Reflection and Appreciation

Home safely. 

Over 3 weeks and 184 miles we followed the river’s course from Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay, experiencing the richness of its human and natural history.  The river basin is home to Colonial American heritage, Civil War battlefields, fisheries, wildlife refuges, and ever expanding urban development.  Within the basin over the course of centuries cultures have clashed, natural habitats have evolved, been destroyed, and regenerated, wars have been fought and resolved, and dams and bridges built and removed.  In large part the river’s watershed represents many of the issues present in today’s society and was fertile ground to study and reflect upon the complexities of today’s diverse world.

The Rappahannock River is truly a remarkable gift—one that has made an impact on us all.  Our sincere appreciation goes out to all the wonderful people along the Rappahannock River who educated, encouraged, and supported our journey.

Day 18- By Payne

We did in fact wake up at 11:15pm, technically yesterday. We packed up and skipped on “breakfast.” Liza felt bad so she was absent for the first half of the kayaking journey, resting instead. We set off around 12:30am while it was nice and cool. The only things that lit up the area were the stars and the lights on top of three flag poles hooked onto the kayaks. There were small crabs swimming around here and there. During the night paddle everyone was pumping out mileage and awake. It was not till we got near the half way point when people started getting tired, some falling asleep for a few seconds. Once we got to the landing dock, which was the half way point, most people ate a quick breakfast and then passed out on the dock for an hour nap. It ended up helping everyone get through the rest of the day. While most of us were asleep, Austin and Emily came by to heat up some coffee for us and to drop Liza off. From there we left around 8:00am to paddle the rest of the way to the Chesapeake Bay where we stayed at the Delta Yachting Center. The second half was a bit more vigorous yet the wind was not bad at all. It was mostly hot and muggy, though luckily there was overcast to take off some of the heat. When we were a few miles from our final destination we went around “Parrot Island.” Took a short break there and eventually reached the Delta Yachting Center around 12:30pm!! Everyone was so excited and Emily and Austin once again met us there and helped us with the kayaks. We took pictures of completion and word got out that there was a pool. We all ran to get some munchy food and then jumped into the pool to cool off. While swimming in the clean salt water pool, Onna Grimm, came to talk to us about the marina. She and her husband have owned the place for about ten years now. We had free time to set up tents, hang out, and clean out the kayaks for transportation for tomorrow. Left around 5:45pm for the dinner reservations which was at a restaurant called The Gallery. It was delicious and I am under the impression that everyone enjoyed it! None of us had to prepare for a meal nor clean up afterwards, as well as actually eat real food. When we got back to the center, we had meaningful tokens and a speech for the person and then the nightly debrief. The rest of the night people talked about the trip and other miscellaneous topics!

May 31st- Audrey

Today 3 members of our crew (Tyler, Claire and I) got up extra early (around 5:30) to go crabbing with our lovely hosts. The sunrise would have been worth the early wake up by itself but we had a great time on the boat too! For those who don’t know I am from Cincinnati and there isn’t much crabbing up there so this was my first time ever on a crab boat. We sorted the crabs out in addition to fish that were caught in the pots. There were even two eels! Jessica was really patient with us and went over with us many times how to tell the different kinds of crabs apart. When we came back the rest of the crew was up already and making pancakes for breakfast which were delicious. After this we heard from Richard who is a Rappahannock River Steward and is part of Friends of the Rap. He told us about his job and things that are threatening the river. He talked also about different groups wanting different things from and for the river but how the river connects them all. I thought this was an amazing summation of VOR as a whole. Everyone we have met and everything we do is tied to this river. After this talk we set off for Bayport Boy Scout Reservation. It was only about two and a half miles away so we had a very light day today. Once we got there we went swimming right away because it was so hot out. Then we had a lesson from Dr. C and made dinner. I watched the sun set and it was magnificent! About now everyone is pretty much sleeping except for a few people out on the dock maybe. This is because we are waking up at midnight tonight to paddle 26 miles. This will probably take us about 12 hours so it looks like we will finally be reaching the Chesapeake Bay at about noon tomorrow. I am so excited and I can’t believe this crazy journey is almost over already. I have to go catch some zzzs though or I am going to be dying around 9am tomorrow.

Have a good one!

Audrey

Day 16 - by Christina

This morning we woke up early, as in 3:00 A.M., so we could be on the river by 4.  The stars were incredible!  When we got on the water everyone turned off their headlights.  We began paddling then realized we should have a way of making sure everyone was accounted for.  It was a good thing we did because we almost lost Liza.   She was distracted by the stars and began paddling in the wrong direction.  Once we were reunited with Liza, we began our 26 mile paddle.  Due to the lack of light the group managed to run into the marsh multiple times before sunrise.  I found it to be one of the best sunrises I have seen in a long time. Our first stop for the day was in Tappahannock VA where we stopped for our second breakfast. As a group we made multiple trips to the 7-11 for snacks and drinks.  After hanging out for a while and pretending to be homeless people we hit the river again.  We had to begin this leg by crossing the channel (meaning we had to cross the river and avoid boats (kind of like a game of frogger)) Well during this time 11-04 paddled together and thought that in the middle of the channel would be a good place to stop and take pictures! (We strive to make good life choices.) Around 12:00 or 1:00 we stopped for lunch and a group swim.  By this time everyone was dying from the heat and sun exposure, so the swim was quite refreshing. During our swim we played games that included screaming under water and throwing each other.  We also had time to talk about the Low country boil we are eating to night and Audrey got very excited and yelled in a strange voice, “I LOVE LOW COUNTRY BOIL.” The funny thing about this is she just leaned what it was yesterday! After lunch we finished our paddle.  When we got into camp we were all tired and hot lucky for us we have amazing interns that had Ice cold water and fresh fruit salad waiting for us. To make every thing better there was a shower that we all got in to have to cold water cool us down.  At this point we are waiting for the Low country boil to be ready. But the prepping for it was fun we all got massages and we got to shuck corn and ate some raw. It was good so we are excited for food tonight! Tomorrow will be an easier day, but I am ready for it!  

You will hear from us again tomorrow!

Christina J

Day 15 - Claire

Today was pretty chill which was a welcome change from the past few tough and challenging days. We paddled about 7 miles today up a marshy creek. The weather was cloudy and cool, and the water was glassy and calm. A huge and wonderful difference compared to the sun beating down on us and the choppy water of the now 2 mile wide “river”. We are camping tonight at the Heritage Resort and the Montbel Winery; a very peaceful and beautiful camp ground that has restrooms and showers. Yay! Dinner tonight was fabulous; we had delicious pizza with lots of sautéed veggies and meat. Also our debrief today was awesome. After the plan for tomorrow, word of the day, and the hard drive being passed on, we all circled up and gave each other massages for a few minutes.
The evening has consisted of a lot of prep for tomorrow. Morning revelry is at 3am and we are shoving off the pier at 4. Fun times…  We have 24 miles to go so our fearless leaders of the day thought it best to get an early start. We are excited about the night paddle though, getting up early is not all that bad. Hopefully the moon will be shining bright for us.

Day 14, By Willis

Today on VOR, the day was not as long as the past two days. We had 13 miles from our campsite at Leedstown to our new campsite a Naylor’s Beach. The water was a lot calmer than it was yesterday with some wind towards the end of the day. We did not have an early start; We woke up at our usual time of 7:30 and got on the river at around 9:15. The temperature was hot but the clouds rolled in and stayed around for most of the day. We had calm waters to start and when we got closer to our destination the river opened up and was about 2 miles wide with lots of waves. Since it is Memorial Day weekend, everyone who lives in Virginia was out on the water tubing and having a huge party which caused the river to become rough with some pretty big swells. We made a nice stop on a beach before reaching our campsite and had a nice swim and cooled off before we finished off the day. Once we got to camp it was packed. The campgrounds are hoppin with folks. The boat ramp was quite busy and we rushed to get a trailer to load the kayaks and gear onto the trailer to make sure they went to a safe location. Our pace for the day was great. We did not arrive too late and the day was not exhausting with heat and long mileage. Tomorrow is a mystery, but you will hear about it soon enough!

                                Enjoy, Willis     

Day 13 - by Liza

Today we opened our eyes at 5:00 am this morning and we decided to start our journey at 6 am, a little earlier than expected. The sky was beautiful and made it a good start to the day as we pushed off the shore in our vessels.  During our paddle we decided to make a practice sail for future voyages. We entered some treacherous waters that endangered the crew. It really opened our eyes up to boating safety and actually working as a group not just one single person, being a cohesive unit is what Voice Of The Rivers 2011. We had a delicious lunch of PB&J with the optional orange or apple, it was a nice break, some peoples took naps to recover from the long day and we all got to calm our nerved and prepare for the last stretch of the river we had to conquer today. As we pulled into the shore of Leeds Town we had a nice welcoming crew that was happy to help us with pulling our boats into the grass. I think they were about as excited to see us as we were to see them. The one happy moment that we encountered a REAL shower, it felt amazing!! We are all happy campers now because we don’t actually smell that bad. Also team intern was so nice to clean our clothes so now we don’t have schmelly clothes and don’t have to worry about scaring other people that encounter us. Lol. Side Note: Christina and Audrey decided to do back flips off their kayaks just for kicks and giggles. But no one really saw it because they were too far ahead. Tata for Now -Liza

Day 12- Tyler

Well, I don’t have a whole a lot to say about today other than we tore the river up!  The majority of the day was spent paddling about 22 miles of the Rapp in some pretty hot heat.  As a result, we kept eachother in check about our water intake.  We started at the park near downtown Fredericksburg and ended a Haymont with a stop at Four Winds Camping and Trailer Park. We switched out our canoes for kayaks and headed down river against the tide for most of the day. There was an abundance of wildlife on the river like eagles and an awesome osprey that dove into the water to snatch up a fish.  Today we were able to see a deer crossing the river near Haymont.  At this location, the river is about 75 to 100 yards across.  Everybody at the end of the paddle was pretty burnt and beat.  We sit here now back in the cornfield that we were located in about this time last week soaking up what’s left of the day and plan our paddle for tomorrow which has about the same milage.

Day 11- By Olivia

The camp awoke at 7:30 this morning ready and eager for another day of paddling. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and dried fruit, we packed up our gear,  climbed into our canoes and paddled through the rapids on the Confluence. The rapids throughout the day ranged from Class 1 to Class 2 and were awesome! Then again when you have my job and  you are in the bow seat, all you have to do is be the motor and occasionally perform a bow stroke or cross bow stroke. Basically I am the brawn and my partner, Tyler Biggs is the brain… ironic because he is the big and strong boy and I am the shrimpy little girl. Not saying that Tyler is unintelligent by any means, in fact he knows the most about rivers here, besides John Buford. I just find it entertaining that the small person is the motor and the larger person is the steerer. We stopped on an island called Turkey Island for lunch and to spend a little bit of time just playing around the in the water. Sadly there were no turkeys on the island, and nor was it shaped like a turkey so I cannot say that I know why it was named Turkey Island. Although it was really cool because if you sat with you feet in the water the little minnows would come and nibble on your feet. It tickled.  We climbed back into our canoes and paddled down the river to Mott’s Run Resevor to pick up Travis Festa who is Brevard College graduate and now works with the ACA (for those of you who don’t know, that’s the American Canoe Association) and was a WLEE major. We continued down the rapids with him leading and Tyler and I went swimming. Not the kind of “Haha I am going to swim la-tee-da” more of a our boat filled with water and we had to swim down the rapids holding onto the boat kind of way. Then we had to yank the thing up onto rocks and flip it over trying to get all the water out of it. Lesson of the day. Canoes filled with water are super heavy. We arrived at the campsite at about 3:00 and set up our tents and then had a lesson with Dr. Chandler about Civil War diseases. It was really interesting, did you know that 2/3 deaths in the Civil war were due to disease?  We had a delicious dinner of chili and then we walked to Carl’s. Carl’s is the most delicious soft serve ice cream parlor on the Eastern Seaboard. While there, Christina met a 3 year old boy named Lucas who decided that he was in love with her. He came and sat on her lap and everything. It was really adorable, we do have pictures.  We are preparing to go have our evening meeting and are all really excited to switch to Sea Kayaks tomorrow!

Day 10 - By Payne

We roughly woke up around 7:15am so we could get onto the water. We packed up camp and had a semi-quick breakfast of granola. We had to get everything together and organized since we had an unsupported night ahead of us. Had to pack out group and individual gear, along with enough water. After everything was packed, we went down to Kelly’s Ford to unload the canoes. After the gear was packed and strapped down, we launched off around 10:15am onto our epic journey to “The Confluence!” It was a sunny, humid day so we had to make sure everyone was sun-screened up and drank a lot of H2O. Half way down, we stopped at a beach-y area with a few trails and a random chair for whoever wanted to use it. John Buford saw another copperhead snake (seen a couple already). We ventured forth around 12:45pm and finally came upon the campsite around 3:00. There were a few rapids along the way and most of us got wet though none of us flipped or anything. I was under the impression that everyone thought the campsite was epic! (And so it was.) It was located right between the Rappahannock River and the Rappidan River converges, so we were able to walk to the point of the two. A thunderstorm appeared to be headed our way so we all set up the campsite with shelter and such. No one cared to stay dry and safe and all of us decided to jump in the water and take a community bath with soap!! Have to get clean at some point. Once that was accomplished, we built a fire and some made dinner. An intriguing game of hacky sack was played as well. It ended up just sprinkling and cloudy; no rain. For dinner we gobbled up cheese bread and spaghetti with TVP/marinara sauce. All of the meals have been delicious. Right after that we had a leadership meeting and then the nightly debrief. That ended around 8:30pm and from then everyone just hung out, socialized and the girls got tattoos! (Some tramp stamps.) There were a lot of frogs all over the place ribbiting like they do best. It was an early night for bed. Overall for that day, we paddled a total of 15.5 miles!!

Day 10 by Team Intern: Austin and Emily

Tuesday, May 24, 2011- Day 10

Crew Status: Unsupported, Primitive camping at the confluence of the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers

Team Intern Status: Camping at Virginia Outdoor Center, Fredericksburg, VA

This morning, at approximately ten o’clock, after a super deluxe breakfast of instant oats, the intrepid VOR 2011 Crew put in at Kelly’s Ford to paddle fifteen point five miles along the Rappahannock River above Fredericksburg. It seemed that everyone was excited to get back on the water and the packing and loading was done in an efficient manner, as always. They will paddle to “The Confluence”, a popular stopping point and camping area where the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers join, and will find an optimal place to pitch camp for the night. In the morning, the Crew will paddle the rest of the way into Fredericksburg to Old Mill Park where we, the ever faithful and reliable Team Intern will be there to meet them with provisions and a warm welcome.

Day 9 - by Christina

This morning we woke up earlier than usual and ate a simple breakfast and packed everything back into the trailers in time to talk to John Tippett about the Embry Dam Easement.  Everyone seemed to enjoy this talk a lot. It was a good story about how hard work and persistent can really pay off. 

After to talking to John we headed into town to go to the Dr. Mercer’s Apothecary Shop I think this may have been one of my favorite things we went to see.  The women had us sit on the floor like good little students and showed us different natural substances such as Lavender and Chamomile and told us what it was used for during the late 1700’s.  Some of the bottles they past around and allowed us to smell. My favorite was the lavender and thought about asking for some because it smelled much better than us.  After showing us the medicine they moved us to the other room to show us the leeches and how they would perform surgeries and even how to pull teeth.  We tried to get them to give a real demonstration on how to pull a tooth but no one was willing to have one pulled.

Once we were finished there we were able to talk around town for a little bit. Tyler decided to get a haircut and Kim and Audrey decided to braid their hair together and walk around town attached to each other.  They asked John Buford if he walked to braid his hair into theirs but he decided to wait until his pony tail grew out a little longer.   

After our time in town was over we hit the road (after eating our lunch of PB and J’s) and headed to our next camp site.  We set up the tarp as prevention to the rain, and the rain did come. It didn’t last long but I personally really enjoyed it.  Once we were allowed to leave the tarp we explored. Austin found a copperhead right outside of his tent, tent 11-04 found a black snake outside of their tent, and a group of us found the site of a party (a.k.a  two trash bags of trash, two buggy board, three empty bottles of liquor and some goggles.) All in all I think it has been a great day.  But we are excited for tomorrow, because we get to get back on the water again.

Day 8 - by Willis

Today May 22, 2011 was a very interesting day for the VOR crew. We woke up this morning and filled our bellies with some banana and chocolate pancakes. After we finished our meal we packed up our stuff and headed to the Spotsylvania courthouse to watch the civil war reenactment. When we were at the reenactment we got to go and view the civil war camps and talk to some of the volunteers about the war and get some local history from the actors. The reenactment was ok. We got to hear a lot of loud bangs and see some Union soldiers fall and then get back up and keep on acting. During the cannon fire and gun fire we got a real close up view from behind the confederates. We had some free time when we arrived back at around 2:45. John and Kim went on a paddle and just to check out the river to see what we are going to get ourselves into. John and Kim did not return until about 25 minutes ago, minus a canoe. John and Kim flipped over and they could not catch onto the boat in enough time before the current sent them past it and they decided to float the rest of the way to the takeout. Hopefully tomorrow the canoe will still be there so we have enough boats to paddle. On a positive note, we had a filing dinner of Mac and Cheese and some cake for Dr. Chandler’s daughter, Chase’s birthday; She turned 8 today. After dinner we as a group did some academic work with John and Resa and experienced some tuck and rolls and an altercation over Lego’s. There was no paddling today but tomorrow we will hopefully get on the water for some paddling time. P.S. All of the events that happened today to John and Kim are fictional events. John and Kim did not lose a boatJ

Day 7 - by Kaitlyn

Today was a non-paddling day. Instead, we had a very educational day filled with historical information. We ventured over to the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park, Chancellorsville Battle Field. We met up with Greg Mertz, a Civil War historian and our host for the day. He was so passionate about the subject that we couldn’t help but share his excitement. Visiting the battle fields was a major highlight of the trip for us. It’s one thing to take in a lecture about the Civil War, and something entirely different to see where the battles actually took place. Greg took us to several different places in the area to show us the various battle fields and historical spots. It sounds odd, but I could almost feel the energy that lingered on those fields, even after all these years. Upon our return to the campsite, we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon. We took the opportunity to walk around, chill out in the sunshine, and catch up on reading and other academic pursuits. It was a gloriously sunny day, and we soaked it all up, like little sponges. Today has been fantastic, and I’m feeling super optimistic about the rest of the trip. J

Day 6 - by Tyler

This glorious, CLOUDLESS SKY, morning began at 7:30 with simple breakfast of bagels and fruit and the breaking of camp.  After everyone had gotten their gear situated, we commenced in the tactical planning of how to get the vans and trailers out of the mud pit that we have helped to create.  We decided the best plan of action was to drive the vans up separate from the trailers and push them up after the vans were on solid surface.  We still ended up having to push the first van up the hill and down the road a ways.  John gunned it up the second time without the need of our assistance.  The movement of the trailers was conducted through a team effort of everyone pushing (or slipping) up the embankment and other soggy areas.  After hooking the trailers back together, we ended up riding with Austen and Emily to the front of the farm property just in case any other mishaps occurred.  It was extremely pleasant walking back to the vans in the hot sun and getting some of that  Vitamin D for a change.  We all got back to the boats and hit the river at about 11:00.  The water was still high and muddy due to the rain from the past few days.  About 5 miles or so down the river group decided to take an alternate route to Port Royal through Cleve Marsh.  It reminded me of the marshes down near Capers Island in South Carolina with all the meandering tight channels that ran through the tall grass growing out of the water.  We also saw a vast amount of wildlife also such as Bald Eagles and Osprey.  We finally arrived in Port Royal at about 1:30 and walked the town.  There wasn’t really a whole lot there, but the history that occurred in a single block of the town was astounding.  All within two hundred yards were homes where George Washington stayed for numerous occasions, the only female Confederate officer lived, where the Union had set up a port on the river, and where John Wilkes Booth was shot after his assassination of President Lincoln.  After walking the town, we loaded up and headed to Fredericksburg.  We are currently staying at the Virginia Outdoor Center on the Rapp.  Again, we had an awesome dinner of BBQ sandwiches and other leftovers.  Tonight has been pretty relaxed.  About 20 minutes ago, we just got back from getting ice cream at Carl’s downtown.  O, and the ladies also wanted me to mention that Austen has been pulling a number of ticks off of himself the past few minutes.  Getting ready to crash soon and super pumped to go see the reenactment tomorrow at Spotsylvania tomorrow.

Day 5 - by Claire

We all got up relatively early this morning and went for a morning paddle. Before we got on the river though our host, John Clark, talked to us for a little while about being good stewards and honorable members of our community. He is a very insightful man and his talk this morning was just a small precursor of what he shared with us this evening. After talking with John we put on around 9:00 am. We explored the Black Marsh which is actually upstream from where we are camped, so we had to paddle slightly harder to make it there but fortunately the tide was with us so we made it up river smoothly. After exploring the marsh we returned to camp for a brunch of fresh watermelon, some cheesy grits, and sausage. After a meal like we all lazed around in a food coma by the tents soaking up the elusive sunshine and warm weather.

In the classroom today we learned about amputations and surgeries that were performed by both confederate and union doctors during the Civil war. It was really interesting and at times gruesome.

Well it wouldn’t be a normal day on this trip if it didn’t rain, the weather stuck to its usual routine and dumped on us yet again. Its been really beautiful to watch the storms roll in across the corn field, the lighting was bad enough though that we had to pile into the vans again for shelter. After the storm subsided we sat down to a superb BBQ provided by John. While we feasted he shared with the group his vision for a sustainable town that he wants to build on his land. He plans to develop this town throughout the acres of corn fields that he owns, the very ones that we are camped on now. He has a pretty amazing dream and is very passionate about making it become a reality.

John Clark said something today that really stuck me; he said “the real natural resource that any country possesses is the intellectual ability and education of its children.” I thought that was very profound and that it really ties into our trip. Because although we are here to paddle this river; we are also here to learn from the individuals we meet and from those we already know. We are here to remember and learn about our countries past. And we are here to experience a different part of country. We’re not children any more but we do need to educate ourselves continually through school and adventures like this so that we can be the next leaders and “resources” to our community locally and around the world.

Day 4 - by Michael

This morning we left the lap of luxury that is the Four Winds campground, and headed down river with our conveniently balanced system of sea kayaks.  The current is moving swiftly and it did not take us long to complete the 8 mile journey to our next campsite at the “Friends of the Rappahannock.”  Little to anyone’s surprise...it rained again; and the group is doing well to thrive in these less than ideal situations.  This afternoon the sun decided to poke its head out of a cloud for seemingly the first time and warm us up for about 30 minutes.  We set up camp next to a vast and newly planted corn field and cooked dinner.  Once again more rain met us accompanied by thunder and lightning which forced us into the vans to eat.  After the short lived storm, we were able to sit around a fire and renew our spirits by cooking marshmallows and making smores to put a nice ending to an eventful day.  The first three days of this trip have provided excitement in one way or another; I am eager to continue and learn more about a truly historic river.

Day 3 - by Audrey

Today we got out on the river for the first time! However before that we had some yummy cinnamon rolls and oranges for breakfast. After breakfast we started a discussion on a reading we did about the leadership characteristics of the Lewis and Clark expedition. A short way into the lesson the owners of the winery we were staying at came to help us pull the vans and trailers out of the muddy situation that had formed because of all the rain last night. They towed the vans up the hill and saved us which was very nice of them. After that we finished the discussion, cleaning up and packing for our long awaited first paddle on the river. We put in on the riverbank at the winery and started on our journey. Seconds after we got out on the river the rain came pouring down. No one was upset about it though because we were so happy to just be out on the water. There was something peaceful about all of the rain and being totally surrounded by water. There were a couple of strainers in the river but no serious rapids. Dr. Chandler spotted several structures in trees which she brilliantly deduced must be bear nests. Upon closer examination we realized that this must be correct. We paddled about 8 miles in total today. Then we pulled up onto a rather muddy bank under a bridge. We pulled the canoes out and up onto the road. After this we started the drive to our next campground, the Four Winds Campground. We stopped on the way there for lunch. When we got to our site we were right on the river and it was steadily creeping closer to us. We set up our tents and a group tarp for cooking and then had some time to hang out and sit by the river. It didn’t rain much this evening except for a few light sprinkles. This was quite the welcome break from the weather we have been having. The sunset over the lake was really gorgeous and I am starting to feel a connection with the river. We are paddling again tomorrow which is fantastic!

Day 2 - by Olivia

The group was fed, packed, and in the vans ready to go by 9:00 this morning. Once again we drove for hours on end. This time it was across the Shenandoah National Forest, which I personally would have enjoyed more if I had not gotten motion sickness and was therefore drugged up on one pill of Dramamine. We stopped in Fort Royal Virginia and hiked 6 miles of the Appalachian Trail (only 2,090 to go!) We were looking for the source of the Rappahannock River, which we are pretty sure we found… On that particular hike the sun finally made an appearance and graced us with its rays of warmth, wildlife wise we saw an orange newt and creepy millipedes that were way too big for my liking. Once the hike was over we climbed back in the van and drove (this time for a civil amount of time) to the Unicorn Vineyard, where we get to spend the night. Dr. Chandler, Tyler Biggs, Kaitlyn and myself were referred to as lizards when we laid on a big rock and sunned ourselves. It was quite nice I must say. The Rappahannock is currently raised by 5 feet due to the immense amount of rain that we have received, so we are not quite sure if we are going to launch from here or from another site, that is currently in the works. There was as my father would call it “a world class thunderstorm” during dinner and it was awesome, only most of us had to go and re-do/move our tents because we were afraid that the ground tarps would flood and get all our gear wet. Overall we have had a nice day and a grateful to the owners of the Vineyard for allowing us to stay on their private land. We are all very eager to hopefully start paddling tomorrow!

Day 1, by Liza

    We started off our journey to a beautiful morning, with everyone super excited to be on the trip. The trailers were packed perfectly with our vessels of choice including all of our gear which were secured in dry bags galore. We had beautiful weather, magical clouds varying in color and viscosity but on our way to the camp site we encountered an awesomely terrifying rainstorm. It seemed like the paparazzi was already trying to get a glimpse of our fabulous adventure. There were many highlights of the day; one is that we bartered for chips by trading our new buddies in traffic on the interstate two blow pops. Another highlight to the day is that we all got to experience setting up camp in the rain. That was a new experience for me because you never know how difficult it is to do something in the dark and the rain when you are cold. 

Training Weekend

By Audrey Hamilton
This weekend was our first training weekend for our expedition. Claire and Michael couldn’t make it due to scheduling issues which wasn’t a huge deal but we all still missed them. The rest of us left Saturday morning and headed to Lake Jocassee. This weekend involved training in sea kayaking which we will be doing in the second portion of the expedition. We did a little paddling the first day but mostly just practiced wet exits, assisted rescues and basic strokes. After we got back we made dinner and then talked about the expedition and we each shared why we had applied for Voice of the Rivers. After that we took a short walk to a rock that went out over the lake. We looked at the stars which were incredible and we even saw a few shooting stars. The next day we got up and paddled about 3 or 3 and a half miles out, then stopped for lunch and paddled back. By the second day it was clear that everyone was getting more comfortable in their kayaks. The most important thing we decided on this day is that we are going to be river pirates, whether or not this includes eye patches is still up for debate. When we got back we loaded up all of our gear and went back to Brevard. The last time we loaded up our gear it was much faster and more efficient and it was clear that we are really starting to come together as a team. We learned a lot about each other the whole weekend but especially on the ride back. We all shared our parent’s first names which sounds boring but was funny. We also found out that Austin is grouchy when he wakes up and that John used to live very close the Rappahannock. This weekend brought us all together and helped us see what the expedition will be like, as well as helping us to set standards for the group. We are all excited for the expedition and, “Looking forward to using our vessels” (Liza).