Bobbing on the river
The weather ’round here this time of year is spotty: spots of rain, spots of sun, spots of warm, cold, wind, gray, all patched together like a teenager’s jeans. The local wisdom is “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change.” I suspect that line is said in many places, but it sure works in the Ohio Valley in spring.
Even though the forecast last weekend called for thunderboomers on both days, thankfully Saturday and Sunday instead bloomed brilliant blue and stayed that way, with some high, puffy clouds added late in the afternoon to add an artistic quality to the skies. Fair weather being our friend, the St. Mary Cub Scouts and their posses (thirty+ folks in all) took on the Little Miami River.
The river had been at flood stage a couple days before, so the crew at Morgan’s Canoe decided the water was still too high for canoes or kayaks and wisely shuttled us into the large rafts, ideally suited for nine paddlers per craft.
I’ll attest that watching a pack of 9 and 10 year old boys try to synchronize their paddling is akin to watching a drunken centipede walking Spanish down the hall; but on this day, the strong current was more of a deciding factor in our steering than was the erratic and intermittent paddle strokes.
As long as we avoided the strainers (i.e., the trees whose roots had been eroded by the high waters and toppled into the river, their branches then combing and catching the unwary), it really didn’t matter if we unintentionally covered more distance side to side rather than upstream or down. It was a splendiforous affair.
Hawks shadowed us at times, their wide wingspan silhouettes and near motionless thermal-surfing made them resemble kites attached to strings as they floated overhead. We didn’t see many turtles as the high waters had submerged most of their favorite sunning logs. But there was a family of duckling that raced alongside for the last quarter mile or so…and the little fuzzy kids entranced the boys.
The best part was that for over five hours, these boys were unplugged from electronic anything and plopped down in the midst of natural beauty. I don’t want to sound like some cranky Luddite here, for it is electrons that connect us via TrekAlong. Likewise, the online world has proved to be one of the best ways to bring together hikers, campers, and fans of the outdoors, so it would be disingenuous to sound off in re: technology’s role in our lives.
Moreso, it’s a matter of balance…as we know, this is the big challenge in life. Judging from medical reports, balance and moderation are the keys to a long, productive and healthy.
For all the kids on this fine day, they reveled in the ripples in the river, the majestic cottonwoods lining the banks, the fresh air, the joy of peer companionship while exploring the woods. Maybe a couple of them wrote about it in their computer journals (or will in the future) later that evening, maybe a few wrote an e-mail to grandpa or Aunt Heidi. Such would be a good first stake in the ground from the next generation of environmentalists.
As good as it was to get the juniors and their siblings enjoying the out-of-doors, the second benefit to a day of no spills and lots of smiles, was a dozen parents vowing to make these type of journeys a more regular outing. Whitewater river rats we were not, but who knows, maybe one day…
Tags: , Morgan's Canoes, rafting, St. Mary School Cincinnati