#5 Adventures on the James River

I have lived in the wonderful River City for most of my life, but, sadly, I haven’t ventured out on the river too much.  Certainly, when I was in high school my friends and I spent our fair share of time sun-bathing around Pony Pasture. I have also rowed a few Saturday sessions with the Virginia Boat Club, but that’s it. And I have lived here the greater part of 22 years. Ouch.

Fun Facts about the James: The James River was originally called the Powhatan River by the Native Americans (my people) until it was renamed by the colonists after King James I.  The James is 348 miles long and is the twelfth longest river in the US that resides entirely in one state.  It is currently the only river in the US where class III and class IV rapids hang out with skyscrapers. (Thank you Wikipedia!)

My adventures on the James River started with Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUPing). I have SUPed once before on a flat reservoir in Charlotte.  Our SUPing experience was fairly short given it was one of many activities during a day-long adventure date. The calm water was easy to navigate. I found SUPing to be an excellent core work out and exercise in balance, but not too strenuous.  I managed to stay standing atop my board the whole time, while my date did not.  Hence, this experience left me just a little over-confident when it came to SUPing the James. (Side note: Guys, adventure dates are awesome! A much welcomed detour from the typical dinner date).  

The James River is not known for being flat. It is rocky. It is rough. It is unpredictable.  When we first got on our boards, our guides informed us that we would most likely not be standing up for the entire journey; the turbulent waters force most people to traverse down the rapids on their knees for stability.  I attempted the first couple of rapids standing up, but soon learned that I was better off kneeling if I wanted to stay on my board. 

How I would like you to think I went down the entire river:

 

 How I actually went down most of the river:

 

 

 

Our guides were very meticulous about explaining the course that they wanted us to take for each rapid; “Go left to avoid this rock, right to stay out of that troubled area, and always aim for the V’s.” For each rapid, our group would assemble into a single-file line and attempt to proceed as instructed. I would navigate myself to the desired location at the head of the rapid and then pretty much without fail the river would take me down the path which the guides had asked us to avoid. Many times, in the middle of the rapid, my board would spin around so that I went the rest of the way backwards and unable to see where I was going. Afterwards I would look over at my guides apologetically, “I didn’t mean to go the way you told us not to. The river took me there.” After a few episodes of this, my guide explained,“It is okay. The river is going to take you where it wants to. You made it through safely. That’s all that matters.”

Once I realized I had very little control over where the river was going to take me, and that even when I took the wrong path as long as I stayed on my board I was going to be safe, the journey became a lot more enjoyable.

I adopted this laissez-faire approach to fording the river a few weeks later when I went tubing down the James over July 4^th. I went with a large group of people, many of whom I did not know.  As we launched from Pony Pasture, I almost immediately drifted away from the people I came with and found myself floating with a group of lovely ladies whom I had met five minutes before.  Instead of attempting to control the situation and try to float back with the friends I already knew, I decided to roll with where the river would take me.  It was a great way to make new friends and enjoy the river’s spontaneity. 

Sadly, I failed to take pictures of tubing...but I was the only one on the river with a pink camo inflatable tube.

*~*Imagine it*~*

Here are some pix of my newly budding wildflowers instead:

 

 

The summer is still young, so I hope to enjoy the James many more times before I hit 30.  If you are living in Richmond or planning a trip, I encourage you to enjoy the beauty and the adventure of the James which are at your beck and call.