#River May 12

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In 2014 I went for a trip down the Lumber RIVER in a kayak. That trip was the first time I had every been in kayak. Time on the RIVER in a kayak taught me some life lessons.

When I served as Chief of Staff at UNC Pembroke for then Chancellor Kyle Carter he decided that his entire cabinet would kayak down the Lumber River on a Friday afternoon. He wanted us to bond as a group. Joshua Malcolm; the General Counsel at the time for UNCP arranged for guides and kayaks.

The Lumber River is located in south-central North Carolina in the flat Coastal Plain. The river’s headwaters are known as Drowning Creek; the waterway known as the Lumber River extends from the Scotland County-Hoke County border 115 miles downstream to the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Soon after crossing into South Carolina, the Lumber River flows into the Little Pee Dee River, which eventually flows into the Great Pee Dee River and on into Winyah Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Our three hour trip in 2014 covered about 4 miles. We put in South of Pembroke and came out behind Deep Branch Elementary School.

Here are the “Life Lessons’ that trip taught me.

Some Life Lessons I want to share as part of the 30 Day Life Lesson Challenge

1. Everyone, I mean everyone I told about my trip down the Lumber RIVER warned me about a poisonous snake falling into the boat (kayak). Never happened life reminder-don’t let other people’s fears paralyze you.

2. When you do something that has risk -minimize the risk-any activity involving a kayak and water has risk-wear a life jacket. I didn’t and nearly drowned when my kayak flipped. I hit a log and momentarily got trapped under that tree. Life lesson – our lives can end in an instant especially if we are risky. If life offers you a life jacket wear one.

3. I actually flipped my kayak twice during this trip and both times it was because I attempted to go against the flow of the river. Life lesson- don’t fight life go with the current.

4. There is safety and power with a group. When I went in the water I had people around me to help me get my kayak flipped over and get back on my way. Life lesson be part of a group.

5. The RIVER left me sore and bruised-but the price was worth it-I got to do something new and experience nature in a fascinating way. Life lesson – doing something new and communing with nature is worth a few small bruises and aces.

A RIVER was a great teacher of Life Lessons.