A group of 300 canoeists will be traveling down the Coosawattee and Oostanaula rivers on June 20, and joining them will be Alan Crawford in a specially designed kayak launcher.

Crawford will be the first wheelchair bound paddler to participate in the Georgia River Network’s fifth annual Paddle Georgia, a week-long journey taking paddlers on a 92-mile journey from Ellijay to Rome.

Crawford, of Silver Creek, has been a paraplegic since 2005 when a disease called sarcoidosis in his lungs worsened and attacked his nervous system. For months after his initial paralysis, he battled not only his new physical challenges, but also the depression associated with lost independence.

“I just want to accomplish this,” Crawford said. “Not just for myself, but for my family and friends, and for those like myself that go day to day wondering if they can. I believe I can.”

Earlier this year, Crawford paddled for the first time since his diagnosis as part of the Coosa River Basin Initiative’s WaterFest canoe and kayak race on the Oostanaula River. Since then, he hasn’t stopped paddling.

He began volunteering with CRBI, assisting with the group’s regular paddle trips and participating in many of them. When he learned that Paddle Georgia was coming to the Coosa Basin this year, he set his sights on the entire trip.

He hopes the trip will raise awareness about his disease, inspire others to explore Georgia’s rivers and generate funds for river protection. Crawford and other paddlers are participating in the Paddle Georgia Canoe-a-thon in which individual sponsors pledge donations for every mile paddled. The group hopes to raise more than $10,000 to benefit Georgia River Network as well as the New Echota Rivers Alliance, a CRBI-chapter in Calhoun, and the Coosawattee Watershed Alliance in Ellijay.

RAK Outfitters in Calhoun, CRBI and others are sponsoring Crawford’s journey. To make a contribution to Georgia River Network in Crawford’s name visit: http://www.firstgiving.com/alancrawford1 or contact Crawford at 706-291-7449.

“We’ve had paddlers of all kinds on Paddle Georgia — from age 4 to 80, but this will be the first time a wheelchair user has joined us,” said Joe Cook, Paddle Georgia Coordinator. “Paddling is a great sport for paras, and hopefully, Alan’s effort will inspire others to get out on our rivers.”

Crawford expects to experience everything that other paddlers will experience, but some creative engineering will assist him along the way. Crawford’s desire to get on the water led him to design a special kayak trailer that allows wheelchair users to easily transfer from chair to kayak and launch into rivers. The apparatus can also be used to pull paddlers from the water.

Dubbed the “Crawford Crawler” by friends, the trailer is a four-wheeled platform that holds a kayak and works like trailers used to launch powerboats.