Night Canoeing

Last Friday, I joined Dr. White on his annual Fall Canoe Trip. It was open to all students so the group was made up of people with all kinds of different majors. Some people were experienced canoe-ers and others had never picked up a paddle. But, overall it was the perfect group.

We drove about an hour northwest to the swamp area between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. Dividing up into two's, we paddled beneath I-55 into the swamp. Dr. White explained the flora and fauna and pointed out which plants were native to the area and which plants were not. For a while, we paddled up a man-made canal heading toward Lake Maurepas. Then, we turned off into a Cypress forest were the tall trees nearly blocked out the setting sun. We passed an abandoned fishing camp that was making its way beneath the waters and one by one we made our way through the forest. Exiting the trees, the sun set and we stopped to eat on the marshes.

Dr. White asked the group, "Is this wilderness?" I knew the answer was no. At some points along the trip, you could hear cars passing on the interstate. But, beside the occasional noise, the man-made canal, and the intruding plant species, it looked like wilderness and it felt like wilderness. In fact if that wasn't wilderness, then what is??

The best part of the trip began after the sun set. Without flashlights (Edward Abbey would be proud), we made our way back through the Cypress forest in the dark. I've canoed many times, but never at night. It was a humbling experience. Exiting the forest, the skies opened up to reveal hundreds of stars. Our guide pointed out all of the visible constellations as I laid on my back in the canoe--just yards away from three alligators.

I recommend that everyone go on this trip before you graduate. It was free and, more importantly, freeing.