April 22, 1997 (Day 34 – milepoint 336.6 – Erwin, TN)

Conditions a little better than yesterday and I’m in no hurry with only 6 miles to the Nolichucky River near Erwin, TN. I crossed a bridge over the river and walked the trail another mile downstream to the Nolichucky Campground, which is right next to two rafting companies. As I walked by, there were some guide-type folks loading rafts and kayaks on top of a van. Man oh man, I really loved my days as a river guide…

I removed my pack and sat debating about whether I wanted to spend the $10 to stay in the hostel. Someone handed me a beer.

After a few minutes, I decided to go and be social with the group of guides. Turns out most of them are down visiting from the New River Gorge in WV where I used to work. They asked me if I wanted to join them and I suddenly found myself with all of my warm clothes on, crammed in the back of a van with about ten strangers. They weren’t strangers for long as we had a lot in common. One girl thru-hiked the AT in 1994 and we all had good river stories to exchange. They loaned me a life jacket, paddle, and a helmet and we enjoyed the class III river in a couple of rafts and 3 people in kayaks. I was itching to be in a kayak, but beggars can’t be choosers, and it was a treat just to be on the water.

After the trip, I informed them of my commitment to the Pizza Hut in Erwin and they thought that sounded pretty good as well. Three trips to the salad bar and a medium Pan Pizza with extra sauce and extra pepperoni had me satisfied for the evening. They invited me to stay with them at the Crocket Cabin, a bunk-filled cabin usually reserved for river guests, but which they were able to stay in, being employees and all. So I saved $10 afterall.

Aquaholic

April 22, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

A meaningful reminder about reason and passion from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.

“Your soul is oftentimes the battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in midseas.

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.”

With reason, we rest. With passion, we move. Freedom and joy reside in the balance.

Passion + Reason = "Go there, but walk that section."

O’