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Sunday, September 20, 2009

ReCreation Ministries Experiences "Screwtape in Person"


Tom Key performed "Screwtape in Person" in yet another of his unique and riveting one man shows.

Hosted by Sandy Springs Christian Church, OWLS and, at our invitation, a group from ReCreation Ministries were treated to a rather unusual program (for a church anyway) as the devil was invited to take the podium on Friday evening, September 18, 2009 and tell his side of the fight for souls. Tom Key played all the characters in his adaptation of C.S. Lewis' well known "Screwtape Letters" which helped reveal the wily ways used by Satan and his army of fallen angels to keep as many people as possible from spending eternity in Heaven.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Heritage Preparatory - Middle School Experience on the Toccoa River


The whole crowd used the swinging bridge where the Benton MacKay Trail crosses the river to study the trip's most challenging series of rapids.

The August 21, 2009 trip taken down the Toccoa River by the Heritage Preparatory School’s middle school students and teachers was not only a time for fun, fellowship, and the bonding which comes through shared experiences and especially challenges; it was also a time for personal growth and education. It was particularly a time to learn about communication, how it’s done, and its importance in achieving both personal and corporate goals. Students and faculty learned about communication with each other and communication with God – especially how He communicates with us through His creation and our experiences in it. We also looked for ways the Lord communicated lessons about preparing for the upcoming school year and preparing for the rest of life.

We are all familiar with Psalm 19, Romans 1, and other parts of scripture which tell us that creation has been revealing its maker and His attributes since the beginning of time. We often acknowledge that God created not only the physical laws, like gravity and thermodynamics, which govern the physical world but also the spiritual laws which govern our spiritual lives and our relationship with Him; but it was a little bit different for some of these students to realize that a big part of God’s character and attributes are reflected in the plans He has for our lives and that the “living parables,” which He allows us to experience every day, can teach us how He expects us to live.

The river had been low for quite some time and, even before the adventure began, God proved His faithfulness in answering our prayers for rain by bringing regular rainfall almost every day in the week leading up to this trip, raising the river to an almost perfect level for beginning paddlers and to its highest level in more than a month. Not only that, but the day of the paddle was clear, relatively cool, and absolutely beautiful. The restful sound of the rain all through the previous night made it easy for my two helpers/safety boaters Kelly and Shannon and me to have everything set out and ready for the arrival of the rest of the group long before the scheduled 10 am launch time. Since the rains had started almost immediately after I received Dr. Owens’ email notifying me that he was praying for rain, it was wonderful to have him volunteer to give our pre-launch prayer for our safety and thanksgiving for all we had and would experience.

It took me a while to figure out how to get all the canoes we needed to the river. Now I had to unload them all.

One of the first things I pointed out to everyone during the pre-launch safety briefing was the all too common mistake of resting one’s paddle across the gunnels while moving through a rapid or just downstream. In spite of this warning, I saw numerous examples of students doing this, sometimes combined with a white knuckled grip on the gunnels as they moved across shoals and drops. Others may have avoided resting their paddles on the rails but still managed to keep them at such a low angle that all they could do was splash water rather than fully wet the blade. Some were lucky and made it through unscathed. Others were introduced to a new version of a lesson originally taught by Jesus about the importance of stewardship and proper use of the blessings we are given. When resting on the gunnels or used inefficiently, the paddles do no more good than if they had been left on shore. White knuckles and splashed surface water are simply signs of poor stewardship and, just like the servant with one talent who had it taken from him, a number of participants had their paddles taken from them as they found their canoes washed into rocks or logs by the river currents. We can only reach our goals when we make every stroke count. Contrarily, poor stewardship of our God given skills, time, and other assets allows us to be swept along by the currents of daily life into the deadly strainers of the world.

Another corollary to the lesson of the unused paddle which we discussed was the importance of having a common goal whenever two or more people need to work together. This takes a common vision, a workable plan, and clear communication of that plan. Sentences heard like, “Let’s go around that rock!” do little to avoid problems because there were lots of rocks and most had more than one side by which they might be passed. Others learned that words like RIGHT and LEFT needed to be interpreted clearly since to some people RIGHT means “go to the right” and to others it means “there’s a rock to the right.” I guess it’s pretty clear what the results were when the bow paddler decided to pass a rock on the right while the stern paddler passed it on the left.

We discussed the way the river forced us to realize the importance and relationship of both short term goals and long term goals. As we studied the choices which lay before us at the launch site, we realized that there were many fine short term choices to be made but not all of them, if chosen, would allow us to easily continue our downstream voyage. Likewise, making a decision about school or about life with only our immediate comfort or success in mind might impede our ability to achieve our long term lifetime goals. Many of the students suggested rightly that perhaps the best course of action was to paddle upstream a short way, against the current, so they could be better lined up to take the path which allowed easier passage all the way through the rapid. Likewise, we must often make more difficult decisions or take a more challenging route if we are to achieve our long term lifetime goals.

As we worked our way downriver, each team of canoeists picked the route they thought best.

During our stop at Rock Creek some of the students looked at a very special material I showed them. Some of them guessed it to be old tree bark and others thought maybe some of Shannon’s red hair. These fuzzy delicate strands were actually some of the fibers from a throw rope like the one used to free the boat which became stuck about 45 minutes later in the Class III rapid just below our stopping place. The obvious lesson to learn from this is that there is strength in numbers and that we can do much, much more with the support of others working together with us toward a common goal. This lesson clearly reflects God’s Word where Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that “a cord of three strands is not easily broken” but a deeper and probably more important fact is learned as we study how these rescue lines are put together. There are strands made of extremely strong fibers which are nearly impossible to stretch or pull apart. These strong fibers are also very dense and surprisingly so subject to abrasion that they are almost useless by themselves in a rope. Other lighter and weaker fibers are woven around the stronger denser fibers when the rope is constructed. The result is a rope that not only can pull more than a ton without stretching but one that can stand being dragged across rocks and will float on water. Romans 12:4 and 1st Corinthians 12 are but two wonderful examples of how the body of Christ is just like that rescue line, many different people with different attributes working together for the common goal of His glory and His pleasure. This same lesson had been taught all day long as participants experienced the way the paddlers in the bow used one set of skills combined with a different set used by the stern paddlers to work together to maneuver the canoes around hazards and safely downstream.


Everyone took a much needed break from paddling to cool off when we reached the intersection with Rock Creek.


Even some of the teachers enjoyed the rope swing at Rock Creek!

Many of the strainers we encountered during our excursion stretched almost completely across the river. Some of them were already clogged with a collection of driftwood and river debris which had become entangled in them after floating aimlessly downstream. On at least a couple, we spotted snakes waiting for an easy victim and all of these strainers spelled danger and destruction for anyone not being careful to choose the safe route around or through them. What clearer analogy could there be than this to Christ’s warning, as He spoke to the multitudes during His “Sermon on the Mount” saying, “Broad is the way that leads to destruction, but narrow is the path that leads to life.”

“Who has ears to hear, let him hear.” One lesson, upon which I hope all the students have had time to reflect, is that of our responsibility to others. During the safety briefing, I told everyone that they were responsible for the canoe following them, that they were to stop and wait if they ever started to get out of sight, and render any kind of help they could while remaining safe themselves. On three or four different occasions before our stop at the swimming hole we pulled over to let everyone catch up, only to discover that the fifth or sixth canoe in our group hadn’t been seen by the one behind it for quite some time. Before our hike to the swinging bridge, we discussed the importance of being a reliable leader and example to those who will follow. When we got to the bridge, again the line had been broken by those not looking after the ones who followed and about half our group missed a crucial turn along the trail. After negotiating the rapids below the bridge, we regrouped and headed on downstream to a revised take-out location. Again, when we got there, we had a steady arrival of eight or nine canoes and then nothing for quite some time. I don’t remember who said it but I do remember hearing someone say, “They were having trouble back there so we just went on around and downstream to catch up with the others.” Please folks, if the entire team doesn’t reach the goal, it hasn’t been accomplished. If we are all only looking out for ourselves, we are not acting as team players. It makes no difference whether that team is your class, your school, your company, or the body of Christ. It is our duty to support each other however possible and encourage each other without ceasing.

One of the students reminded me of an important lesson that I had been ignoring through most of the day. I thought I had prepared for everything that I had any control over. I had experienced safety boaters in place to help as necessary down the river, I had pre-arranged alternate take-out locations, I had studied the river conditions with local paddlers over the last few days, I brought not one but two separate kinds of snacks for everyone to have if they got hungry during the day, and I had brought a sealed container to help protect everyone’s lunch on our way down the river. Then I ended up beating myself up mentally all day long over the way I let myself get distracted (by a tree that had shifted across the river during the night’s rain) and left the lunches safely in the container – on shore. Somewhat thankful that everyone had been offered the snacks, I still felt the tension every time someone asked about lunch or said they were hungry. Then, when we finally took-out at the end of the day, one of the girls came up to me and mentioned what a blessing it was to have her supper waiting for her right there on the side of the river. Yes, the snacks became lunches, the lunches became dinner, and God is good – all the time! How could I forget that “all things work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Of course, it was Jesus Himself who said, “I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and wary, and hast revealed them to the children.” (Matthew 11:25)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Paddlers4Christ Daytripping on the Cartecay River

We ended up with eight in the P4C group paddling the Cartecay at moderately low water on Saturday the 8th of August: Pop with his son Ian and his friend Doug, Jason, Sean, Kelly and his friend Anita (alias Capt. Granny), and me (Ben). We looked forward to sharing the river and the Living Water with the others we would meet and the Lord responded by bringing about a hundred middle and high school age kids apparently getting in one last splash before returning to school.
It was great for so many of us to finally be able to place a face with a name, especially Jason who travelled all the way up from Florida to spend the day with us. The weather was absolutely wonderful, especially with the shade provided by so many riverside trees, and the water level allowed us to easily converse while making our way downstream.


Here are the eight paddlers that comprised the Paddlers4Christ contingent on the Cartecay River, Saturday, August 8, 2009. From left to right are Ian, Ben, Pop, Anita, Sean, Kelly, Doug, and Jason.

We started our trip down the river with Pop leading us all in a prayer of thanks for the day, our fellowship, and our salvation and a request that we might be able to lead people to the Light of the World through the day's paddling and our lives.

Although we were able to offer some help and lots of encouragement to others on the river, Kelly spent most of the day giving lessons to and playing tug boat for Capt. Granny and Pop and Ian were kept busy helping Doug empty water out of his kayak.


Kelly, along with the rest of our crew, gave tips to Anita and soon she was able to get her S.O.T. moving downstream rather than from bank to bank.

It really got kind of funny for some of us to watch Doug as he seemed a bit slow to learn that maybe God was trying to tell him that smoking was a bad idea. He couldn't seem to be able to do without a cigarette but, every time he lit one up, it was only a matter of seconds before he found himself upside down in the river again. This happened so many times, we all lost count!

The crew with the Water Shed were delightful in their cheerful conversation and the efficient way they ran shuttle. The same can be said for the "Dogs by Donation" folks. Their attitudes and character all made it easy to feel good about making the donations it will require to keep these services available to paddlers on the river.

One last comment about the day - of all the hundreds of people on the river: tubers, kayakers, IK paddlers, S.O.T. paddlers, swimmers, etc., I was the only canoeist seen all day long. I sure hope other open boaters out there will show up next time to show what paddling is all about .
Join us next time for a great day of fun, fellowship, and praising the Lord on the river!


After a little coaching by Kelly and encouragement from the rest of us, "Captain Granny" was enjoying the whitewater like a veteran paddler.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Mother-Daughter Daytripping on the Hiwassee

Some last minute Mother-daughter requests and last second preparations allowed us to provide a day of excitement and bonding on Tennessee's Class II/III Hiwassee River. This run near Reliance, TN is known for its cold, crystal clear water which flows over numerous shoals and ledges. The participants on this trip wasted no time getting intimately aquainted with the rocks or the cold water and all agreed that the excitement of tandem canoeing the Hiwassee was more than they expected. Here is a photo of one dry-haired mother-daughter team only seconds away from their first swim of the day:



but not their last.

Total tally for the day: 1 lost paddle, 2 lost water bottles, 1 soaked watch, 1 broken gunnel

Monday, July 20, 2009

Boy Scout Troop 87 Etowah River Overnighter

July 18 & 19, 2009 - twenty Scouts and Scouters from Troop 87 sponsored by Roswell Presbyterian Church enjoyed a fun, sometimes challenging, but leisurely paddle through the Dawson Forest section of the Etowah River.



7:15 AM at the Hwy. 9 Put-in as I start untying and unloading the canoes and gear.

For many, this was the first opportunity to paddle moving water and, for a handfull, the first time to paddle period.



Fun on the Etowah River





The course downriver had been blazed for us by Doc Stevens on Thursday as he wielded a saw, removing limbs and tree trunks from dangerous strainers which had been created or relocated by the past week's storms.


With a little help from my friends - everyone got under this riverwide fallen tree.

We quickly made camp upon our arrival at the waterfall which allowed plenty of time for the boys to discuss the Canoeing Merit Badge requirements, learn the various strokes, and put their new knowledge into action. Scoutmaster Stewart only half-jokingly commented that this was the first time he could remember setting up his tent in daylight.


We made camp beside this waterfall and slept to the gentle sounds of the stream.


Cooling off in the river right below our campsite.

Attentive students!


More attentive learners!


Even the adults sat and listened carefully!

Practicing canoe-over-canoe rescues


Learning to re-enter without capsizing the canoes

Trading places & learning balance

Everyone agreed that the weather was absolutely wonderful for paddling, although several thought the night got a little cold fro sleeping comfortably. I guess that was just another reminder from our heavenly scout"Master" that we should "Be Prepared." We stopped for a brief Sunday worship led by Jack, the Troop 87 Chaplain, on the river just upstream from Radioactive Rapid with a closing thought shared by everyone that with every thorn there is also a rose. Most of us found the roses too numerous on this trip to even consider the thorns.

We arrived at the designated take-out point literally minutes before some of the parents arrived to meet the boys. Like the Colonel on the A-Team - "I just love it when a plan comes together!" All in all a great time and we all talked about doing another trip together soon. I know that I'm looking forward to it!




Teamwork + Common Goals => Success!

Father-Son Experience on Alabama's Choctawhatchee River

Unlike the other trip reports, where I compose all the comments, on this one I have just copied an email from one of the participants. I hope you enjoy reading his take on this adventure which took place July 10 - 14, 2009 and included snakes, alligators, egrets, herons, lightning bugs and, on one night, low flying night-vision equipped helicopters buzzing our campsite.
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A great time of father & son bonding!

Dear Ben:

I want to thank you for the absolutely splendid trip we had on the Choctawhatchee River with me and 12 year old Matthew.

You distinguished yourself before we ever got on the river by making a number of accommodations to my unpredictable and constantly mutating schedule – with changes in the number of days, time of departure, all of which caused you to change the trip planning, food planning, etc.

Your accommodations and flexibility were superb.


Happy campers? You bet!

Of course, one of the goals of this trip was to give Matthew a great outdoor experience, to introduce him to canoeing, to build his self confidence and to enhance the father-son bond. You succeeded admirably! On each one of these goals, we realized what we wanted – culminating in Matthew’s solo paddle all day on the last day, including following your expert instructions through the strainers. And amazingly – he listened, something that he may not have done had his father been the instructor.


Matthew's first day solo paddling - in the Bluehole Sunburst.


Ready to take a well deserved break at the confluence of the Little Choctawhatchee and the Choctawhatchee River.

In our time together, I certainly sensed what I take to be the results of 30 years of your experience in the outdoors with such a variety of venues and kids, as you explained your background to me. Your ease at camp, your ease on the water, your beautiful balance between forthright instruction and gentle encouragement with Matthew (and me!) all have been honed, I think, through your years doing this work. I think you are indeed a treasure.


One of the many creatures that shared the Choctawhatchee with us 7/10 - 7/14/09.

In fact, I think you might be hiding your light under a bushel. I know how diligently you are working on OWLS with the inner city kids – what a marvelous ministry. But I think your talents are so broad and deep that you would do well to serve other communities. I’m thinking of church groups, community-based groups, outfitter stores that offer outings like the one we were on. Your special touch with adolescents is quite rare – as most people will avoid that age group because the kids are so (appropriately) difficult. I think there are an increasing number of schools – especially private schools – that offer “real life,” practical experiences for their students. They should hire you!


The soapstone walls of the riverbank continually flowed with water, creating these "fernfalls" rather than ordinary waterfalls.

And by the way, I appreciate you providing such superb equipment and food – it certainly made our life easy to just follow your “what to bring” instructions – and then enjoy ourselves.


Making camp as the sun drops below the horizon.

It was particularly fun to do an exploratory trip with you, as I understand this was your first trip down the Choctawhatchee – a most beautiful and remote area. I was able after the first day to disconnect completely from the onslaught of work and things at home, and get a true mental rest and physical workout.

Yes, dads can still enjoy rope swings too!

Thanks again.

Cordially,
George

Thursday, June 18, 2009

"Paddling With a Purpose"

Reading and Responding to This Message is Crucial

UPDATE: My sincere thanks go out to those who faithfully contributed their prayers and monetary contributions in conjunction with this year's canoe-a-thon. My prayers also are lifted to heaven for all those who, due to the unrest in our economy, felt that they could not help sustain this ministry this year. I assure all of you that the vision of the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School will remain clear through it all and we will continue to trust the Lord as He shows us ways to impact others through OWLS programs. Since OWLS is a year-round operation, funding is an ongoing need. I strongly encourage all of you to join those ministry partners who pray for us regularly and make monthly contributions to sustain this ministry. - Ben
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Perhaps the most important thing you can do this year for the OWLS ministry and for the disinherited inner-city kids we scholarship on numerous adventures each year is to support my participation in the "Paddling With a Purpose" canoe marathon, being held this year on the Current River in MO, July 21 - July 30. With your help and that of the friends you encourage to partner with us, the funds raised during this epic journey will determine our ability to meet the programming needs for the remainder of the year.

By now, you should have already received my email explaining the various ways you can partner with me in "Paddling with a Purpose": Paddling your own boat and raising sponsors for your physical efforts, Contributing $X.00 for every one of the 125 miles that I will paddle, Organizing a team of supporters to pledge contributions and prayers for this event, Sharing the news with everyone else on your email list, etc. If you didn't get that email or cannot locate it now, please send me an email (BenSimms@aol.com) requesting it NOW, before any procrastination has a chance to interfere. As we are warned in Galatians 6:9-10, it is crucial at times like this that we do not grow weary in doing what God has called us to. I cannot do that without your help. Thank you and God bless you! - Ben

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Worship, Paddle, and Camp on the Nolichucky - April 17-19, 2009


Brandon at Big Rocks. Hey, doesn't it work better with the boat on top of the water?

The April WPC on the Nolichucky River with Paddlers 4 Christ was absolutely fabulous! Sounding somewhat like a soundtrack from the musical "Oliver," many of the participants reportedly had been heard singing "Rain, Glorious Rain" as bucketfulls fell on the days and weeks before the weekend but then stopped just long enough for us to enjoy our choices of runs on good water before raining again on our way home. God is so good!

Our group of 19 divided up into three parties paddling different stretches of the river. Several opted for a rather relaxing trip by just putting in at Sawmill and paddling the river down to our camp at Big Rocks and spending the rest of the time in camp, tending fires, fellowshipping, and enjoying the beauty of God's creation and the soothing effects of the river's flowing water.




Some paddled that section as a warm up and then joined a few others on a descent of the Nolichucky Gorge led by Wes Bradley and "Wayner" Dickert.


Scott enjoying his Viper on the Noli.

Four of us, Britt Lassiter, Andrew "The Author" Smith, Rob "Chicago" Wilkinson, and myself, Ben "Flowmaster" Simms took the longer Class II, III paddle by putting in at Chestoa and paddling all the way down to Big Rocks. At every rapid or bend in the river, Andrew enlightened us with detailed descriptions, nearby attractions, and the history of the area. He has paddled this river literally hundreds of times and written a guidebook which I believe he must have recited in its entirety to us as we paddled.


Taking a lunch break on a river left sandbar, from left to right: Britt, Rob, and Andrew with their kayaks. I, as the only open boater (canoeist) in our group was relegated to picture taking.

For our Sunday morning worship, Wayner delivered a thought provoking message from God's Word just as was expected after hearing him at several "River of Life" services up at NOC.
Special mention must be made of Cheryl Killman who did almost all the planning for this WPC and unfortunately ended up only being able to paddle a short distance due to a combination of leaky raft and the time it took to get her back to the campsite. She took most of the photos during the weekend and, as usual, always put forth a joyful attitude regardless of the circumstances.
Rob, by the way, earned the persistence award by driving the 11 hours it took him to get from Chicago, IL down to Jonesboro, TN. He sent us back a long message of thanks and praise, starting out with, "I had an awesome time paddling and was really encouraged to be paddling with other Christians." Then adding, "I enjoyed seeing God's creation and talking to Ben, Britt, and Andrew." He finishing up by saying, "It was great to meet other (paddlers) who love Jesus and (I) want to say I had a great time and I hope to make it to another WPC."
Thanks Rob! I pray that everyone had a great time and a Godly time during this beautiful weekend and I know we all hope to paddle with you again soon.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spring Break Adventure in the 10,000 Islands

We've returned from the Spring Break '09 trip and it couldn't have been much better! If you missed out on this trip and want to be sure space is available for this trip next year or if you want to join us on any of our upcoming adventures, don't wait to contact me to register or schedule a custom trip for you, your family, or your group. (BenSimms@aol.com)

While we are never really certain of what our Creator will show us on any particular trip, some of the things we remember about this one were the unbelievably fantastic weather, the manatee swimming right up under one of our canoes, the ospreys warning us away from their nest, the porpoises racing in circles around us and then jumping for the sky, sand bars with so many fiddler crabs that the entire surface seemed to move, a bull shark sharing a quiet cove with us, colorful sunrises and sunsets, pelicans everywhere, sandbars covered with birds and sandy beaches with nothing but the finest white powder sand, mangrove trees growing so close that even the fish and crabs sometimes had trouble working their way out, sea shells everywhere we turned, ducks, cormorants, egrets, herons, and many more birds that we are still trying to identify.


Osprey were seen tending their young, catching fish and rodents, and flying high overhead as we traveled the Blackwater River out to the Gulf. Nests were built on signposts and treetops; wherever they felt they could be safe and see the approach of any possible danger. The Bible tells us to soar like the eagle and it's no wonder why these big raptors are often mistaken for just that.


Birds of a feather usually flock together but there were those rare occasions where pelicans and cormorants would share the same roost.


We couldn't escape the watchful eye of this pelican as he allowed us to scare up a meal or two for him in the protected lagoon he seemed to prefer.


We launched from Collier-Seminole State Park, located on Royal Palm Hammock, which is the site of the largest grove of native Royal Palms in the country.


The porpoises seemed to enjoy playing with us as they would sneak up and surprise us by blowing air and making sounds that reminded us of a horse's snort. Several even performed some aerial maneuvers such as high jumps, flips, and their own version of the belly flop.


Royal Palms are known for their distinctive green headstalks and consistently shaped tops.


These red mangrove trees were right in front of our base camp location and provided a great example of how the 10,000 Islands are continuing to form with each passing year.


Here is a view of the same trees from my tent at low tide with the customary orange Florida sunset.


This photo shows just how clear the water in the 10,000 Islands and Rookery Bay area can be. It has the same appearance as some of the springfed freshwater Florida streams.



One last shot as we finished taking down the tents and packing for the paddle back home. Beach camping just doesn't get any better than this!


We had a driftwood fire to sit around each night and discuss all the days sights and lessons.


On the way past Turtle Key, I shot this photo of side-by-side black (on the left) and red mangrove trees. Notice that the red mangrove has the distinctive prop roots whereas the black mangrove has smaller air roots somewhat like the cypress knees we were more familiar with.

God has done some amazing work in sculpturing landforms in the area, both for our delight and for our challenge. This sandbar was about 1/2 mile long and the tide was still over two hours away from complete low tide. Rather than portage the fully loaded canoes over the rough sand and shells, we elected to explore another hidden bay in search of a short cut. It was shorter but, in the process, we ended up paddling in about 5" of water over some very sticky mud for about an hour.

Although we often imagined ourselves as being alone, we had to admit that we were always being watched.


The protected waters of the tidal river basin were glassy as we paddled back up on a rising tide.