A Float Down Memory Lane (Part 3)

RiverRat Aaron Johnson Retells his Journey in a Kayak from Charlottesville to Richmond (Part 3)

September 20, 2006

The campsite was perfect, soft dirt and the pleasant sound of the river…until the sun went down and the first train went by. Rumbling engines and clacking cars made sleep impossible. At about 6 a.m. we gave up and crawled out of the tent to begin Day 3. After breakfast and coffee we sat around waiting for the sun to give us enough light to pack the boats and get going again. We were on the water by 8 a.m., which would turn out to be the most beautiful and interesting day of the trip. 
Our morning goal was to reach Cartersville for coffee. This little town is very quiet and charming, but not a good place for restocking. We saw two people there: an old man fishing, and a person who tried to squash us with a car.

The old man immediately reminded me of my grandfather. As we reached the beach he started into a conversation as if he knew us, just like Papa. Upon learning about our journey, he went into a story about his trip down the James some years back. He drifted down the river for four days, fishing the banks.  At night he camped on islands, eating the fish he caught. This served as a reminder that this journey Erik and I have embarked on is a timeless tradition that ties us river rats together across generations.

After leaving Cartersville, we paddled along the James, sometimes being so far from each other we didn't talk for hours at a time. Erik paddled the banks trying to find treasure. I don't enjoy the threat of dead trees falling on me, so I stayed near the middle and enjoyed the easier paddling of the faster water there.

Everybody thinks I'm kidding when I mention dead trees falling into the water, but this was the day that Erik learned my fear was rooted in some truth. I was ahead of him when I heard a tremendous crash. I turned around to see him looking back at a very large limb that had just fallen very closely to his kayak.  Astonished, I watched as he brushed the twigs off his boat and continued paddling.

To follow:  River Fairies and navigating the Falls of Richmond with heavily loaded, not-whitewater kayaks.