Voice of the Rivers 2008

May 30. Graham Tolbert. This morning was eerily quiet. The only thing stirring was the constantly flowing Savannah River. The sun began to make an entrance from behind the curtain of clouds after a deep slumber. Every morning, the sun shows a dawn of new beginnings and reveals new and fresh opportunities for all living beings, including man.
Our group game this morning was avoided in order maintain stillness, not only in the landscape around us, but also in our minds. If I were to give the reader of this blog a one-word description of the first half of today, it would be serenity. All that was to be heard was the call of birds, the sound of a paddle, and the river. It was truly a peaceful moment that was more overwhelming than a hurricane. We paddled 15 miles to lunch, and had a relaxing discussion drifting down the river over an intriguing excerpt from A Sand County Almanac, a book written by Aldo Leopold. Our discussion included topics such as wilderness conservation and preservation, the treatment of wilderness, and the origins of appreciation and care within the individual concerning wilderness. We then kicked back into gear and paddled another seven miles to our destination, Cohen’s Bluff.
We are valuing the world around us more and more as time passes and are surprised at how fast time has flown. We will be sad to leave the Savannah River when we enter the Atlantic Ocean, land on Tybee Island, Georgia, and go about our lives with only memories of the experience we have had together. We have all certainly grown closer on this wonderful journey and hope to, as Clyde Carter states, “be friends for life.” Peace.