Winter has set in with full force, coming early this year!! As I write this, a fierce November blizzard rages outside, and it is so pleasant to look back onto some warm summer memories – good thing I’m always so behind with my posts!! What else would I have to do during these long winter nights?!! 

On a high after our hiking vacation in Colorado, the very next weekend we headed out to Comlara Park near Bloomington for a Canoe-O event. And what exactly is a Canoe-O? Well, the ‘Canoe’ part is self-explanatory, and the ‘O’ stands for Orienteering. Orienteering is pretty much like a treasure hunt in the woods – but more technical. Courses are set down by volunteers with flags as markers. With a map and a compass, participants then ‘orient’ themselves, and track down the flags in order.

It is a really fun outdoor activity – both physically and mentally challenging! Ajey and I were introduced to Orienteering several years ago – and we remained on the mailing list for the IRVOC (Illinois River Valley Orienteering Club). Ajey had taken Manasi out on a course in Sommer Park in early spring – and she had really taken to it, getting quite adept at getting bearings with the compass! And Canoe-E adds another layer of complexity – the markers are now on a lake and the shore, and getting from one point to another – that’s where the canoe comes in!!

3 people in a 2-person canoe meant that Manasi and I had to take turns sitting in the middle of the canoe – not the most comfortable spot! But we did pretty good – our canoe sailed in a straight line for the most part, and we did not tip over even a single time!! The most challenging part, I thought, was to avoid rowing toward the next visible flag, and stick to where our compass was telling us to go! It was a perfect day to be on the water – sun shining, barely a ripple to rock our boat, and comfortably cool – blistered fingers notwithstanding!

This day did bring back memories of another canoeing trip – way, way back, in the summer of 2001. Back in the day, there weren’t that many Indian families in Peoria – and our little group consisted of 5 couples, newly married, no kids, jsut getting started in life. A canoeing trip to Kickapoo Creek seemed like high adventure! Almost 20 years later, that trip remains the bedrock of our friendship, the cement that binds us into the ‘Famous Five’! We relive that trip almost every time we meet – and the laughter never ends, the stories getting better with each retelling!!

The canoeing part of the trip wasn’t that good, though – the creek was running low, and our canoes kept getting grounded – and when there was enough water, the canoes kept tipping! All of us took multiple dunkings, and we must have travelled at least 5 times the distance because of all the zigzagging and the canoes going in circles!! And then there was AD – she was pregnant with her first son – and since we didn’t know any better, none of us thought much of it when she tumbled into the water plenty of times! The irony is that her son is a State level swimming champion now!! Abhimanyu, anyone?!! For the rest of us, our canoeing skills were and remain pretty dismal!

And yet, at the end of the day, there’s a lot of life lessons to be learnt from canoeing! You have to trust and depend on your partner to maintain perfect balance and to keep moving forward in the right direction. There’s no place for sudden movements or impulsive decisions. You cannot be distracted by visuals, but must always depend on your internal compass. And if the canoe does tip over, well, straighten it, get back in, and just keep rowing!! On that unexpectedly philosophical note, I’m going to sign off!! Happy trails, people!!