OCTOBER 18, 2018 // 7
CLOSE TO HOME
Against the tide makes for new adventure
A
dventure is a bit like putting your
ear up to a seashell and waiting
for sound to spill out; waiting,
as we do, for a surprise. One that may
tame us or set us free. Adventure can be
a roiling in the belly or a deep medita-
tion. Adventure comes in big and small
packages, physically or mentally.
Generally, courage is the fuel that
propels us outward or inward, that cir-
cles the wagon train called adventure.
Courage is Atticus Finch, Rosa Parks
and Reinhold Messner. Courage is fac-
ing the first day at high school, replete
with bullies.
My moment might have fermented on
a recent Sunday, but it could have been
any day. It just happened that the tide
was right — high and flooding.
Before age 70 and back surgery, I felt
fearless in a kayak. Choppy seas, storms
and surging tide caused anxiety but
seldom overrode any sense of imminent
mortality. Smart or not, I paddled into
rough water. Be aware: In a kayak, one
measures wave height differently than
in a conventional water vessel. A 5-foot
wave is a big deal.
Down the big river
More than a decade ago, Richard
Fencsak, Bernie Gerkens and I followed
the Lewis and Clark route from Bon-
neville Dam westward to the Pacific
Ocean. In November, just like the Corps
of Discovery, we found storm. Day to
day, we challenged following seas as we
DAVID CAMPICHE PHOTOS
Continued on Page 14
Baker Bay at dusk.
Fishing boat in the channel at Baker Bay.