Canoeing Adventures

With great excitement and expectation, Julie Schwab, Pam Mitchell, Mary Ellen Gevelinger, Yvonne Feeney, Christine Walcott and I set off. Well prepared was I: two coats of suntan lotion, two types of bug spray to fight off any warring insects, water, a snack and a few other things.  There were six of us. Some knew how to paddle and others knew how to swim. We soon arrived and began to pick out our own canoe. The owner said there was one that he promised would never capsize. THAT WAS THE ONE FOR US! I claimed it immediately!  The inexperienced person sits in the front and the other in the back. As I stepped into the front seat and held onto both sides of it. I had my AHA! Moment. It went like this “Are you out of your mind?!”   In spite of this, we set sail paddling. We were told that we should just relax and the river would carry us. LIE! My sisters, you have to paddle your own canoe. During the first part of our voyage, we ended up on banks, bushes, kissed a tree, which for a brief time shared our canoe and clung to us as we departed. These exciting moments were seen and shared with our companions along the way.  During one of our conversations Julie shared that the area was rattlesnake country and how much they loved to come down to the river on hot days. THAT DAY WAS HOT! Needless to say my imagination went wild at the thought of all the places we had visited.  At last, one of us asked the question that was burning in my mind. “Can rattlesnakes swim?”  Thank God the answer was no. Nevertheless from that moment on, I tried my best to ensure we never ever came near to the bushes or banks again.  On the second part of our voyage, we were shipwrecked!  Christine was signaling to go to the right, I was paddling and shouting go to the right but that Old Man River and current led us straight onto the invisible rock. Shipwreck at high noon!  That rock had us in its grip.  We did the Push; we did the Rock and Roll, but that Rock of Ages would not let us go.  So… I had to walk the plank.  I ended up in the water and pushed us off to continue our journey. God had so much fun that God decided we needed a rerun. So as we neared our destination we again ran aground on some rocks… in full view of all.  This time we both got out of the boat but the boat would not move.  Eventually “ Michael row the boat ashore” except it was Pam who paddled the boat ashore.  And that song “ Wade in the Water” would forever have new meaning to me; as I walked through the water, waist high to our journey’s end.

Sabrina Paty, OP

Madison, Wisconsin