Book One: "Adventure is at Hand: June 29-July 1, 2012"
Final Chapter
The Struggle
Our only other option is to continue the 14-16 miles of
shallow waters and with minimal food left. We talk to the owner of the grounds.
He suggested we head up river about a mile and there is a nice camp area on the
right. Once we arrive at this clearing on the right of the river, John and I
immediately start to set up our camp. He sets up his tent and I set up my
hammock sleep system in full force. The rain fly, bug net, lights, and the
hammock of course. Tonight is going to be great. We get the fire going and take
a nice hour or so of relaxation in the river swimming and sitting. I am feeling
itchy, maybe a rash from the river water, my wilderness soap doesn’t seem to
help since I am washing in the same water that probably gave it to me. I am a
little miserable though.
The fire has died at
this point and it is hard to keep lit due to the wet leaves and wood around, we
get all the dry kindling we see. The last of our food is some corn chips and
cheese which is melted on top using the fire. We quench our thirst with
filtered water from the river and get into our shelters. My air pad keeps the
chill of the night off my back and a more comfortable sleep in the hammock. A
good night’s rest is ahead.
Waking up to the sound of Blue Heron mating calls is not
very pleasant, especially when it goes on forever and ever when you’re dead
tired. We slowly get up and out of our
sleeping bags and out into the morning sun. It’s a slow start and hopefully our
last day out here, since we are now without food and I have a vacation to get
to and a Beach Boys concert I am not missing.
The day goes on and on and on. Our bodies are dehydrated and
lacking energy. The calories burned off are not being replaced and it takes all
we have to push forward. There are some nice rapids along the way, a lot of
still deep water and a lot of shallow water too. The still water seems like we
are going backwards and the shallow kills us even more. Scooting, dragging the
kayak, whatever to get it going. We both almost flipped at different points due
to frustration and weakness.
The water rushes in, the weight pulls me down into the
rushing water. I get out of my craft and hold on to it. I guide it onto a nearby
rock and start to empty it. John helps catch some of the items that have floated
out. I want to give up, but I fight my deprived body and push on. We get a
little rest and paddle on yet again, never ending.
The water is calm for a while and in the distance you can
hear more rapids coming up. All of a sudden a momma deer and her fawn cross the
water, heron fly above, the sky is beautiful and it is like a scene from a Nat
Geo calendar. This was the push we needed. God gave us that assurance then and
there that everything will be just fine.
We begin to see life again. People fishing, swimming, and
canoeing. We ask them where we were and for some reason, none of them knew. It
was like bizarro world. My back begins to hurt, the discs slowly slipping out
again, this could be the beginning of the end. I struggle through the pain. One
person says we are about a mile or so from the end. Calories depleted, starving
almost we are thirsty for that finish line. But it doesn’t come. What is going
on!? Where is the end? Another person says about a mile. Hold on, the last
person said about a mile. So we paddle some more and some more. Still no
landing.
Then it came. At first it was disbelief, we can’t be here,
is this it. Delusional, I question if this is the right spot, even though I have
been here tons of times with Joe. Sure enough it is. We glide up to the landing
and look up to the steep incline of the launch site and dread what is to come,
but this is the end.
The boats gather more battle scars on their bellies as we
drag them up the launch. We reach pavement and literally crash right there.
People are having to step over us but we apologize and explain what we just
went through. John calls his dad and I pass out. I am awakened with two ice
cold Gatorades on my sweaty chest and thank God for this blessing. A fellow
adventurer spared four drinks for John and I to get a pick me up. Finally our
ride arrives but we are not home yet. We have to go get the Jeep at our
original finish line and then pack that.
After the Jeep is packed, we rush to Five Guys and get a
huge burger and have a feast fit for a king, at least it was to us. Nothing has
tasted so good. Yet again, the trip is far from over. Another 35 minute drive
back to the starting point to get the Silverado, I have been worried about that
the whole time too in that storm because it was parked under trees, but only a
limb invades the bed of the truck. Dad will be glad it’s safe. John and I part
ways and I head the hour back to my house where I can finally get that shower
and packed for the beach trip. Upon my return, I get a closer and clearer
headed look at my body and discover that what I thought was a miserable rash
turned out to be the most uncomfortable month of my life with head to toe
poison ivy. I ended up having to take steroids for 3 weeks to help the healing,
along with calamine lotion. Nothing helped the itch and discomfort except for
sleep.
Thank God we both made it home safely and for a great adventure
with many stories to tell, with more stories to come in the future.