Hitz.L.Mod#2.Blogpost#2

Descriptive Writing

            One of my favorite places to visit is a place that cannot be reached on foot or even by car. There are no roads to drive on, there are no trails that will allow you to reach this special place on foot. This place is a watery wonderland that can only be reached by boat, and not any boat will do. The only way that I will go there is by canoe. Sure you could take a motor boat if you wanted but then you would miss so much of the tranquility that is offered, that you might as well not have gone at all. Not to mention that you are likely to run aground and fowl the prop.

I must tell you now that the way there is not for the faint of heart. You must cross a mighty river that is a half a mile wide. And you must always be aware of the larger boats and barge traffic. These vessels could smash a little canoe to pieces, and the wakes that they create can easily overturn an unsuspecting boater. But if you’re lucky you’ll see one of the large paddle driven steam boats that still navigate the river. Imagine a boat three hundred feet long with six decks sitting above the water, driven by a paddle wheel at the back that is twenty feet in diameter. And two tall smoke stacks reaching to the sky above the upper deck. It is a grand sight to see.

After crossing the river there a sloughs that run for miles to the North, South, and West. Now once you reach these backwater you must beware that you do not end up lost, because to the unexperienced eye every channel and every island looks the same. And the go on for miles. I recommend traveling with someone that knows the area.

Once you reach this place I advise paying close attention because the sights and sounds are endless. Buy this time you are so far away that you can no longer hear the sounds of civilization. Aside from the noise that you paddle makes as it enters and exits the water you are surrounded by the drone of insects. Like Cicadas high in the tree tops clicking away so noisily that they sound like they are right in your ear but in the hot humidity of summer their sounds can easily be heard from a quarter of a mile or more away. Then add to that the croaking of frogs that hide in the mud and long grass along the banks. But don’t let these sounds distract you because you’re not likely to see either of these noisy creatures. The ones that you might glimpse are the hundreds of different birds all with their own songs away and flirting amongst the tree tops.

Pay close attention to the floating logs and the shore lines as you navigate into new water ways. These are the places that you’ll see the wonderful sights. I have seen logs with as many as thirty brightly colored painted turtles on them, but go slow because as soon as they know your there they will slip back into the water in a flash. Great Blue Herons like to stand just of the bank in the shallow water and fish among the weeds, catching unsuspecting little fish that didn’t realize that they were not swimming past the stocks of cat’s tails but instead through the legs of a great predator. And when these magnificent birds take to the sky sometimes they pass so low overhead that you can feel the wind currents created by their powerful wings and hear the air as it flows through their feathers. And don’t be to startled buy the great splash and swirling muddy waters right next to you that are so strong that they push the nose of the canoe a quarter of the way around it was probably just a giant carp that didn’t notice you were there until you were right on top of him.  

Once you return home you may be sunburnt if you forgot the sunscreen. Or covered with a hundred red lumps where the mosquitos and horse flies decided to dine on you if you didn’t bring the bug spray. And if you happened to venture onto one of the island it is quite likely that you even picked up a few ticks, or a swarm of chiggers. And if you do go ashore make sure you watch what you walk through because while the nettles will sting you right away it will wear off soon enough, buy if you happened across some poison ivy or poison oak. You will regret that one for days to come. And unless you’re a gym rat your arms, shoulders, and neck will likely be sore the next day from all of the rowing. But this will all be worthwhile because a trip through these waters is not one you’ll likely forget.

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Charlotte Shaw

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