my father and asked him if he would be interested in paddling the Mississippi River instead." 

Scott Armacost

Scott, a financial advisor and business owner, agreed to the lengthy trip. "Our one-week commitment turned into a three-month undertaking," Scott said with a smile. "I had not been in a canoe since my own camp days at Kooch-i-ching, International Falls, Minn., in 1976. I practiced paddling once  – on a mild day, with no wind, for an hour. My hope was to start out slowly on the trip and gradually build strength."

Paddler support

Sam discovered two Facebook support groups for paddling enthusiasts. "Mississippi River Paddlers is for experienced and inexperienced paddlers. Mississippi River Angels is for people that live on the river that wish to be supportive to paddlers during their journey," she noted. "Both social media accounts have been an incredible resource."

The Armacosts are overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. "The number of people that have opened their homes, bought us groceries, fed us, gave us a place to camp and even came out and paddled with us for a day has been incredible," they commented. "We met Guttenberg residents Susi and Roy Nehls when we stopped in Brownsville, Minn. They were so generous! They bought us groceries and arranged a medication pick up for my daughter, Sam. Their friendly welcome when we landed in Guttenberg was very thoughtful." 

COVID-19 recognition and support

Sam has been paddling since she was 15, and completed a journey from the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean with a group of five other women in 2017. "The Arctic trip was a very reflective time," remembered Sam. "It really drew out a lot of depth and meaning. I wanted to cultivate that same feeling on this trip." 

The paddlers decided to raise awareness and money for individuals who had been and currently are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Like many others, we lived in a bubble with little or no interaction during the pandemic," said Sam. "We wanted to take an opportunity to reflect on the six hundred and sixty three thousand people – and counting – who have lost their lives to COVID-19. In addition to our normal lives, jobs, and homes. After a year-and-a-half reading about that you become numb. It was heart-breaking as I sat in isolation and couldn't be there for family and friends who were suffering. That was a big motivating factor for this trip." 

TAPS and Direct Relief

The Armacosts are fund-raising for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which has maintained, enhanced, and modified programming to meet the needs of the military survivor community as they grieve the loss of loved ones and cope with the changed landscape of daily life due to the pandemic, and Direct Relief, which works on a more global scale providing medically focused services and resources to communities around the world, particularly after natural disasters.                                                                                            

"Direct Relief is similar to the Red Cross in how great a population they serve as well as their disaster relief programs," noted Sam. "What stood out to us about Direct Relief was how ninety percent of their revenue goes directly to their programming." 

Scott, who learned to play the trumpet while enlisted in the Navy, plays Taps along the shores of the Mississippi River each evening as the sun begins to set, honoring individuals who lost their life to COVID-19. "Taps has such a resonating sound – we felt it was appropriate for honoring those that have passed on. We live-stream the event each night, connecting people who lost loved ones and put names to the numbers." 

Anyone wishing to have Taps played for their loved one can contact the Armacosts via social media. "When we landed in Guttenberg Mike Sudmeier contacted us through social media with a request to memorialize his paternal grandmother, Laura Sudmeier, who passed away of COVID-19 while residing at the Guttenberg Care Center," Sam told The Press. "He shared fond memories of spending time along the shores of the Mississippi River with his maternal grandmother, Janice Frommelt, in Guttenberg, a place she spent nearly her whole life and loved very dearly. He wanted us to think of Laura Sudmeier and honor her when we were near Guttenberg. Here we were! It was quite a coincidence." 

They are also fund-raising for two organizations that help provide financial, educational, and mental health  resources to families of deceased service embers as well as crisis response resources to poulations around the globe. You can find the link to make donation at their  website: www.arivereulogy.com. 

Pleasant journey

Aside from a couple of nerve-wracking storms and low water, the paddlers’ journey has been an absolute thrill. “We experienced a nasty thunderstorm about a week into our journey, and rode-out another one a few nights ago that was even more intense,” shared Sam. “When we looked on the radar the red area was moving right over our tent! We had to keep the tent from collapsing inward by holding it up with our feet.”

The paddlers expect to complete their journey in November. “We have pulled ourselves most of the way because of low water. We have had a few moment of success with sailing, but mostly our shoulders are doing all the work. We are looking forward to the stonger current south of St. Louis!” 

Scott expressed his gratitude for being able to spend extended time with his daughter. “A really good day is being able to be with my daughter. I think of how many men take this time – three months off!” he shared. “I am fortunate. I work from home and can complete most of my job from my cell phone. I am also overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. There are certainly great people in Oakland, but we aren’t nearly as open-armed as the folks we have met up here. We have to be a little more protective of ourselves  – it’s how we live. I realize how truly cynical I have become. I told my wife, I have found my people here – along the shores of the Mississippi River.”