Adventures On The River

This particular day, the decision to embark on a river adventure wasn’t exactly mine. It was my sister, Faye’s, spontaneous suggestion. She had always wanted to join our floating excursions down the river, and it had never worked out with busy families and all. It didn’t take much to convince me. We filled our two-man dinghy with air, loaded it on the back of the truck and we headed down to the river. It was Mothers Day weekend in May, and the river was a little higher and running swifter than usual. Our checklist was complete; paddles, life jackets, water, snacks and sunscreen. We often launch our vessels at our neighbours old farmstead, fondly remembered as “Bill’s place”.

The riverbank was uneven. The previous year, we had a nice gradual sandy slope where we had launched, but this year it was gone. Just a month earlier, the fast-moving water had cut away the riverbank in several places. So, we scoped out the bank in both directions and found a new spot we could launch. As I boarded our dinghy, I wasn’t entirely convinced which of us would end up drenched by the end of our excursion.

Once we pushed off and headed into the current, the real adventure began. I felt a small surge of pride. Look at us, river navigators! That is, until the dinghy started to spin as the current pushed beneath us. We got the paddles going and straightened out and literally sailed down the river.

No river float would be complete without a touch of drama, and ours came in the form of last years beaver dam that crossed our path. As we approached, we noticed the fast-flowing river had created a narrow path beside the left bank and let me tell you, the water was moving! It was just wide enough to squeeze through, and the current slammed the front of the dinghy into the bank while the back spun around, and we were pulled into the stream again with a rush of water which sprayed overtop of us. We gave a startled shriek followed by bouts of laughter but only God heard us! There wasn’t an animal or human in sight, just a few birds that probably fled the area with all the commotion. They say the cure for anything is laughter. Proverbs 17:22  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”. And just like that, it was quiet and peaceful again.

We found that the deepest water had the best current to navigate our dinghy so we wouldn’t have to paddle and it wasn’t always down the center. A beaver would sometimes plop in the water behind us, almost unseen. Their slides were very obvious on the river bank, but we didn’t see them until their bodies hit the water. One slapped his tail loudly in the stream. It was his signal to others that two noisy intruders were coming! The coolest thing we saw was an eagle in her nest high above all living things keeping a watch out for potential threats and guarding her eggs and young. (Can’t help but think of Chris Farley in Almost Heros)

Occasionally, (because we were visiting), our vessel meandered into the sticks and the rocks at the shore. It is a rude awakening when our butts hit a rock when there was nothing between us and the water but a thin layer of polyvinyl material. Sometimes we would paddle the wrong way and pull ourselves into shore instead of into the stream but quickly reversed that “engine” before we skidded onto an unforgiving rock. Not again!!

The river wound around bend after bend. In some places the Battle River almost comes back and meets itself. Erosion would some day wipe out those little banks that stand between the two channels of water but for now, it is fun and takes an unbelievable 2 hours to go from Bill’s launch to our swimming hole winding every direction for 5.2 km. If we drive across the pasture from point to point, it’s only 2 km.

The simple joy and quietness of nature will call us back for yet, another adventure.