A tale from the river

I dip my paddle in the river and feel the pull of the current. The baby stands between my knees, clutching the gunwales with his chubby fingers. He strains to see past me, peering at Dad who sits smiling in the stern, instructing our two other boys, three and six, in their paddling “technique.”

We’re on our first overnight canoe trip, paddling down a stretch of the Wisconsin River with three other families. John has been pushing me to take a river trip since we had our first son, but until now I have been hesitant to try anything bigger than a lap around the lake or a mile long stretch of a quiet creek.

To continue reading, please head over to the online (PDF) issue of the Canoecopia Gazette. Click on the section "Reflections on Paddling" and scroll down to page 64. Sorry for the treasure hunt -- I can't link directly to my article.

***
This is my essay out this week in the Canoecopia Gazette, the magazine put out each year by the good folks at Rutabaga, the paddlesport shop. The Gazette is a combination of personal essays, news, feature stories, and product reviews from the paddlesport industry and Rutabaga, specifically; and of course a thorough guide and preview of Canoecopia, the world's largest paddlesport expo held here in Madison each March. (That's canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards, for those of you going 'huh?')

I wrote about that overnight canoe trip we took on the Wisconsin River back in September. But really, it's about more than that. (It's always about more than that, isn't it?) Anyway, the print edition of the Gazette went out across the nation this week (paddlers: go here to get on the mailing list for next year), and it is available online as a PDF. (not a PFD. ha! Had to get in the paddling humor.)
(And if you're local, you can pick up a copy all over town.)