A Pilgrimage to Remember
I truly do mean this when I say it, kayaking captures every emotion out there; the highs, the lows, all of it. I was truly overjoyed to have spent such a wonderful weekend with great people up in the mountains. As an Arizona girl who is well-accustomed to the stoke surrounding a simple shift in the weather, I was enlivened to feel the general fever of the group .
What a great weekend it was, kicking it off on Saturday with a beautiful day spent atop fun rivers. Primed and ready for some good boating, the FPC group split between the Hiwassee and the Ocoee Rivers; each group aiming to provide a fun day for boaters of all skill-levels and aspirations. Searching for those good, challenging, fun lines on a forgiving river from noon to four, just enjoying the sun. Choosing boofs from the ledges, hitching rides across the river-wide waves, spinning it round’ in some holes… a true choose your own adventure kind of day for one side of the group on the Hiwassee. Meanwhile, across the way: those who embarked on the raft learned to fly, those who followed rolled up boats and pulled in club strays, and thoroughly enjoyed a fast-paced day on the Ocoee. No better way to end the day than returning to bright faces, both old and new; the lot equipped with campfire tales of their ventures. It’s then that the wave of sleep finally hits, luring in every smiling face until not a single one is left awake. We all settled into our arrangements, dreaming of the adventures that awaited us in the morning.
The adventures greet us at dawn, never late, never tiring. Ready for the action we all promise to offer up. Sunday offered everything the club could’ve hoped for; seeing off numerous groups of thrilled people. Some chose the Tellico as their beast, a seldom-available summer run (shout-out to the badass boaters who were able to snag their PFDs on the beautiful river), others chose a promising day of fun on the Ocoee, and the rest pursued a day of fluffy waves on the Tuckasseegee. I don’t imagine that I’ll soon forget flying through the air at Tablesaw with my dad (is #fatherdaughterswimteam a thing?), or the pure elation of my bull-ride through Hell Hole. Apart from the obvious bout of adventure, random washes of fulfillment washed over me as I ate months old, entirely crumbled crackers given to me by club president, Mary Pedrick. Thanks, Mary… pretty sure that sums up the diet of absolute legends! Truly good times awaited us back at the site, another night of laughs and stories waiting to be shared around the fire. Sunday night may not have been as peaceful for the sleepers; rain rolled in, long after the sun had set which notably left Mary with a collapsed tarp, a rather soaked hammock, and a hankering for dry clothes.
Nonetheless, that morning we all rolled out of bed, packed up our things, and said our farewells. It was evident what a great time everyone had, and that the crew had made and had the pleasure to share some great memories. To help us in looking back and being grateful for the times, Scott Bouchard’s candid pictures from the weekend live on in Discord.
So here it is, cheers to my first official East Tennessee Pilgrimage with an awesome group of both new and old faces.
Next time, Fhay.
