A Rivers Journey

Two weeks ago I went for a very early morning bike ride down Route 2 several miles before stopping with my fly rod and equipment for a meal and nap on a portion of the Winooski River. The section of the Winooski I enjoyed was right near the big bridge on I-89 over the river, at a sandy bend just out of sight and sounds from the highway, along Johnnie Brook Road. Here I made a sort of camp and began fishing. I didn’t have too much luck with the fish but the fish were not the primary goal of my travels. I really came to enjoy the banks of the river, see its sights and hear its sounds. What I found in the particular was, though beautiful less than pristine. I found a variety of trash and areas of eroded banks. This while saddening probably paled in comparison to the invisible damage incurred by the Winooski.

My route

 

A camp of sorts

The Winooski like all large rivers simply carries the material and physical wastes of to many humans and animals. Its large size means even harmless things become harmful when they are concentrated in one area rather than the 12 percent of Vermont they came from. It is for this reason that I feel sorry for the Winooski.

The Winooski River is an incredibly peaceful and beautiful river in many of its sections. It is however still marred by pollution and human activities in varying concentrations along its entire 90 mile length. I can only imagine beautiful, even entrancing it could be if the hands of humans had never touched its banks.

The quiet bend I decided to settle on

I love the Winooski because I love water and find a great sense of satisfaction being around it. I also appreciate immensely the service it does for us all. The Winooski drains our landscape, provides water for Lake Champlain and thus the city of Burlington, provides us with recreation areas, and even serves to boost mental health; yet we give it nothing but grief in return. It is time to realize the affects of our actions and take responsibility for the role we all have in the polluting of the Winooski River.

I found many different types of litter along the banks

Awareness can be fostered by stopping by the river every now and then just to see what’s up or enjoy its calm banks. I believe that we all need to get more in tune with nature if we ever hope to successfully live within it. Right now we have nearly all of us humans lost our touch with the system which support us and that needs to change if we ever hope to live fulfilling, healthy lives.  So go out, take an uncomfortable bike ride, spend some time with your greatest friend and after you finally make it home after realizing buses don’t run on Sunday you might even be happy you drunkenly did it.