July 2008 Paddlers 4 Christ WPC on the Duck River

My calendar had July 9 - July, 20 2008 scheduled for the July P4C WPC. For those who aren't familiar with the notation, P4C stands for Paddlers for Christ which is a group of Christian Paddlers who desire to find opportunities to share the "Living Water" with others as they paddle and fellowship in various locations. WPC stands for Worship, Paddle, and Camp which are the three major focuses of these P4C fellowships. While most WPCs are only over a weekend, particularly with the increasing gasoline prices, requests had been coming in for longer periods of time to be devoted to these opportunities combined with more unfamiliar rivers. Summer vacations and Tennessee's Duck River seemed like the perfect combination for answering these requests. Also, since the next OWLS outing was tentatively planned to take place on the Duck River, this gave me the chance to scout out the best sections of the river for that trip, locate potential campsites, and discover any river hazards we needed to avoid.

As it turned out, this WPC made the record books in three different categories. It was the longest timewise with 11 days, it was the longest in terms of river mileage at 177 river miles covered from initial launch to final take-out, and it was the smallest turnout of any uncancelled WPC, particularly if you consider the average number of participants per day paddled.

The Lord was my constant companion and encourager along the way and He regularly brought others alongside to make the trip easier and more pleasurable.

The first really neat example of this was, on Day 1, about a mile or so above the first dam I would have to portage, I came upon Brian Wofford, a teacher at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, and a couple of his kids. Brian had heard of OWLS and been studying our programs to see how they might enhance what he is doing with Project WILD, the Webb School's outdoor program. They were a lot of fun to talk with and a great help in negotiating the portage around the Lillard's Mill dam.

Not only did they help carry my heavily loaded canoe around the dam but the following morning Brian met me at a bridge farther downstream and helped me relocate my car in a safer spot farther downstream.

As I landed at the Shelbyville dam, the blessings came in the form of a number of the town's homeless men. They showed lots of interest in my "expedition" and then offered to help me portage around that dam. One of them, which I turned down, even suggested that I should stop over for the night at his campsite under the next bridge.

It wouldn't be right to enter this trip report without mentioning Doug Murphy, Director of the Tennessee Duck River Agency, who helped make this trip possible in numerous ways. He encouraged me time and again by showering accolades on his river. He provided detailed maps and information concerning access points, portages, mileage, and other crucial data. He offered to provide quick response in case of emergencies. After a very expensive and exasperating day including having my car break down and having to have it towed to Columbia, he also bought me lunch and helped me set shuttle in Centerville where I finally took out.

It was a long trip and toward the end my goal turned from enjoying the scenery and marking potential campsites to making more miles each day and getting back home. I was able to accomplish my goal of determining the best section for the upcoming "Odyssey" trip and plotting enough campsites on my maps to offer the kids plenty of flexibility during that trip.

Below are a few of the many photos I took during the WPC. I certainly hope you make the next one with me!

The upper sections of the Duck River were often lined with rocky bluffs.

Some of the riverside bluffs were deeply undercut providing comfortable sheltered campsites.

Other bluffs were pockmarked with cave entrances. Some were dry and others, like this, had small streams of water flowing out of them all the time.

This Great Blue Heron seemed to stay just ahead of me throughout the entire trip. He always saw me coming long before I spotted him, making photographing him a real challenge.

This little fellow and several of his older relatives were my companions during the first few evenings on the Duck River.

Most of the older bridges have been replaced with new concrete structures but, in many locations, the old steel frames of the original bridges remain like giant erector set projects.

The deer were everywhere along the river and I spotted several of them each day.

Spotting a family of Bald Eagles near Williamsport and following the big male for another mile or so downriver was really exciting.

When approaching shoals or one of the dams, the river often took on a mirror-like appearance.

The mussels found in the banks and along the gravel bars grew to 6" or more in size. If the water was a little bit cleaner, each one would be a meal in itself. There must have been lots of chubby Indians living along this river in years gone by.

A week on the river without a mirror and without anyone telling me what I looked like can create some pretty scary results.

At my final takeout, in Centerville, TN, just down the road from Grinders Switch and 177 river miles downstream from Normandy Dam where the trip began, it's just Minnie Pearl and me.

Paddle GA 2008 on the Flint River, June 21 - 27

Just as in previous years, the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School was represented in Paddle GA 2008 by a flotilla of canoes, kids, and mentoring adults. Unlike other times however, this year the number of participants and the organizations served changed so many times that I often found myself cycling wildly between not knowing if we would have enough boats, tents, and other gear to not knowing if we would have anyone at all.

Without mentioning specific names of the youths, some of the ministries and churches which had kids which were and then were not participating were Lindsay Street Baptist Church, Sandy Springs Mission, Peachtree Presbyterian, Techwood Girls Ministry, Christ Church, Perimeter Church, ReCreation Ministries, and the Salvation Army. By the time we arrived for on-site registration on June 21, we were still trying to figure out who was using whose prepaid registration and whose meals they would be eating during the week. Even after the final registration we had changes as participants altered their schedules and, in the case of one challenged young lady, had to be hospitalized on their way to our campsite.

With the low and slow water, the days were difficult and hot but, with the addition of each little tributary, just like additional members joining a team or workgroup, as we made our way downstream each day's paddle was a bit easier than the day before.

Discussions of the area's previous inhabitants, their use of the resources, and their interaction with each other (both ethical and unethical) demonstrated how people really haven't changed at all over the years but also how God provides all that we truly need. Now if we could only somehow allow everyone to capture Paul's ability to be satisfied with any situation in which we find ourselves.

Some of the discussions I had one-on-one with some of the kids were pretty different from what I usually experience. Statements like, "None of this is real. I and this world don't really exist. My mind only dreamed all this up." or more mundane topics like the intricasies of operating a group home for kids and incorporating foster children into a home can certainly get your mind off the tedium of flat water paddling for longer than you might imagine.

Despite the struggles of Paddle GA 2008 - 95 miles on the Flint River before the last day of the trip, at least seven people had already made tentative plans to be part of the OWLS flotilla in Paddle GA 2009 as we paddle the Broad and Savannah Rivers. I hope you will contact us soon to join in as well. If you can't join us, be there in spirit by sponsoring one or more impoverished youths who would otherwise have to miss out on this adventure.
The buzz among the paddlers was that shirts would be produced that said, "I Walked the Flint, Paddle GA - Drought 2008." Yes, as a result of the extended periods of drought we had had, the water level was very low. Everyone, myself included, had to walk some of the route, especially in the upper stretches.

Eli, Brad, and everyone else for that matter enjoyed escaping the summer heat by cooling off in the swimming holes we found all along the way.

"Look out below" as Ashleigh enjoys a cooling leap from one of the many rock outcroppings found along the Flint River.

Here Warren helps identify and count the fish, snails, and other creatures found in the river. They were particularly interested in seeing some of the indiginous Halloween Darters which provided the basis for some mighty strained humor during the week.

This picture of Lizzy and Ashleigh being followed by Christy and Vicki, as they paddled by some of the wide Flint River sandbars, must have been taken around midday on Day 3 of Paddle GA 2008.

The "Dripping Rocks" waterfall was a pleasant side hike for those of us who figured hiking in the woods made as much sense as hiking down the river.

Vicki and Lizzy paddle intently as they finally find some deep and fast flowing water.

On day three of the trip, a number of us stopped along the way to tour the mock-up of a Creek Indian settlement as it might have appeared in the days of local Indian Agent and trader, Benjamin Hawkins.

Here is Lizzy giving it her best as she tried to duplicate the flight of the birds who easily soared from the rocks and trees along the Flint.

Looking like something reminiscent of a commando training maneuver, Leonard and Warren tried to sneak up on me as I photographed the others.

Ashleigh, Christy, and Lizzy provide a lovely backup trio to the lead singer, Eli, as he enjoys his moment of fame leading everyone in several Karaoke tunes.

Brad and Warren approach the "finish line" after spending a week together paddling the old reliable BlueHole canoe.

Eli (and I'm sure - although his arms were probably too tired to show it - Leonard) celebrate their approach to the final boat ramp at the end of Paddle GA 2008.

Here's a shot of those in our group who made it all the way down the Flint River, shortly after our final take-out in Oglethorpe, GA. From left to right: Christy, Brad, Warren, Eli, Leonard, Emma, and Ben. (Not here at the final day's take-out were Anne, Allison, Bath-Shebba, Victor, Mahogany, Ashleigh, Lizzy, and Vicki.)

One of the most memorable experiences for some of the OWLS group was being able to see, meet, talk to and eat with former GA governor and US president, Jimmy Carter, at the "River's End" celebration.