At one point, we even had an assembly line as we fed our kayaks through a particularly narrow space in a downed tree.

Overall, any day on the water is a good day, but I may bring a chainsaw the next time I paddle this stretch.

And, after about five years of hauling around a substantial tow line, Trent finally got to put it to use. He secured our boats from floating downstream without us as we portaged over trees and rocks.

Some of the unexpected training came when we had to hurdle several trees and other obstacles that barred our path at multiple places between Lindenlure and Finley River Park in Ozark. One such barricade was a rocky dam that had popped up between now and when Julie last kayaked this stream in 2024.

With a kayak training course in my very near future, Jules lead the way in helping me navigate eddies, throwing rescue rope to a victim (she played the victim quite well), and running Trent and I through a pinned kayak simulation.

More details here: www.showmewomenpaddlers.org/events

Among my favorite!

@chthonicchickadee.bsky.social hawk spotting in our neighborhood!

They were wonderful! Here’s a quick video I got!