Tough Is Not Enough!
TOUGH is not enough!
Review by Ian Browne Shamrock News
A Lismore based engineer who just so happens to be a climate warrior, Steve Posselt was so concerned that this important message was not being taken seriously that he decided to hit the rivers and roads of three continents on his way to the Paris Climate Conference - COP21. Steve paddles and stomps along America’s Mississippi before arriving to New York City; paddles his way through an English summer to London, and then splashes over to the French coastline and into the Sein while attempting to meet his COP21 deadline.
An avid kayaker, Steve was carrying a decent injury from a motorcycle journey across the sandy centre of Oz. It is remarkable that anyone could attempt to complete this voyage, his hard-fought experiences and steadfast commitment obviously rewarding. The biggest kayak trip Steve has engaged in, he meets many interesting people along the way: American law enforcement; other climate activists, and those willing to lend a hand in support of a good cause. What also strikes a chord is the challenges he encounters along the way: the gargantuan barges of the Mississippi; Australia’s challenging heat and east coast swell, the old locks of the English canal system, and the sterile moments where the media in various locations offered their attention but failed to deliver.
I enjoy stories depicting how a journeyman calculates risk and describes how to conquer fears. I love the description of place and people in lands unfamiliar to me. In Tough Is Not Enough, you feel every bump and grind, every stretched ligament, while the beauty and serenity of a variety of landscapes broadens the mind. A journey where the dynamics of teamwork in unfamiliar terrains show their disarray, Steve Posselt is brutally honest about the pitfalls of communicating logistics within his various support teams - while suffering fatigue dealt by demanding long hauls across baking hot roads, and endless winding rivers. Moments during the voyage where society’s lack of interest and commitment to such an important topic as inaction on manmade global climate change, is annoying, there are many uplifting moments where the community comes to Steve’s support.
A local hero, a human to admire…
