Paddling on the Salmon River
Word of the day:
"auraculous" - of or concerning the wonder occasioned by sound rather than by sight;
ear-marvellous. (Word coined by
Robert Macfarlane
I really like author Robert Macfarlane's Word of the Day on Twitter and often retweet it to those who follow me.
Yesterday we had an "auraculous" couple of hours on a stretch of the Salmon River, north of Napanee, Ontario. We launched our kayaks from the boat launch by the bridge in Roblin, with the sound of a loud and aurally intrusive generator nearby. I found myself getting quite tense listening to it in the few minutes it took to untie our boats and get on the water. Then we paddled northeast, away from the village and along the tree-lined stretch of river without any sign of other humans. The noise of the generator faded.
We saw a heron and kingfisher in flight. The turtles basked on logs and a water snake cruised between us. The emerging leaves were that colour of Spring which exudes hope.
The woods were filled with the sound of birds and it was the source of delight for us. It was what I described recently as God's choir, with voices we know well and others which weren't easily identified.
We weren't on the water all that long, yet both of us felt restored, more calm and alive by the time we returned to our vehicle. Auraculous!
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