On Saturday I was in Oil City Pa at a get together at my brother and his wife house.
My sister-in-law has a kayak and they live on the Allegheny river. It was my first
time in a river. I figured I would go down and paddle 30 down the river and then
paddle 30 minutes back up the river.
I was going good for about 15 minutes until I figured I was going no where.
I was on a river treadmill. For 1 1/2 hours I paddled non stop trying to
gain ground. I decided to paddle parallel to the river and head for land.
When I finally did find land it was like a rain forest and there was no way out.
So I jumped back in the kayak and went back down river. I found a steep
trail running the side of the banks and headed for that. I pulled the kayak
up on land,and walked up to the top of this steep muddy hill using trees
and roots to pull myself
up.
It was a bike trail. I went back down the muddy hill grabbed the kayak
and climbed back up the hill. I didn’t know where I was so I threw the
kayak on my shoulders and started walking. I eventually found the
road and now I was on the road walking in the parade with a kayak on
my shoulder ,life jacket and a pair of water shoes on.
I heard a lot of funny remarks like that’s the best parade float. Hey that
works better in the water. Or the rivers over there.
So after a 1 1/2 hours of non stop paddling in a choppy, swollen river
with blisters on the hands and carring the kayak 3 miles on my shoulder
it was a good workout.
I learned a lesson. First know or ask before you jump in a river and start
kayaking what to expect, and have an out for saftey.
It was luck I was in shape, because I could have never made it 1 1/2 hour
paddling and then walking 3 miles with it on my shoulder.
Toughness Builds Winners
Johnny Grube
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