Parker's Canoeing Trip

Bishop Ormsby and the Stringers took the young men canoeing down Boquillas Canyon on the Rio Grande.  Tanner did not want to go.  Both Brian and I wanted him to but he had basketball practice as well.  The saying, "sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war," well, we are just going with that for now.

Parker went though and had a good time.  I think one thing the young men learn from these outdoor adventures is that they can do hard things.  On the first day almost every canoe capsized and the water was a frigid 40°.  Luckily Parker's canoe was not one of them, but he did have to get in the water to help with the rescue of personal belongings etc.  Some of the boys had a very cold night.

It was supposed to be a three day trip, but they decided to paddle extra hard and get home a day early.  They went over 19 miles in one day.  Parker said it was paddling the whole time too...there was very little water movement.

When he came in, he didn't want to pose for any pictures, so these aren't great.  He was dirty and exhausted but happy.  He talked non-stop about all of the river adventures for the next two hours.

He is fist-bumping Bri in this picture.  It was pretty adorable because even though the three of us moved to the kitchen to visit, he would start most sentences with: "then Dad" or "Dad, it was crazy when" or "Dad, I died laughing at...."  I was right there but he was excited to share his experiences with his father.

I am so glad Parker had this challenging outdoor opportunity and grateful to his church leaders for making it happen.