Long time readers know that when the dock goes in, a river float is not far behind. This past week, I found the perfect combination of weather and free time to do it. Getting on the river for the first time of the year is always good for my soul and it's also tremendous exercise. Not only did I row for five hours, my iPhone step calculator said I walked 4.65 miles. That's a decent distance, considering I was dragging a cataraft and wearing chest waders while doing it.
The river is always changing and I never know from year to year what I'll see or find. That's part of the intrigue of it all and why I keep doing it. I suppose you wonder what this photo is about. A river within a river? A game trail from a beaver or otter? Nope. This remnant is what's left behind when a tree has been dragged down the river as the ice breaks up. In a couple of weeks, the river will rise high enough to cover it, and I'll be the only one who knew it was there.
Since Earth Day occurred this week, my river float was not just about me and what lost items I could find, I also picked up trash. However, I did find a few treasures. Well, at least to me they were. A cane, a hat, a watch....hmmm, I hope those aren't clues to a bigger, more tragic story. I also found 20-30 fishing lures, a license plate, a CutCo fillet knife, an anchor (the Holy Grail of river salvaging), and a femur from a bear. The reason I kept the bear femur is it has a nice, heavy feel to it and should make an interesting fish whacker. You can never have too many fish whacker's...
As I stated earlier, a river float is good for my soul, exercise and for finding lost items. Another aspect that keeps me doing this is the wildlife viewing. Moose, caribou, seals, and plenty of birds are observed most years. With this in mind, I’m posting the last two photos for Augie, a 10 year old master phenologist from Shevlin Township.
A pair of sandhill cranes foraging for food.
It's hard not to get philosophical when you spend the day on the river all alone. I’ll end this post with this quote.
The sun shines not on us, but in us.
The rivers flow not past, but through us...
-John Muir
See you next week.
1 comment:
The tradition continues!!! Weather looks gorgeous. You should have a good collection of anchors now, not to mention lures. You definitely deserve a Chicken Burger Supreme for the effort!!! Great job....and all on the "World Famous Kenai River"
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