North Woods River Runner: Ten Year Deja Vu

Louie, Scott, Ric, & Me
2013

My friend Louie and I had been having end of the school year adventures since the spring of 2009. So when we opened it up to other teaching colleagues in 2013, it was the birth of what would become a gathering of guys; later known as the Gulo Adventure Clan.

While attending the Canoecopia Expo in Madison Wisconsin the spring of 2009, I saw an exhibit advertising a “Paddle to Work Day.” That birthed a plan in my mind that perhaps I could create a rendition of that idea. The creeks and rivers near the school where I teach run south towards Rockford, Illinois where my family and I lived at the time. I began to scheme how I could perhaps paddle down to our house from work.

Louie became my go-to guy for paddling home in kayaks once spring arrived; or should I say, we attempted to paddle home. We had to finish that particular journey in 2010 and make it a two part experience. Someday I’ll write a blog post about that crazy trip! Afterwards, Louie and I added to our end of the school year adventures with a bike ride to New Glarus in 2011, and a rather lengthy hike in 2012 when we walked from school down to my house about 15 miles to the south. To this end, our 2013 school year outing was expanded to involve other gullible staff members willing to jump in with us for a taste of adventure. Our objective was to enter into Dry Run Creek beyond the field next to Prairie Hill School, cross the Wisconsin Stateline, and slog against the current up to Highway#67; where the creek flows under the roadway just east of the small Beloit Airport. “Why,” you might ask? Why not?!

We gathered in the school’s parking lot and then hiked down to the intersection of Willowbrook and Prairie Hill Road. Four of us had agreed to be a part of the expedition; Louie, Scott, Ric, and myself. Wearing old shoes, we stepped down into the slow moving water. It was freezing cold from the get-go, and as we stood in calf deep water looking at each other, we knew at once that this was going to be tough! We hadn’t even gotten close to some of the upcoming deep bends or log jams before one of us flat-out stated, ‘I’m not hiking in this!” As I said, the water was cold, and although it was partly sunny, the air was just about as cool. We wore long sleeve shirts but I suppose hypothermia, when walking in cold water over an extended period of time, was a real thing!

So it was spontaneously agreed upon that instead of hiking in the creek, we would instead walk beside it; up along its banks. On the plus side, and to help sooth our change in plans, we were scheduled to stop halfway to our destination at Raymond and Diane’s home. They lived on the banks of Dry Run Creek in a relaxed country setting. Diane, who was a paraprofessional aide in my classroom that year, had agreed to have a meal of sloppy joes ready for us upon hearing what we had planned. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we were now hiking the banks instead of against moving water, we arrived more than an hour ahead of time. Fortunately we came in only mildly muddy and damp, as opposed to soaking wet and cold. In addition, our hosts were more than accommodating to the surprise time change and simply relished the opportunity to talk, visit, and feed us. As our rag-tag crew settled in, we balanced the hospitality with laughter and conversations; some about the history of the area. Louie and I promised Scott and Ric that our trips of the past had not gone quite so easily; that pain, blood, and at least a minimal amount of suffering were typically some of the necessary ingredients within our excursions. They nodded as if they understood while mumbling something through mouths stuffed with food. When our bellies were full and we were ready to start again, we took a few pictures with Ray and Diane that are now misplaced or lost due to time, waved goodbye, and then continued north by northeast across the road and into an open cow pasture through which the creek meandered. We were soon to cross the invisible Illinois-Wisconsin state line.

It was a couple of hours later that we emerged next to the small Wisconsin state highway. We took a picture together sitting on a bridge that spanned the creek; used during the winter months as a way to link the intricate snowmobile trail system. The picture is a classic as pictures go, because it was the first snapshot ever taken of a collection of guys outside of just Louie and I on one of our outings. Our group of four talked and walked the one mile incline to the airport where my wife picked us up. Our day trip ended up being slightly different from what we had originally expected, but as successful adventures tend to go, we were adaptable to the circumstances and came away with some good memories.

It was with those pictures from 10 years ago etched in our minds that we gathered once again last month. It was like deja vu! A simple get-together, but one that allowed us to reconnect. As with most people, our lives look different than they did a decade ago. Over that time much has happened and we’ve had a plethora of additional gatherings, in all kinds of environments and weather conditions, with other colleagues and friends.

At this most recent gathering, we had a short hike out near the Sugar River before enjoying the conversations around an old limestone hearth that encompassed a crackling fire. Within that setting we enjoyed eating good food cooked in the largest of skillets. Who knew, when we first came together on the banks of a cold, local creek, that ten years later our adventures would continue to be meaningful? The origins of what we actually have gained through steadfast friendships can be significant, as we mark the passage of time again and again with similar gatherings. Deja vu!

See you along The Way…