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Explore a river

I grew up in Toronto. When I was a kid, I remember walking down to the end of my street, hoping the guard rail that separated the road from the ravine, and following a tiny creek down the hill to where it met the Humber River. Each Spring brought fresh reminders about keeping a safe distance from the fast moving Humber – especially from our teachers right before they let us out of school on a rainy afternoon. But they never told us to stay away from the river. Just to be careful.

Twenty-five years later I find myself living in the Headwaters Region and guess what? The Humber River and I are still neighbours and now it is the Pine River that is just a short walk away. I couldn't feel more fortunate. What more can one ask for in a playground than a river?

For starters, there are the simple joys to be discovered by allowing yourself the time and space to merely follow the path the river cuts through the land. In doing so, you are certain to cross game trails down to the water, see fresh foot prints in the mud, startle salmon fry in the eddies, and find a suitable spot for a campfire and lunch.

Rivers are incredible teachers. Try to dam one up and you are bound to learn something about the application of force. Bring a piece of string with you to tie some sticks into a raft and the next thing you know you are wrestling with hydro-dynamics. Examine the bank of a river up close and geological time is revealed to you through the power of erosion. And try to explain to your four year old why the tadpoles are swimming around in a pool of water that is high on the riverbank but below the water line and rapidly drying up and the next thing you know you are grappling with life, death, and everything in between.

More than anything else, for me, a trip along a river, whether by canoe, inner tube, or on foot, always stirs up my sense of wonder. There is something about not always being able to see around the next bend that has a way of sustaining hopeful anticipation. There is the calming reassurance I get from witnessing that, amidst the chaos of log jams, hulking boulders, and frothing water, life thrives.

There is the humbling knowledge that the water passing by me has been around the globe and back again more times than I can count, bringing news from afar, propelling explorers forward, playing host to great migrations, and yet it keeps on flowing. Go explore a river. We are fortunate to have some excellent options in the area. Be careful! As we near they end of Spring, they are still high, running fast, and more than cold enough to be dangerous. But don't stay away.

Drew Gulyas is the Camp Director at the Mansfield Outdoor Centre (www.mansfieldoutdoorcentre.ca, drew@mansfieldoutdoorcentre.ca)

By Drew Gulyas

Post date: 2014-06-12 10:20:41
Post date GMT: 2014-06-12 14:20:41
Post modified date: 2014-06-18 12:23:22
Post modified date GMT: 2014-06-18 16:23:22