Contributor: Anne Ledbetter
Stream Name: Flint River
Location: GA
Sometimes, rivers just make people happy. I went on Paddle Georgia this June on the Flint River. Organizers pared down participation from a usual 300 to 400 participants to around 30 due to Covid, thereby making the trip a much more intimate experience. Another wonderful aspect of the trip was camping right by the river.
This week was a first for me, I had been a very tight quarantine bubble, focusing on keeping my 94 year old dad safe. The trip was a release, providing hope of returning to “normal”.
It was the joy of hanging out with people and being with someone long enough to get into interesting conversations. I have this wonderful appreciation of folks, both new friends and old. I love those silly little running jokes and random observations you hear from people that would not translate in any other situation but that very moment.
At one point I was hanging out with folks on a sandbar, we had pulled over for a hang out and a swim. Well, I started laughing and laughing an uncontrolled laugh that I had not had since the start of Covid. I felt all that Covid stress and anxiousness drift away. I felt a bit normal and comfortable and realized I would indeed be able to relax and just be with people in a post Covid world. I think it would be hard to mend and heal like this in any place but on the water.
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