The run from Newaygo.
Trip Start
Aug 14, 2010
1
18
19
Trip End
Aug 22, 2010
Where I stayed
Camp Linderer
Linderer house
Newaygo, Michigan
Friday, August 20, 2010
25.4 miles
8:30 – 3:00
Verse: Prov. 15:17 Better a dinner of vegetables where love is, than a fatted calf were hate is.
It poured on us in the night. The tent rainfly dripped just a little but enough to annoy me. We woke at about 6:30 but somehow I thought it was 5:30. Thankfully the rain had stopped, Praise God. We didn't get Todd rousted for breakfast till 7:15. If the hot breakfast at Paris was great this one was a masterpiece. Banana Pancakes, Tang, eggs with sausage, bacon, English muffins, and hash browns. We were very full. We tore down a sopping wet camp had our Word for the day and headed out. Today was a very enjoyable paddle for me some of the first part of the river I have not been down since I was eight. Once I reached Old Woman’s Bend I was again on portions of the river I had never seen. Todd and I and some of the others got into guessing famous movie quotes today. The time seemed to fly by and the rain held off, though it was very humid. We made the run from Henning Park to Bridgton (15 miles) in 4.5 hrs so we were really pleased with that. We had lunch at the public launch at Bridgton and it was a real zoo. There were hundreds of tubers there for a 'poker run’, what chaos. We jumped back in and paddled like mad to get some river to ourselves. Somehow I had the wrong map printed and the coordinates that I had for our landing seemed incorrect so we were a little uncertain as to our destination. I had physically scoped it out so I was pretty confident that I would know it when I saw it, I was much less confident of my ability to keep up with Chad and thus get there first. When I described what to look for to him I had the description down well but my estimate as to the millage was off by a factor of .5. In the end we all found the landing and Bob was waiting with the truck. My mom was bringing the van and was not there so some set out for home. We waited a while and finally got a call from my mom who had been waiting at Maple Island landing. She came over to pick us up but by then Chad had already started out to come back and get us, we could have called him if anyone else had his number or my phone was working – Item for the memory bank; get everyone to put everyone elses numbers in their phone the first day. Three went with my mom home and Brian and I started walking up toward Holton because Chad would be coming from that way. I started to panic a little that maybe he had gone a different route when we saw the truck with kayaks on top approaching. I thought it would be cute to pretend like we were hitching so we crossed the road and stuck out our thumbs. Point #2 never screw around when you are stranded; Chad almost blew right by us, but he did a double take in the rearview mirror and decided he knew those two sorry saps walking I the other direction. So in the end we all made it in, not quite the way it was planned in my head. I tried to get permission to camp at the parking lot of Holton duck lake rd (3 miles downstream from Maple Island Bridge – not 1.5) but the DNR said it is closed to camping May 15th – Sept 15th. So we are staying at my folks instead. It worked out well we can tear down the tent dry and just sleep in their trailer and the house. Mom had heated up the pulled pork and beans for us and we also had fresh raspberries and cake. After dinner Chad gave a great devotional and we all settled down to do our stuff, journal, blog, etc. I am looking forward to finishing. Another item off my ‘Bucket List’ another chapter in my memoirs , some more great memories with a great bunch of guys. Not many people can say they have done what we will do and that makes each one of us proud I think. But, as we talked tonight the analogies from this trip are fruitful in a spiritual way also. We do our best to bend our backs and stay on the course and we trust in God for the rest, one of the only guarantees He has offered being "In this world you will have trouble" but it’s the second part of the verse that really comes alive “Fear Not, I have overcome the world” Gods strength, Gods direction, God’ It’s really what the journey of Faith is all about. Seldom do I do a good job with being the man I should be, humble, compassionate, holy. But like Chad’s ‘muse’ pointed out tonight God doesn’t look at us and see all the problems He looks at us and sees only THE POTENTIAL. I am eager to see my family. That is really hitting me now. Tomorrow we wrap up what looks to be a short day then the trip home.
