Would you go spend an hour or so at the James River? Well probably. Now would you do it in February? Maybe. Would you do it if it was forty degrees outside. Probably not. Should you? Probably.
Today my suite-mate and I visited the James River. We drove up to Huguenot Flatwater, a place I had gone several times in the summer for kayaking and canoeing. I doubt anyone would do that in today’s weather, myself included.
Instead of kayaking or swimming, we walked around and followed the trails. We found an outlook with the clearest view and stood there, watching the river go by. The James was higher than I can remember. Steps that led into the river, were completely gone. The surrounding trails were more mud than path. And logs and trunks of trees flowed quickly and effortlessly down the river. Strangely enough we haven’t gotten much rain or snow but upstream must have gotten slammed. The noisy birds however were a welcome change from the cars on the bridge. And the bridge even though it is still undergoing construction, looked great from the river.
The mud path had cracked and fractured in the cold, and somewhere in the path of mud we found some really interesting footprints. They weren’t a dogs, and definitely not birds. We assumed they were otter but I’m still not fully convinced. You be the judge.
The path broke into what looked like a bamboo forest with a giant Sycamore tree. The bamboo, well we thought it was bamboo…we’re pretty bad at this identification thing, was still green and lush. A few feet from the river, and in sight of the bridge, was such a lush area.
This may sound anti-social, but one of the greatest things about the river trip, was the complete lack of people. We were able to take our time, collect our thoughts and not have to worry about he odd jogger or kayaker.
So next time you’re bored and its cold, go the river. Actually scratch that, I don’t think I want company.