“The wind of
change blows straight
Into the
face of time
Like a
stormwind that will ring the freedom bell
For peace of
mind.”
Scorpions: (song) “Wind
Of Change”
Some
guys and I answered the bell and went for a trip down the Kishwaukee River
three days ago. It was a good change of
pace; necessary in many different ways.
The river itself is the reward for those who answer when the freedom
bell tolls. Moving waters help flush
away the pressure of unwarranted, or unnecessary expectations, if only for a
few hours. I’m all for the wind of
change and marching onward, but it takes time to sift through and glean what works. Luckily the river we paddled was on a give and take relationship; we
gave our homage, respect, and strength while taking away a good workout and refreshing
memories. Anyways, the river called six of us on Saturday
with a gurgling voice.
We
woke early, almost earlier than we do for work.
Four of the guys met at my house, and after loading up gear, my dog
Kora, and driving down to Cherry Valley, we met up with two others who lived
closer to our put in point at Baumann Park.
Using
the limestone fireplace on the north side of the shelter building, I cooked up
a breakfast while we all talked. It was
a time to catch up and get to know each other a little bit as two members of
the group were new to the Gulo Adventure Clan, and some of us hadn’t seen much
of each other in the madness of school starting.
After
eating, we lovingly heckled another member of our group who was skipping out of
our gathering to play softball in a tournament on the ball field next to
us. It was humorous, and he
laughed. Apparently his team won the
game; mark one up for the old guys as they were able to muster up the energy to
school a team of younger players.
We
dropped off a vehicle and trailer at the take out site and then returned to
Baumann Park to venture forth. My dog
Kora was so excited to get started down the river that she crept out onto the
bow of my kayak; toenails gripping onto the hard, slippery plastic. I made a mental note to devise a softer pad
that I could bolt on in the future, and give her stable footing, as it is fun
to have her along on our adventures.
VIDEO:
The
guys talked and laughed and paddled. We
also stopped to jump into a favorite swimming hole I’ve visited in the past
with other friends and family. This trip
is one we’ve wanted to take for the last few months, but due to high water that
we’ve had most of the summer, it got pushed back until now. The water was exhilarating, but doable, so
jumping in was necessary. Kora
absolutely loved swimming in the water with us, but used a lot of her energy
pushing against the current to get back to us each time we dove in. It was at that time that we presented our
unofficial membership cards to our two new guys.
VIDEO:
Only
one of the six of us decided not to jump in.
Only one of the six of us tipped over and went in anyways; it was poetic
justice indeed, and a great way for him to ceremoniously christen his new kayak. The only thing he hurt was his pride, but he
laughed it off good-naturedly. So in the
end all six of us went swimming on what amounted to a beautiful, cool fall day.
 |
| Justin, Tyler, Andrew, (Kora), Zach, Doug, and Me |
We
finished paddling in two hours; a perfect amount of time that allowed us to
pack up and drive back, while still giving us the rest of the afternoon to do
what we wanted or needed to do. We’re
already looking forward to the next time we get to paddle a river
together. By then the river will ring its
freedom bell and call us to its bank to find peace of mind once again. I for one plan to answer that call when the
river tolls.
See
you along The Way…
