Following the devastating natural disasters around the world this past month, including four major hurricanes — Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria — that have hit Texas, Florida, the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and more, people are coming out in droves to help.
In the early hours of Oct. 22, Chris Dowling climbed aboard his 14-foot stand-up paddleboard just as he’s done countless times. On this day, however, he was surrounded by hundreds of other stand-up paddlers and kayakers, all gathered in the Tennessee River Gorge for the Chattajack 31 River Race — a grueling test of endurance unlike anything he’d had ever experienced.