On November 28th, I traveled to the Chassahowitzka River Lodge with James (my fiance) and Abby (my awesome friend and co-worker). We had decided to go canoeing. This idea originated when Abby shared photos with me in which some of her family were swimming in the springs. The location looked so serene and beautiful that I couldn't resist. A few weeks later we were on our way.
The drive to the Chassahowitzka River Lodge was uneventful and lasted about 90 minutes. Upon arriving, Abby and I paid for the parking while James secured a canoe for our afternoon adventure. Between the three of us, we were sadly inexperienced. I (for one) hadn't set foot in a canoe in ten years!
We received a three person canoe. The weather was beautiful with very little wind; the temperature was mild, in the seventies. I stepped into the canoe first and wobbled. It is quite an unnerving sensation, having water underfoot. I honestly feared that I would topple headfirst into the water. However, with cautious maneuvering (I leaned downward with both arms outstretched for balance) I managed to seat myself at the head of the canoe.
Abby ventured forth next. She stepped forward very gingerly, turned slowly, and lowered herself onto the middle seat. A great feeling of triumph washed over us.
We waited for James to join us. As he prepared to enter the boat, I was so preoccupied with not jeopardizing my situation that I didn't notice how he was faring. All that I can really recall is the fact that one instant he was placing his foot in the canoe, and in the next instant we were teetering precariously in our seats. I briefly entertained the idea of pulling my camera out of my pocket. But before I could even slip my fingers through the material, we had tipped head first into the water!
Before I knew it, I was chin deep in river water. And I was so taken by surprise that I managed to swallow a mouthful of it. All of these months later I can still taste it in my mouth. Though the thought of what might be in the water grossed me out somewhat, the actual act of imbibing it was not distasteful in the least. Cool and clean, it tasted like regular bottled water.
Jumping out of the water, I felt two emotions running rampant through my system. One: Utter humiliation. James had dunked us before our journey had even commenced. And there were witnesses to our disaster! Two: Remorse for my equipment. Novice that I was, I had packed my cell phone in my right pocket and my camera in the left. Though I had vaguely entertained the thought that we might get wet, I convinced myself (quite naively) that this wouldn't happen. The irony, of course, lay in the fact that I had brought Ziploc bags with me... but had simply failed to seal my items.
Needless to say, this bathing incident sidelined our excursion by several minutes. I stood there, dripping wet and humiliated, not sure what to do. Abby also had an expensive mobile phone in her pocket. We disassembled our devices. I attempted to blow dry the batteries. Then we left everything in the car to dry.
For our second push off, we used a two-person canoe. This time the three of us seated ourselves without mishap. However, Abby and I remained quite wet for the duration of our canoeing. I had dressed in a sweater and denim capris; Abby also wore jeans. As the temperature was fine, we at least didn't suffer from the cold. (On a side note: Abby was wearing flip-flops and one of her shoes washed away in the river. Consequently, she remained barefoot for the remainder of the day.)
By the time we had gotten on our way it was nearly 12:30pm. I sat in the front, Abby occupied the center, and James directed us from the rear.
What was canoeing on the Chasshowitzka River like? We probably spent a good quarter of an hour just getting the hang of paddling as a team. After that, the elements themselves presented most of the difficulty.
To be continued...
