Meet the kayakers

Joe Johnston

Johnston, (at right in the photo) a Livermore native, has been a Tribune photographer for seven years. The 33-year-old Shell Beach resident graduated from Cal Poly in 1998 and has been enjoying the Central Coast ever since. An avid surfer, Johnston recently got into kayaking after purchasing a wooden sit-inside kayak on eBay.

Johnston on the trip: “I’m looking forward to being able to see the beauty of the county’s coastline from end to end and doing it in a physically challenging way. I think pushing myself each day to paddle these long stretches of coast and capturing images of what we see and experience along the way will be well worth it. There’s something very self-insightful and significant, I think, that comes from throwing yourself into something like this.”

Brian Milne

Milne (center) has lived in Atascadero for 18 years and has written for the Tribune the past seven, covering college sports for the paper. Milne, 30, graduated from Cal Poly (2002) and Atascadero High (1995) and lives with his wife, Aja, and daughter, Payton.

Milne on the trip: “I’m looking forward to the adventure itself, being challenged by Mother Nature and enjoying miles of coastline that I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. I think the toughest part of the trip will be passing all those great surfing and fishing spots along the way.”

Beau Clyburn

Clyburn, (left) an Atascadero native, is a full-time electrician who moonlights as a weekend guide for Kayak Horizons in Morro Bay. The 30-year-old Clyburn recently moved to Los Osos to be closer to the ocean and three of his outdoor passions — surfing, kayaking and fishing. A graduate of Atascadero High, Clyburn has known Milne since they played against one another in Little League.

Clyburn on the trip: “I’m really looking forward to experiencing the unspoiled coastline of the Central Coast, a portion of coast that most people don’t get to see.”