Floating the Rapids
August 26, 2022
We may have never traveled together before, but one reason we traveled excellently with each other is that we knew when to shut up. We didn't have to fill every moment with talking and noise. We had long moments of silence, particularly in our campsite. One morning I was awake first and Robyn woke later but never said anything and sat quietly behind me for a long time. We left each other alone when we saw the other one sitting on a rock, staring out into the landscape. We understood about each other that when we were quiet meant everything was good, though we talked about how sometimes when we are quiet others think something is wrong with us, when those are often the moment we are at our best, just enjoying calmly taking everything in. And that's especially true when there's water and trees and skies to just stare at.
I was also doing a lot of reading. I'd brought along Leave Only Footprints, a memoir of one man's one year journey to every national park, which I had purchased in one of the gifts shops in Wyoming in July. It was a great read in this setting, and I would often burst out with delighted giggles and laughs. Robyn said she wished she had a recording of that.
Sunday morning we awoke to heavy fog. At its worst we couldn't see the end of our cove, so we took our time again and let it burn off.
Then we decided to head back to Basswood Falls and where we'd played the day before. We saw our otter again along the way.
But when we arrived, instead of staying at the Falls, we carried our supplies along the mile portage to the river and spent the day there--relaxing on the rocks, reading, eating lunch, but also playing. When we went swimming, Robyn decided to cross again into Canada. From there we decided to walk/swim along the shore past the rapids (much gentler than the ones she had traversed accidentally the day before). I had said I wanted to try floating down them wearing our life jackets.
And so we did. And it was so easy, with no rocks at all in the main channels. Robyn said, "Let's do it again!" So we did.
That evening, back at our campsite, we began packing up so that the next morning we could more easily and quickly leave. And we both walked around taking last pictures and enjoying the view. We had enjoyed our time in this idyllic spot.
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Posted by: juliaanderson | January 15, 2025 at 11:32 AM