Back In The Saddle

When you've been dragging river bottoms for the past 3 months, you don't let 2 inches of rain go to waste. So I (and Big Blue with a brand new patch on its arse) headed out to River Styx in the hopes that I would finally be able to get through to Orange Lake. I was not disappointed. In fact, it turned out to be a perfect storm of an outing, including hundreds of Sand Hill Cranes, an otter, a "waterfall/rapids," as well as the requisite discarded body parts I've come to expect with any trip to River Styx.

Up and back, this took about two hours and at certain points I lost all sense of time, digging into the water, watching the debris float up and back down to the bottom, surprising the coots and Sand Hills. Toward the end of the downstream leg, I came upon an ad hoc rapids, a waterfall about half a foot high, where the level dropped noticeably. Checking the portage opportunities for ny return, I went for it and dropped down into Orange Lake, and the birds just exploded.

On the way back, I saw bubble trails but they were too slight for even a baby alligator. Soon, an otter surfaced and then curved back down to wherever they hide from us. In the distance, I heard a Barred Owl, apparently an insomniac, or awakened from my flailing upstream. If you need me, I will be back there today checking out the other side of the bridge. Like I said, you don't waste a good rain.