6-2-2018
One of my best friends and I are guiding an overnight trip through the Hudson River Gorge! I haven’t seen her since that relaxing rafting trip we had down the “lower gorge” earlier this spring. We floated down in my own raft and ended up pulling off the river early because I was not feeling well, which meant we had to hitch-hike back to our shuttle vehicle parked at the originally intended take out. Every day is an adventure…
I have been looking forward to guiding this overnight trip since last years trip! They are a group of amazing women who have a lot of fun rafting and camping. We set up camp at the top of the first big swimming hole just below a small rapid. This spot is known as Upper Dunk (so as not to be confused with Lower Dunk further downstream). Apparently there is a pond somewhere up the ridge called Dunk Pond that is accessible (via bush-whack hike) from both campsites. I have never been there, but it could happen someday. We watched the water drop; it’s always fascinating to see how much water the dam releases as the “bubble” flows by and the river returns to its natural level. The sun was bright and warm, the water refreshing as we all frolicked and swam, laid out on the rocks like lounge lizards, laughed and ate. That evening we sat around the campfire on the beach watching as night fell, turning the sky purple to black, and watching the stars slowly appear in the narrow band of open sky we can see nestled down in the bottom of the gorge. This is what life is all about! Enjoying the company of good people and experiencing the wilderness in all her moody tranquility. Later, I climb into my hammock, through the bug net to keep out mosquitoes, and listen to the river flowing over rocks, a musical lullaby eternally singing my soul to sleep.
Flippin' Gypsy 