Canoe Trip Impression – Arian
Moshref
Of the two
portions of the river we canoed, I enjoyed the upper portion of the river much
more than the second. One reason that I
enjoyed it more was because there were fewer obstructions to have to canoe
around. The lower portion was fun for
the first hour but then having to navigate (and get stuck on) the many
different fallen trees became burdensome.
Also, I didn’t like the fact that we were canoeing through waste water. Although it had been treated, it was somewhat
disgusting to have to canoe through.
Another reason I liked the upper portion better was because the majority
of the upper portion was deeper than the much shallower lower portion. It made it a lot easier to canoe through
without getting stuck in the sand all the time. However, one reason that I liked the lower portion was because of
the three rapids we got the chance to go over.
They were by no means anything to intense, but they added an extra burst
of adrenaline to the somewhat monotonous canoeing trip. Furthermore, another reason that I liked the
lower portion of the river because of the speed of the current. The overall pace of the upper portion of the
river was pretty slow where as the lower portion of the river had a much
quicker pace.
One
thing that both trips did for me, however, was to greatly improve my canoeing
skills. I had canoed before, but not
very much at all. By the end of the
second canoe trip, I was ready to take on Class V rapids! (Not really) Both trips also brought out the outdoorsman
in me. Seeing the various species of
trees, plants, insects, and birds really opened my eyes to the vast number of
creatures living around (and within) our environment. Seeing whirligigs spring back and forth tirelessly on the water,
a great blue heron cruise the sky effortlessly, and water snakes hiding under
lily pads was truly an experience that I won’t forget. I’ve never been camping, backpacking, or
white water rafting, but after these two trips I’m eager to get outdoors and
explore the wildlife.
Another
reason I liked these two trips was because it brought me closer to my
class. The best way to get to know a
group of people is to either live with them, or travel with them. Well, I haven’t lived with any of these
people but traveling with them I did. I
still do not know everybody but I know more people now then I did before the
school year began. Watching two of my
classmates fall into the river 5 or 6 times was hilarious, but became less
humorous once me and my canoe partner fell into the river 3 times. Everybody was friendly to one another, and
we all pitched in to both unload/reload the gear for the trip. Yet another plus about these trips was the
fact that I got to know my professor.
This has been the first time that I’ve really interacted with a
professor outside of the
Perhaps
the part I liked least about the Upper portion of the river was the Ghost section. The