Canoe

Well, it seems my mind has gotten away from backpacking and back to canoeing again. I have hope that I will have another canoe very soon. I have talked to a couple of people about good canoes at a reasonable price. I can hardly wait. I want to get back on the water - lakes and rivers. I want to take Vincent with me and teach him the joys of canoeing and I hope that Patrick will find time to join us as well.

It has been several years since I last had a canoe, but I haven't forgotten the joy I had while paddling. I hope that I can still find that joy and not feel too out of shape and weak. As I told Vincent though, at least we would have the river flow to help and he would not be having to stop and wait on me to catch up so often.

When I owned my first canoe, I did mostly day or afternoon trips. Sometimes on the lake and often on a local river. I always wanted to do some canoe tripping though. A time to go down some longer rivers and eventually even get on some of the western and northern rivers, historical and otherwise. That desire remains and it is my hope to be able to share that with my family.

I came along when the canoe was king and in my heart it still is. It is the most versatile in my mind and the best for all around use. In recent years though, the Kayak has taken over the rivers. It is the most maneuverable and can go places that even a canoe cannot, thanks to design that has it covered so it doesn't swamp. I do appreciate the kayak and what it is capable of. It is a beautiful boat and I have often though I would enjoy sea kayaking, especially up in Alaska. Maybe someday. But as I said, the canoe is my boat of choice. Speaking of Alaska, I used to dream of canoeing down the Yukon River, about a 2,000 mile trip. Similar to hiking the entire AT, another dream I once had.

Tomorrow we play for Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Toccoa. I know this has nothing to do with canoe trips, but it is about my lifetime love of picking and performing. We do need to finish our CD also. I have recently been working toward that and have hopes that it will soon be done. Stay tuned and I will let you know.

I love hiking, backpacking, canoeing, snow skiing, and many other outdoor activities. The outdoors are restorative for my insides. I think if more people would spend time in the wild places, they would be more inclined to want to protect our environment.

I do hope that I am able to report soon on a new canoe in my possession. Then I need to have some pictures of my trips to put up to share.

See you down the road, or maybe down the river. Just not up the creek!

Nelson