A few months ago, this photo arrived in my inbox. It was taken in 1982 on my first river trip. At the time I had no idea what a huge impact it made on me. It was the first time I made"billy coffee", ate yogurt with granola, and pooped in an "crapper." It was the first time I’d even considered how bright stars could be, how the layers of rock are so obvious when the river slices through them, how the wind direction is predictable by the heating and cooling of rocks. It was also on the river that I learned voluntary simplicity, conservation, teamwork, safety, trust and intentional living. I wouldn’t have used any of those buzz words though, I probably said "cool… I’ll do this again and again." In my mind, these trips would always be around, friends with gear and lots of free time…youth. Sadly, folks move, life gets busy, other adventures happen and suddenly 30 years have gone by but few experiences have since been so memorable that a single photograph could take me to that place. Photo credit and permission to use: Ron Lee
Tami Allen
