If paddling the length of the James River — 340 miles from Iron Gate to the Chesapeake Bay — has ever occurred to you, even just for a fleeting moment, you might enjoy Patrick Griffin’s story. The 27-year-old VCU grad recently returned from making the trip in a mind-blowingly fast 11 days (10 paddling, 1 rest). Gabe Silver, of the James River Association, said that’s the fastest he’s ever heard of someone doing it, though there is no official record for the feat. Griffin said the weather was dry almost the entire trip, which means the river flows weren’t all that high for this time of year. If he had had higher water levels, he might have done it even faster.