By Karen Kenefick
6:50 A.M. the Women’s Issues group met at the High School the day of the Crow River Canoe trip. After Lester, Joanne, Jenny Case, Sharon Korzendorfer, Ronilyn Rasmussen, Valerie Raihl and Karen Kenefick (me) were all accounted for we jumped in Joanne’s and Lester’s cars and headed for Dawn’s house. After about half an hour of driving we got there and were greeted by Dawn and Mr. Wilkes. All of us had an early breakfast of waffles, fresh fruit, and cappuccino while Jenny serenaded us with classical guitar music.
Then we headed for the mighty Crow. We got to the starting place, and we all divided into our canoes. Sharon, Ronilyn, Dawn and Keisha (Dawn’s dog) were the first canoe to get on the river. Then close behind were Valerie, Lester and me. Finally in Joanne’s very own canoe was Jenny and Joanne. They had a little bit of difficulty getting started. While boarding, the canoe tipped and Jenny went for a short swim, but they soon caught up.
The day was perfect for canoeing. The sky was clear and sunny. The first hour of the trip was very peaceful. We all enjoyed the day and each other’s company. Then we came across a part of the river where we could see several trees down. Valerie, Lester and I were in the lead. We thought we could find a way around the logs. It was only when we were a couple feet away from the log that we saw that there were two logs completely across the river. Instead of turning around, Lester thought it would be easier for all three of us to get out, stand on the log and pull the canoe over. So one at a time we climbed out onto the log. The water was really deep and the current was moving at a good pace. I was scared out of my mind.
Meanwhile, Dawn decided to take the rest of the troops, which consisted of Sharon, Ronilyn, Jenny and Joanne out of the water and around the log. The idea was great in concept. The only problem was that they had already passed the only flat place to get out. So they had to climb up a 5 foot tall cliff. Even that doesn’t sound too bad but the cliff was pure mud. As soon as she stepped out, Ronilyn sank down to her knees in the mud. After struggling, she managed to pull her legs out with her shoes intact. Then, they all got out of their canoes and climbed the hill. After a lot of effort and muddy body parts, they reached the top. Then, they had to trample through the high grasses and bushes in the woods. Finally, when they reached the end of the woods, they forged through the mud on the other side of the logs.
By this time, Lester, Valerie and I had been waiting 5 to 10 minutes even though we had to climb in and out of the canoe twice. The second log was about 6 inches wide and we had nothing to hold on to. Still, we were completely dry and clean. We had no idea what they were doing because we were busy with our own problems. All we heard was someone occasionally yelling at Dawn for running them into trees.
At first glimpse of them we almost tipped our canoe laughing. They were all mud. Sharon’s whole legs were just dripping in mud. She left puddles in the canoe. Finally everyone got back in, and we were off down the river again. It seemed like only five minutes went by before we had another tree crossing our path. But this caused no problems. The water was shallow and we got across and back in our canoes with no real difficulty. A whole 15 minutes passed and we were at the third and final log blocking the river.
This was the worst one we had to climb across. The water was really deep and the branches made it really hard to get around. My canoe was still in the lead so we had to lift the canoe really high and get the bow to go underneath a low branch. It took a lot of work but everyone made it through okay. The obstacle was particularly hard for Sharon because she didn’t know how to swim, but she gave it her all and made it through in great shape. From that point on, the river was easy gliding. We had about another half hour before we got to the end. Then we yanked the canoes out up a monstrous hill. Everyone just sat and rested at the top.
The canoe trip was a big success. It really got Women’s Issues started in the right direction. Also, we got to know Mini-School’s returned staff person, Joanne. She’s a great lady. We also met Valerie who is new to the program this year. Valerie is a great canoeist, and she’s really fun to be around.