My house has a small covered area off the front door where I like to sit during rainstorms. Tonight I was too late. Bedtime stories ran long and the storm had passed but I still poked my head out for a bit and caught the darkening sky’s stars poking through; the air’s humidity was spent on the ground.

Grumpy's Ledge - When a river turns sharply you want to take the inside corner (like in a car). It keeps you at a higher elevation and 9/10times you will be in the main current line (deep green, smooth moving).

It smelled like the river. Appalachian rain forest. Fomenting fungi amongst primordial potential. For me, nature’s jewels are its rivers and in the 7 seasons I guided whitewater, I learned the following from them:

Plan ahead as many moves as possible. Pilots call it flying ahead of the plane. Identify. Predict. Determine. Execute. Repeat. Get distracted and you lose those moves quick. You want good instincts and reflexes but you don’t want to constantly rely on them.

Learn to read water. Reading water is both art and science and you can’t learn from the river bank. You have to experience the current to learn how to harness it.

Learn to work with people. You don’t always have the same crew. Each day/project/client is unique. Communication is key. Engage the crew and inspire well-timed and powerful strokes.

Go big. Once you know your crew and the rapids, plot your course into the maw of the river. Teach your crew to get low, brace, scream, and have fun.

Talk about it later. Give everyone a chance to tell their story. Let the conversation circulate like a wine jug. Bring a wine jug.