OWLS Father-Son Adventure on the St. Marys River

The Peaceful Picturesque North Prong of the St. Marys River

The peacefulness of our Put-In spot on the St. Marys River just below the Okefenokee Swamp gave little hint of the challenges that lay ahead.

Presidents Day weekend found a dozen intrepid souls making their way down the border between GA and FL along the St. Marys River.  This OWLS Father-Son Adventure was supposed to be an opportunity to escape the crowds, struggle together through whatever adversity presented itself, enjoy being together, find time to talk to each other along the river, around the campfires, and in the tent each night.  Well, the vote is unanimous and the conclusion is that we got everything we signed up for - and lots more than we counted on.

Adam again proves the lack of cell tower coverage along the upper reaches of the St. Marys.

We definitely escaped the crowds, as we saw not even one other person during all our time on the river.  For the greatest part of the trip, we were even forced to escape the usual mobile phone interruptions as there also was no phone service available either.  Without a doubt, we struggled together through adversities.  These came in the form of obstacles you might expect along such a river: strainers, logjams, Cypress knees, and shallow water, but we would never have expected our "trip to Florida" to include 20 degree weather, sleet, and freezing rain.  Conversation was plentiful not only between dads and sons but also within the entire group as we discussed the days events, how to handle various concerns, gave mutual encouragement, offered helping hands and guidance, and just generally relayed to each other the things we noticed during our adventure.  Conversation was also evident between us and God as we questioned His will and our sanity, noticed His creation, and looked for any lessons He might want us to learn through our observations and experiences.

Although we recognize that God is due all the credit for everything created and all the blessings we receive, I still want to recognize those through whom He works to bring some of these blessings. 

MTI AdventureWear has been an ongoing supporter of the OWLS Ministry for some time now and this trip was no exception.  MTI was responsible for providing ten of the 12 life jackets worn by us during our adventure.  The savings realized through in-kind gifts of required gear and supplies like this may seem like a small thing until you realize how many more people can be served as a result.

Another big help for us, both in planning and making the trip a success, was my friend Kyle Hicks, proprietor of KandC's Oak Tree Cafe in St. George.  Kyle gave me regular reports of river conditions, weather forecasts, and other paddlers' experiences in the weeks leading up to our expedition.  Once we were in the St. George, Moniac, MacClenny area Kyle provided us welcome vehicle security by allowing us to park at his home and, more importantly, provided us shuttle service which gave us needed flexibility to adjust our river access as required by conditions.

Not 100 yards after we headed downstream, we came upon our first logjam over which we had to carry our loaded canoes.


Teamwork was the order of the day as we quickly lost count of the number of lifts and carries we had to do.


The low water levels combined with the numerous Cypress knees to make even the "open" water a paddle through an obstacle course.

Even though our regular readings of the river gauges showed plenty of depth and past trip reports from others as well as my own recollections told us our canoe-camping trip should be relatively easy if not a bit slow, what we experienced had little in common with my past trips on the St. Marys.  Rivers are always changing but this was in a league all its own.  It turns out that, in spite of reports by several local river experts and numerous references made to water flow and river depth, no one I contacted thought to tell me about the record breaking flood that came through the area last June in the wake of tropical storm Debby.  With Debby's water flowing 22 feet higher then than we were paddling, the result was a river channel widened to several times its former size, masses of tree trunks, broken limbs, and stumps creating dams across the twisting stream, and, in many places, a completely relocated river.  In this fact was wrapped up one of the first lessons I think we should have learned on this trip.  The stark reality of how worthless we found our memories, old maps, and river data shouted out the importance of making sure that we base our lives only on something stable and unchanging.   That stable and unchanging roadmap for life is of course the living Word of God which is the only reliable manual for making the right choices.  The unchangeable "I AM" is the only one in whom we can place our trust for living life today and for life eternal.

Around the campfire that first night, the lessons continued as we discussed the stars, located Polaris, and remembered how God has been pointing the way throughout history (His-Story) to those who were wise enough to look to Him for wisdom and guidance.  As Romans 1:20 says," For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."


The Houser's and Trimble's ready for another day of adventure along the St. Marys River.

Chris relayed to us all after the trip home, "I have a few favorite memories, but a personal one was asking my son (Christopher) how I could improve as a dad…after first saying, “you’re great!” He shared that times like these were really special, but time around the house was special too. His ask of me in 2013 was to be around more. It hit home as I travel a lot for work. I make the commitment that special trips are “special” but just being around is special as well. It is so precious to get time away from phones, email and the daily stresses of life…a simple river, 450 canoe strokes and your son creates some of the best memories imaginable. 

I loved seeing the teamwork that naturally unfolded – helping lift canoes, shoving one another off sand banks, building camp at night and the celebration at our landing. Bonds formed over a few days floating the St. Marys.

Thank you (Ben) for driving the trip. “Life” can easily conspire against making these memories happen."

Smoke rising from the fire and fog rising from the river all add to the memories of breakfast and coffee before heading out again.  It had already risen to 23 degrees by the time this photo was taken.


Rope swings and boys just go together - even if there's no intention of dropping into the river.


Yes, boys and rope swings - even if the boys are also dads.


Mike conveyed,"Colton and I had a great time. Like all of you, simply being able to be a team unit with our boy was awesome. We got very good at synchronizing our "dig" to clear the sand bars. Coping with the temps was great, too. In a way I liked being uncomfortable, as it helps keep and teach perspective on our blessings and provision, even central heat.

I will also not soon forget the "cheesecake"…

And I say, "Thanks Mike for helping out with the cooking!"  The break you gave me made a big, big difference in the energy I had to keep making progress.

Three generations of Fuller men celebrate at river's end!  In Ken's words, "There is a truism: No Pain No Gain, and if a little pain from paddling and cold creates gain in your relationship with your son and friends, then it is all worth the hard work."





Jimmy relayed the following:- Tripp wanted to sit in the back which I was glad to encourage even though it probably slowed us down a bit. He really stuck with it and practiced getting the strokes and pulls down. He went through a lot of frustration but also at one point he said "I'm really 'on' right now". It gave us a chance to cover a lot of life lessons, many of which I need to remind myself more frequently.
- The amount of guiding was just about right as was the time with the group. At one point or   another, we were all on our own to some degree and at other times we were all pulling together as a team. It didn't feel like we were smothered with guidance from Ben nor did it feel like we were left completely on our own. This provided for a lot of problem solving opportunities in a safe environment.
- I remember the moment the takeout point came into view and the world came flooding back to me all at once. I immediately remembered any number of 'pressing' or 'important' issues that were facing me Tuesday morning. It came to me in such a rush that it made me realize I had been switched almost completely off for the entire trip. It really gave me a great perspective. The world was still there and running without me even though I hadn't really been worried or anxious about anything for three days.  That reminded me of Matthew 6:25-27, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
- Tripp gave me a big hug when we got home Monday night and thanked me for taking him on the trip. He had a great time and gained confidence from all the hard work and problem solving.
- I agree with Chris about going to bed early. In our electrified world there always seems to be something to keep me awake longer than I need to be up but going to bed early Sat and Sun nights was a nice change up.

Chris also wrote about his recollections:

· First time canoeing for Christopher…adventure and excitement soon gave way to the reality of working and contributing
· Chris and Christopher becoming a team…that takes time and the water with a current and debris isn’t too forgiving to learning to paddle together. We had to work on a system of when Christopher would paddle, how hard, which side…had to temper his competitive spirit a bit to make sure we were working as part of a larger group as well (his dad may have had a challenge with this as well!)
· Teamwork – realizing that God designed us all with unique and complimentary gifts…I cannot cook or start a fire…but, I can lift a canoe and don’t mind getting wet. I’m thankful for the cooks and fire starters!
· Silence…something about silence was fantastic…no chirping phones or emails…no cars, planes or chaos…just quiet
· Ben Franklin: I loved the “early to bed early to rise” mantra. The second part wasn’t exactly true…but, the early to bed was wonderful!

I want to share with you, something I noticed during one of our lunch stops that stuck in my mind.  As was often the case, the boys would gather by themselves to talk, compare notes on the trip, discuss what others back home were doing, etc.  On one such occasion, I listened to them, one after another, talk about, "Dad did.....,""Daddy and I.....,""You should have heard the noise when my Dad......."  Then one of them said, "My Father......" and tried later to start a sentence by saying, "Father and I...." only to hesitate and return to saying, "Daddy and I............"  All I could come up with was that he must have felt he was to old to be calling his father, "Daddy" or "Dad" any more, or at least he wanted his buddies to think so. 

Not until half way home did I understand the significance of what I witnessed there on the side of the river.  I remember when I reached just such a point in my life as well.  I started calling and referring to my Daddy as "Father" and remember well how rough and aloof it sounded, not only to me but also to him.  It didn't take long at all for me to drop back to calling him "Dad."  I could never get used to calling "Father" one who I loved so much and whose love for me was immeasurable, one who I knew I could always count on to answer whenever I needed help.

Remember how Jesus, who is God, in conversations with His Father, used the name "Abba," literally "Daddy."  The one rare exception to that that I recall is when, because Jesus was at that time wearing the sins of all of us on the cross, the heavenly Father could not allow Himself to be a daddy to His only son.  I believe that the God who walked and talked with Adam and Eve in Eden, was "Abba" to them.  His love and presence were so clearly understood that they couldn't imagine being without their Creator and Friend.  When Adam sinned, the angel drove them, not only out of the garden, but also out of their direct fellowship with God.  From that point, until Jesus' conquering of death and sin, all of mankind could only relate to God as "King,""Ruler,""Lord,""Almighty,""Perfect," and "Father."  After Jesus rose from the grave, proving not only His justice, but God's love, ability to forgive, mercy, and grace, we are now able to call Him "Abba," "Daddy" once again.

Think about what it is to be a father and how much more meaningful it is to be a daddy.  That is exactly why God wants us all to relate to Him as Our Daddy.  Thanks be to God that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not die but instead live forever with Abba God.
 

From Mike: Ben, thank you again for all your hard work. Leaving you to tie down all those boats on the side of the road when we were all just spent, put in perspective all the work you do.
To Ben: Mike, thanks to all of you for having such wonderful attitudes and always showing a willingness to go the extra mile in so many areas.  The extra work I did after you left was more than paid in advance with all the effort shown by everyone on this adventure.  Can't wait until we can all go again!

St. Marys River Rats - from Left to Right: Colton, Hank, Robert, Jackson, Chris, Christopher, Mike, Adam, Jimmy, and Tripp.  Not shown - Ken or Ben


 

Spring & Pre-Summer Updates

Praise God!  He has answered our prayers and met our need for a vehicle by blessing the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School with the donation of a smooth riding and strong running Mercury sedan.  While certainly not the final replacement for "Black Beauty," our former workhorse Suburban, with the adaptation of a receiver hitch and some creative metalwork, OWLS now has a vehicle which will move our gear and pull our trailers down the highway to the trailheads and enable our staff to run shuttles and make it to various meetings and services.


Despite the limited resources experienced by almost all faith-based organizations at this time, we were still able to pull together one of our OWLS Spring Break Adventures; this one a repeat visit to Florida's Rookery Bay NWR and the 10,000 Islands planned for a group of UGA students and YoungLife Leaders living in Athens, GA.  Weather was about as perfect as it ever could be and, although the birds seemed a bit scarce, the large number of very friendly porpoises more than made up for it.  Our canoe-camping expedition took us from the boat ramp at Royal Palm Hammock, down the Blackwater River, past Shell Key and Tripod Key, beyond a number of smaller unnamed Mangrove islands, to our base camp on a white sandy peninsula forming a lagoon on Turtle Key.  When relaxing, reading our Bibles, swimming, playing games, studying nature, and sharing personal reflections with each other became too much, we took daily paddles to visit places including Gullivan Key, White Horse Key, Panther Key, as well as a trip up the length of picturesque Fish Hawk Creek, around Gator Bay, and up an unmapped side creek where we spotted the fresh tracks of a rare Florida Panther.  These impressive paw prints were so large that I could hardly cover each one with the 8-1/2" wide blade of my canoe paddle.

While the impressive, roughly two week, sellout of this summer's Paddle GA was a disappointment to the inner-city kids hoping to be able to earn a scholarship for it, I still have hopes that some of them will decide to do a more private OWLS Adventure, just for their group.  Both participants' social skills and comfort levels in crowds are always greatly enhanced by immersing them into the 300+ participant Paddle GA event but their personal reflections, spoken communications, and spiritual growth are better strengthened in our smaller 12 - 20 person group trips.  If your family or group of friends wants an unforgettable experience this summer, please get in touch with me right away to schedule your OWLS adventure.

Last but certainly not least is yet another blessing in disguise.  While the economic crisis we are all experiencing has caused lots of belt tightening, it has also resulted in the availability of some prime real estate at very reduced pricing.  Several foundation representatives have expressed their concern that the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School has no land it can call her own: a place to regularly stage courses, conduct staff training, maintain a headquarters and permanent office.  Furthermore, I have realized for some time that OWLS could make much better use of the limited funds we have available if we could have a stable location to store and repair our equipment, set up outdoor classroom settings, maintain campsites, and stage quality adventures for OWLS participants.  The resulting economies of scale would allow us to serve roughly three times as many people with each dollar spent as we now do.  The owner of a wonderful tract of land with both highway and river access has told me he is excited about helping OWLS move into just such a situation on his property.  To make this happen we will need to demonstrate some more answered prayer in the form of a team comprised of, among others, a real estate attorney, real estate appraiser, non-profit experts, and a number of very generous monetary donors.  If God is impressing you with a desire to help fulfill this mission in creating a place where youth and families can study creation and the parables revealed therein, grow closer to God and to each other, and learn both the importance and ease of sharing their faith in Christ with others, please let me hear from you today! 

Thanks,
     Ben
Email: BenSimms@aol.com

Vine City's Etowah Trip Through Dawson Forest

Read and enjoy the photos below as you learn about a really neat adventure relocated at the last minute due to the extreme drought conditions in South Georgia where we had originally hoped to go canoe-camping. I hope you will enjoy sharing our trip.


Off to a good start


Smooth paddling through Dawson Forest WMA

Paddling Class I rapids

"Running" (or walking) rapids at low water

Cooling off in the waterfall near our campsite

More playing in the waterfall

June ended and July began with a great bunch of guys from Atlanta's Vine City community, led by their mentor, Drew Henley, from Trinity Anglican Church, getting to know each other and the Living Water much better as they paddled and swam the Etowah River in Dawson County. In addition to canoeing, hiking and camping by a waterfall, building a campfire, and enjoying a number of rope swings, this adventure also included the added surprises of an opportunity for the young men to try their hand at riding a horse and seeing a baby fawn by the riverside.

Some wanted to trade their canoe for a horse.

What did the owner mean, "not broken yet?"

As with most of our OWLS Adventures which involve new participants, I explained the reason we took these trips and what it was hoped everyone took away from them. The first chapter of Romans, of course, teaches us that we are all without excuse when it comes to knowing God and His attributes as they have been revealed to us since creation through everything that has been created. This truth is followed up by Ephesians 2:10 which reminds us that, as Christians, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The kids initially expressed some lack of understanding when it came to figuring out how their time on the river would related to these ideas. I found myself thoroughly reassured at camp that evening however when, as I stretched out in my tent, I heard them showing immediate promise and deep understanding of "Experiential Evangelism" as they sat around our fire discussing the purposes and features of a life jacket and all the parallels between that and God's plan of salvation. It was almost like hearing a step-by-step iteration of the Four Spiritual Laws. I'm sure Bill Bright himself would have been quite pleased to hear them speak these spiritual truths so clearly.


Proudly wearing his PFD

#1.) Time on, in, and beside the river is meant to be abundantly rewarding and full of enjoyment. Likewise, God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives.

#2.) Often the river becomes too dangerous or intense for us to enjoy. Likewise, most people are unaware of God's love and plan for them or don't experience it because they are separated from Him by sin.

#3.) The PFD (life jacket) helps prevent us from drowning in the dangerous water, protects us from hard falls, and lets us travel the river knowing we will arrive safely at our destination. Likewise, Christ is God's only provision for the sin that otherwise separates us from Him and His wonderful plan for us. Jesus gives us the ability to withstand the attacks of Satan and gives us the assurance that we will live forever with Him in Heaven.

#4.) We took lots of PFD's with us on the trip, more than enough to go around. What the guys pointed out to each other was that all the life jackets in the world wouldn't do any good for someone that didn't actually put it on. In the same way, it doesn't matter that there is more than enough of Jesus's love and forgiveness to go around. It matters not that your mother, sister, or brother know the Lord. Living in a "Christian country" won't restore that relationship with God. No, everyone has to make their own personal decision to trust in Jesus to forgive them of their sin and lead them in the way they should go.

Stretching our legs at the rope swing

A fine leap at the "Rope Swing Campsite"

Wet entry!


A new fawn spotted just before our take-out.

Sure hope you can join us on our next OWLS Adventure!

OWLS Adventure in Alaska's Kenai Wilderness

The OWLS Alaskan Adventure took us across the Swan Lake Canoe Area, a well known but seldom traveled section of the Dave Spencer Unit of the Kenai Wilderness Area and the Alaska Moose Range. Check back here often because, during this amazing trip, we saw and experienced so many things that I will probably be updating this post for quite some time. Meanwhile, take a look at some of the photos here and try to imagine all those that we wish we had been able to shoot. Always open to questions and several have already asked about going on our next trip across "Alaska's Boundary Waters." Just let me know how many are in your party and when you can get away for a week or so and I'll do my best to make it happen.


The "Final Four" (Ben, Jack, Clay, & McClain) at the edge of Canoe Lake #1.

We started out with ten signed up for the trek but only seven arrived in Anchorage where we all assembled to start our adventure. The day we headed out to the trailhead, three others decided this expedition might be too much for them (or possibly due to the news of recent bear maulings the day of our arrival) and would not be convinced otherwise. After hurredly resorting our gear and provisions, we were still able to get a reasonable first day of paddling in and made camp on a point looking across Otter Lake with a view usually reserved for postcards.


Can you believe the record is a kick over 11 feet above the ground?


We passed Skilak Lake, part of the Upper Kenai on our way to Soldotna. Notice how the water here still has that blue sparkle indicating its glacial origin.


This view of the Kenai left no doubt in our minds that we didn't want to capsize in the river.


Our Alaska base of operations, Denise Lake Lodge.


One of our first views of Alaska from the ground. Although this immense wetland which is home to an amazing array of birdlife looks as wild as can be, it is actually the result of poor engineering for the construction of the Seward Highway which can be seen in the distance. When building up the roadbed for the highway, the many small creeks flowing across the terrain were effectively dammed up, creating what is now one of Kenai Peninsula's more highly visited wildlife attractions.

Here's a map of the various campsite locations we used during the week and that of Denise Lake Lodge, our base of operations on the Kenai Peninsula. We stayed at Denise Lake Lodge, the shore of Otter Lake, the beside Swan Lake, along the Moose River, then at its mouth in Sterling where it joins the Kenai River, and then back to Soldatna and the Lodge before parting company.

Jack's photo to send back home. Just in case someone didn't believe he really went there.

We took time to tour the native Alaskan museums, learn of customs, and even their music and games.

Jack decided that moose have every excuse in the world to be unpredictable, especially after carrying that much weight around on their heads all the time.

Possibly due to our excellent application of Leave-No-Trace Principles or maybe just because we made too much noise, the only bear spotted was on the opposite shore and downriver from our campsite in Sterling at the confluence of the Moose and Kenai Rivers.

The moose in town (this one near the airport) didn't seem to mind our presence nearly as much as their out-of-town cousins.

Clay in his usual situation: cigar in mouth and rod in hand. If he wasn't paddling or sleeping, he was fishing!


Our campsite along the Moose River was an obvious favorite of both human and wildlife visitors.

Spring is calving season for the moose and we saw evidence of it at every turn. Of course, some like David Tenenbaum and his boys didn't see the evidence until too late and ended up being treed by Mama Moose. Dave - send us that video link you shot from the tree!

This fellow might have been a bit too close for comfort but who am I to run him off?

Here I am on one of the many Swan Lake Canoe Area portage trails. Like many others, this one is covered with planks to prevent travelers from sinking into the often boggy mire.

Clay and our lunch-to-be on the side of Rock Lake. Three Coho Salmon caught in the time it took me to build the fire. No need to open the packaged tuna on this trip for sure!

I guess they call this Swan Lake Canoe Area for a reason.

Another view from our Moose River campsite.


Jack earned the title of "Jack the Pack-Mule" as he definitely carried more than a fair share of our gear on many of the portages. When the trails closed in, we found it much easier to carry the canoes from the center rather than sharing the load and "steering" around curves from either end.

Here's Clay casting for yet another of the many Rainbow Trout he pulled from the Moose River during the two days we paddled it.

We couldn't let something like setting up our first night's campsite get in the way of another good meal, chili this time.

Heading back out across Otter Lake on Day 2 to continue our adventure.

Jack and I cruised across Swan Lake.

This fellow had obviously become conditioned to either generous or sloppy campers around the spot we stopped on the Moose River. He watched us incessantly and sat on a branch right over my shoulder as I prepared our meals.


The Bradleys paddling one of the more intimate upper sections of the Moose River.

I practiced some really "laid back" paddling on this section of the Moose River.

One last photo at Denise Lake before heading our separate ways.