Janice Pearson describes herself as "the classic band person" in high school.
She despised physical education class.
"And some friends tried to get me into running," she says. "They said, 'Just keep doing it, you'll grow to love it.' Nope. I still hate it."
But over time, Pearson has turned into an avid outdoors person.
The "over 50" accountant for Communications Art Co. in Jackson will participate in Paddle Georgia - a 106-mile excursion from Athens to Dublin, navigating the Middle Oconee and Oconee rivers June 18-24.
"A friend of mine (Suzanne Mason) from Georgia has been talking about doing this for about three years," says Pearson, who is single and the mother of two grown children. "Finally, we just decided to go for it. I'm excited about the adventure of it. I think it's a neat challenge. And I'll enjoy being out on the water and in the woods for a week.
"There is something about being in that environment that sort of realigns your sense of priority. It puts your head back on straight, at least for me. It's calming and therapeutic."
It will also be physically taxing. The 300 entrants will paddle seven miles the first day and gradually increase. They are schedule to finish with a 22-mile stint.
"I'm not a real experienced kayaker," says Pearson, who grew up in Picayune, then lived in Atlanta for several years before returning to Mississippi in 2005. "I've done two-day trips and stuff like that. Nothing like this. I've kayaked around Jackson at Lefleur's Bluff and the Pearl River. I prefer calm waters, and these are calm waters we will be paddling.
"I'm pretty healthy and I work out regularly. I go to the gym and do weights and (cardiovascular) work. And I've been getting out once a week and paddling a little bit. I know your shoulders and arms have to be in pretty good shape to do this. I guess we'll find out when it's over if I trained enough."
"Janice is very adaptable," says Nell Wade, a landscape architect from Flora and friend. "She's in good enough shape that she'll make this work.
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"I'm actually kicking myself that I'm not on this trip with them. Being on the water for seven days this time of year is a wonderful place to be."
Joe Cook, coordinator of Paddle Georgia, said when announcing this year's event that "this is an adventure that changes people's lives."
Pearson agrees: "People who haven't done anything like this can get blown away and really hooked on it. It happened to me with biking, and that's sort of what I'm comparing this paddle trip to because it's patterned after Bicycle Ride Across Georgia and I've done that five times.
"We would go about 450 miles in a week, and it was really neat to meet different people and see parts of Georgia I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Each night, the town we stopped in would have a street party or cookout for us. It was really fun."
She and Mason will sleep in a high school gymnasium each night. "You can do that, camp or get a hotel room," she says. "The gym is perfect because it's air conditioned and has a shower. I got into camping when I was married, but we didn't want to be putting up and breaking down a tent every day in this heat."
Pearson's primary goal for 2011?
She laughs. "Actually, it was to stay home more ... and, yes, I'm serious. At least one night a week.
"People who say there isn't a lot to do in Jackson are crazy. I ride my horse a lot (a Hanoverian named Dauphin Elle). I really love to go hear live music, and we have great music around town.
"I like hiking, birding, love being out in my yard gardening. I like nature and I like adventure. It keeps me going."
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