Lucky...

I don't believe in luck. I believe in perseverance, discipline and strength, but luck; no. There are, however, many things that I have taken on the Canoe Trips so many times, and I am so used to having them with me that I have given them the title "lucky". I have become so used to having them handy that if I didn't, it could throw off my groove. Now, I know that David and I are taking kayaks, not canoes, but it doesn't make any difference (a trip in both a kayak and a canoe is simply called a 'canoe trip' in Riverbluff); you still need your lucky stuff. To illustrate, I've put together a little video.

The Kayak Paddle...

So the kayak paddle is coming right along. I burned some black bands along the neck, and for the very first time have mixed color with my wood burning. The vine-like designs are actually colored with average colored pencils, but it turned out surprisingly well. I just used my wood burner to burn the outlines. I still need to engrave something into it, but after that it's ready for the polyurethane finish! No bad, eh?

-Daniel

The Wonder Kayak...

Good news concerning the Big Trip. My step dad was over in the New Smyrna area going fishing in some pond in the woods, when suddenly he came across a 16ft touring kayak, sitting submerged in the water! It was covered with algae and everything, apparently having sat there for many months to a year, but my step dad hauled it up on land and brought it home to wash it out. He sent me a picture of it once it was clean, and this thing is awesome! What are the chances of just finding a kayak like that sticking out of a small inland lake, and only a few weeks before our trip? It must be a sign :) So it looks like David is going to be taking the fast blue kayak while I may be taking this new 16ft wonder kayak! Apparently it's purple but, heck, if it gets me from A to B as quick as I need it too, I don't care if the thing's neon pink! It seems that the stars are aligning :)

-Daniel

Hardcore Paddles...

I've made a bunch of canoe paddles. The very first one I made was pretty lame by my standards now, but that things was a tank! I slammed it into logs and hacked down underbrush with that sucker and it held up the whole time. I eventually retired it, replacing it with a broader bladed paddle, with the burned image of a coiled snake running up the blade and the shaft. My brother has one with a blade resembling the head of an alligator. David has one with the Tree of the League on the blade and vines wrapping around the shaft. I've made several others, but I've never made a kayak (double-bladed) paddle. That changed last week. I spent five and-a-half hours carving a 8 1/2 foot long kayak paddle out of a 2X6 plank of pine from Home Depot, especially for "The Big Trip". In a few days I should be done with the burning on it, and it'll be ready for a few good coats of polyurethane to seal it up. I'm still trying to think of a good inscription to burn into it, though. Every paddle I make has a unique inscription that is specific to the conditions under which it was created or a unique quality about it or something. I'm still thinking of an inscription for this one, but it'll come to me soon enough. I'll try to put a picture up when I'm finished with it.

-Daniel

Food and Water

Food and water. They are the two most important things in a canoe/kayaking trip. No matter where you get your water from, it's gonna weigh roughly the same, and you can't help that. Neither is water something you can ration on a long distance expedition like this. David and I will need to be drinking water out of our ears to make sure we stay hydrated the whole time. We'll need to stop at the marinas every couple of days to refill our water jugs. Food is different. The kind of food you choose can make a difference, both in your energy and in the weight you're carrying. In the early days before the League, trips from Riverbluff would bring canned beef chili and crackers for pretty much the entire journey. But not only did this give us terrible gas (my intestinal tract has never been the same since that first trip!), but it was also incredibly heavy and took up a lot of space. Over the last several canoe trips we have taken, I have been experimenting with my food supply, bringing different items and testing which ones are the most lightweight and yet still deliver a huge amount of energy.
This is the conclusion I've come to: tuna fish and salmon in those little packets are awesome! Almonds and peanuts are also low in weight but pack a punch energy-wise. Whole grain oats (you don't need to cook them; just chew 'em around in your mouth for a while and, BAM, instant oatmeal!), fruit cups, dried fruit, some Clif energy bars. These are all parts to a well-balanced kayaking diet.
Many of the canoers/kayakers of the League have developed the peculiar but defining habit of eating all our food cold; without heating it up. This began on the very first trip, basically because we didn't have anything to heat the stuff with. Over time, though, it became almost a matter of pride. Given that we are part of the long and glorious tradition, David and I will probably be saving the weight of a camping stove :)

-Daniel

The Great Journey

"The Big Trip". That's what we're calling it in Riverbluff. Over the years, many of us in the League have canoed and kayaked hundreds of miles of the St. Johns River. We have traveled to remote, secret places, and covered great distances faster than most would believe. But "The Big Trip" is the ultimate test. It is the ultimate journey; a trip across the entire St. Johns River, from the shores of Blue Cypress Lake to the beaches of Jacksonville. I have never felt this way about any other trip before; I feel like it is something that I have to do, like all the years I have spent canoeing and kayaking have all been for this single journey. Is that weird?
All this time, the Riverbluff League has strived to instill a deep respect for the River, and also to find others that share in our desire to be out on the water. This trip could be our chance to do both. For David and I, this trip is not only a personal challenge, but also a golden opportunity to speak to people, young and old, about what a precious gift we have in our St. Johns River.
As of right now, David and I are really beginning to bring in all of the supplies we need from others in the League. We are borrowing the two fastest kayaks in all of the neighborhoods, and are being lent a GPS by someone else. Things are slowly coming together.

-Daniel

The waters are a second eternity; the world above captured under rippling glass. Look into it, and you will see that the normal constraints of space and time do not apply here. Massive trees are warped and bent as you pass over them, and at night the stars dance in their black sky beneath. It is the world that we travel to in our dreams, where what is seen defies explanation and reason; where the impossible becomes possible. It is an experience too big for the mind to wrap around, and so the heart takes over, hearing and touching things that were silent and invisible before. It is a gateway; a deep passage to the mystery and awe of the Creation.

-Daniel Robison

The Riverbluff League means much more than just rowing in a canoe or kayak. It's also more than the places we go or the things we build along the way. The League also has an impact on our everyday lives in a very real way. A person can much more easily find who they really are when they are in the midst of something difficult; something that tests them. The Canoe Trips fit that bill pretty well, with trips that average anywhere between 20 to 40 miles in a single day. Many times the ones that have a big ego find that they aren't all they thought they were, while others who didn't believe they could make it find a new strength that they didn't know existed. Regardless of the conclusion a person first comes to, the Canoe Trips eventually teach us three basic principles: DISCIPLINE, HUMILITY and CONFIDENCE--many times in that order.

DISCIPLINE is the main key for making it successfully through a Canoe Trip. Physical strength is not nearly as important as willpower and mental determination. There are a range of factors--heat, cold, storms, wind, insects, alligators, fatigue, sheer distance--that will inevitably overwhelm the canoer/kayaker that is going on simple brute strength. The true battle is in the mind. When you learn to bend your mind to a single purpose, even in the midst of doubts and fears, you gain the most important tool needed on a Canoe Trip.

HUMILITY comes almost hand-in-hand with respect. While discipline allows us to cross the great distances of the River, traveling these great distances gives the traveler a greater sense of just how small they are in the broad scheme of things. The realization that there are so many places that still exist and even prosper without the interference of man squashes one’s ego. We realize that, just beyond our manicured cities and houses, nature is still just as beautiful and dangerous as she ever was. We realize that we are not the center of anything, but rather a small part in a larger story. This not only gives us humility and respect for nature and others around us, but also a grateful appreciation of all that life offers us.

CONFIDENCE develops in it’s true sense; not as a puffed up ego but rather as a true understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, and where our talents and abilities are. We develop confidence because we understand our true place in the world; how we fit and what role we play.

These principles are certainly not limited to activities within the League. To the contrary, these principles are essential to everyday living; in school, in work, in relationships with others, in our view of the world. This is the deeper meaning and purpose of the Riverbluff League, to not only offer adventure and excitement, but also to serve as an opportunity for people to find who they truly are.

-Daniel Robison