I've said and done some things......

You don't hear it so much now, but there was a time when 90% of people who "went forward" at church would write this confession; "I've said and done some things" as if that is any kind of confession. Of course you have said and done some things. I've said and done some things. We've all said and done some things. Some were bad, some were good. Well, this post is not a confession so if you are reading hoping to get some juicy gossip you will be very disappointed. This is actually a flashback to "some things I did" a few years ago. My good friend, Joe McClary and I took a quick camping/kayaking trip to the Nantahala River in North Carolina several years ago and captured a few moments of the trip on film. The picture above and right is Joe (blue helmet) and the one on the left is me (yellow helmet). We both wear helmets to protect from head-against-rock injuries but I also need one because my head blends so well with the whitewater that I would never be rescued if caught in a hydraulic. Could you spot my white hair in the rapids of the top left photo? The top right photo gives some idea how spooky the second day of paddling was after a severe thunderstorm caught us on the river. After the rain the river was swolen from water rushing down the gorge and fog rose from the river making it impossible to see approaching rapids. Actually, this picture was taken after we finished and were out of the river so it had cleared considerably. Pictures taken on the river were just pictures of a cloud. Most of the Nantahala is class 1 or 2 rapids that are not dangerous even if you approach blindly but they all SOUND like class 4 or 5 waterfalls when you are paddling into a cloud. It was a great adventure for me and about as wild as I care to get although Joe probably would like a little more adventure. I'll check back with him in 20 years to see if he has mellowed any.