Rollin' on the River

(Picture capabilities are limited, so maybe next time I blog, pictures will be included. I've uploaded some pictures to Facebook as I am trying to post a picture per day to best represent what we're seeing and doing everyday along the Alabama Scenic River Trail!)

Although we've been paddling for just a week, it feels like it's been more like a month on the river! Using kayaks, paddles and your arms to move you along is slow moving business, but it's such a gift to be able to view all of life and creation from a very different perspective. We have already clocked in more miles than we first would have imagined doing and have added so many memories to our life bank than we would have ever expected. It's been great.

Nate and I, last Thursday morning, began our journey in Scottsboro, Alabama. We loaded gear and boats and drove ourselves to Brushy Branch Park right over the Georgia line, where we met Mary and Dave who graciously met us (in "Team Paulk" t-shirts) to take our car back to their house to stay until we need it. What a blessing! We took a lot of pictures, ate a snack, put our boats in the water, and at 1:00 pm, we officially set off for an adventure where we had no idea what would greet us at the next bend. Literally surreal. 

I wrote the first night in my trail journal, 

"I don't know if we fully understand how or what we are doing, 

but starting seems like the best thing to do right now."

Even 7 days later, I still don't know if we fully understand, but waking up every morning with nothing to do but paddle, 

is a pretty sweet way to spend every day.

I don't know how to begin telling of all the stories we have thus far, so I might tell a story per post, 

just to leave you with a little of what we've experienced.

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Tugboat (Josh), Chelsea and Richard - Our First Trail Angels

After our first day of paddling down the river, in what seemed like the best weather conditions possible, we found a great flat area to set up camp for the night, or so we thought. 

We had passed through an area of fish camp type places with small RV's and porches built on the side of them. At the end of a stretch of fish camps, we saw a small beaten down road with a cotton field right past it. We pulled our boats over to the right side of the river, checked it out and decided at around 5 pm, that this would be our "Camp 1". We set up the tent for the first time of the trip, cooked a dinner of Broccoli Cheddar Lipton Rice and a tuna packet. There was talk of splitting a Snickers bar for dessert, but because of details to come, we never got to the Snickers. After dinner, Nate decided that he wanted to fly fish some and I thought I might pen my first words in my trail journal and read a little out of Harvey Jackson's book, Rivers of History. While Nate was fishing, he saw a flat bottom boat with a young man and woman pass by him very slowly and then come back by him again. He thought nothing of it, until he was back on the bank where I was and saw the two of them walking toward us. I felt a little nervous, as it was nearing dark. Nate, of course, said hello first and introduced himself to the two of them. I walked over and shook their hands. Josh and Chelsea. We continued in conversation about what it was we were doing and why we happened to be camping where we were. After hearing of our adventurous plan, they asked us if we needed any food, a drink, or a place to stay. We declined a bit, but they asked us to come on down to their place to just have a drink and talk for a little while. We agreed. 

We followed Josh and Chelsea back to Josh's place and immediately were getting nailed by mosquitoes! That problem would be solved in just about 15 minutes. As we began talking with the two of these nice folks, they warned us that "Old Man" would know something was up and would have to come by and see for himself who it was that was throwing the night off just a bit. I guess not too many people stop and camp on the edge of a cotton field next to their houses too often! Old Man sure enough came on by Josh's place. He was an old, burly looking man with a beard that could almost rival Nate's! This "Old Man" had a name. Richard. Now, Richard called Josh, Tugboat because Josh ran barges up and down the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. (We connected on the Pickwick side of things!) Richard saw that I was itching and scratching my legs from all the bugs, so he offered me some bug spray. He said that I could keep it.....probably because there wasn't much left in the bottle anyway! After a good amount of talking about why we were doing the Alabama Scenic River Trail, and how long do we think it will take, and are we going to be safe, we said our goodbyes to Tugboat, Chelsea and Richard on the right side of the river. Richard said his goodbye by putting a $10 bill in my hand while saying, "Put it toward the cause".

The bug spray and the $10 bill would be the first of many gifts that would be given to us by our lovely Trail Angels.

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We did our first 20 mile day yesterday and are spending the night in Gadsden at a Hampton Inn tonight. The weather is supposedly getting bad tonight, so we will be super thankful for a bed and shower that we'll have. We will hopefully see our besties, Mary and Dave this weekend! What a bonus!

Overall, the trail been incredible. We have gotten so much out of it so far. 

Our arms and backs are so sore, but our hearts are so full.

Gulf of Mexico, here we come!!!

Gratitude goes out to: the birds of the air, the fish of the river, our health, our Trail Angels, the small and big gifts that we have been given thus far, the way that the Lord is protecting us and seeing us through every bend of this beautiful river.