Voice of the Rivers 2008

May 21. Margaret Ann Medley. Fried granola for breakfast was a delicious balanced mixture of honey, sugar, and oatmeal. There is no doubt that we would need a carb loaded jump-start for a 17-mile day on the lake.

After an awesome stretch, led by Elizabeth, Clyde briefed the group on Tuckman’s Model for Group Development. He reminded us that this is often the time during the trip when subgroup conflict can occur, and that it will be vital that we keep lines of communication open in order to maintain healthy group cohesion.
Elizabeth volunteered to be our navigator for the lovely day, and we were off for our 6-mile paddle on Lake Hartwell. Our first destination was the Big Oaks Visitor center. We were greeted there with amazed faces of 90 children on a fieldtrip from Hartwell Elementary School. Merek took interest in a small group of the children, and used this opportunity to ask what the 1st graders had learned about water safety. Brian did a super job of entertaining some of the students by showing them the ends and outs of how a kayak worked.
Lunch at the visitor center was a yummy stomach full of pitas filled with our choice of peanut butter and jelly or summer sausage and cheese. Everyone was satisfied with an efficient amount of nutrients, and the kayaks were calling us back to the river. James shuttled us around the dam, and on our way two of the kayaks came off the trailer! The moment was suspenseful, but luckily we were traveling slowly in the parking lot and no damage was done.
Around the dam we set out for 11-miles of paddling on Lake Russell, which Carrilea taught us all about in an informative lesson. The Lake Russell area was a treat to observe from the water. Private docks are not allowed on Lake Russell, and houses have to be built several hundred feet off the shoreline. Though people do live there, the illusion of solitude was a pleasant change from the busy aquatic life of boaters and jet skis.
During one of our breaks we set up a make shift sail, and let the wind and current do their thing. The sail was not a fabulous success, but it was stellar to see and be a part of. The island we camped on was ½ a mile from Gregg Shoals, and the stars were infinite and incredible. Brian and John Wargo made a scrumptious helping of gado gado. (noodles with peanut butter, soy sauce, onions, brown sugar, and garlic) It was so fine it would make you want to slap your mama!! Kudos to Brian and John for sure!!!!
Fat and happy we came together for our lesson with Ken. We used a speech written by Roderick Nash as the basis for a group debate. The discussion was largely about whether wilderness land should be developed or not. Both parties made strong defenses, but the relationship we had already made with the river had created a large bias against development.
Graham and I killed a Black Widow spider in our tent, and I was immediately uneasy to sleep amongst such critters. As I began to rest in my sleeping bag a harsh reality hit me with extreme discomfort. Unlike all of us VOR participants, most of those children from Hartwell Elementary will not ever get to take an adventure trip that will give them a venue to explore the land and themselves coupled with academia. This is unfortunate and unfair, especially knowing what immeasurable potential each one of those kids has. It was a humbling realization, and I am spoiled to be here.
Being a part of Voice of the Rivers is an exploration that helps sharpen our listening skills so that we can translate the cries of the waters into words that everyone can be aware of, respect, and help improve. Water is the lifeblood of civilizations. The river is a place where grief, greed, and obedience wrestle for growth. The river is a place where relationships form and sunken memories may be forgotten. Unimaginable futures will epicenter from these bodies of water, and I am proud to be a part of its voice.