At last we were ready to go! It was 10:00 in the morning and we had been working since 8:00 to get ready for a down-river trip. We would take a bus to the starting place where we would have lunch, and then start out down the river, with a quick snack half way down stream. I would be paddling my kayak, and the rest of the group had rented canoes.
In about an hour and a half we arrived at our destination, Fort Ancient. The fort is on top of a steep, wooded hill with clearings populated by Indian mounds. After arriving at the canoe rental, the bus took us to a creek that emptied into the Little Miami River.
While we were down by the creek having lunch, I glanced up and noticed an airplane towing a glider behind it. My attention was distracted for a moment by some group members who were starting off. When they were out of sight I looked back to the sky. Like a great hawk scanning the land for food, the silver glider seemed to hang in the air, riding the currents and updrafts with an ease and grace that made me feel as free as a bird.
My soul felt that it could not stand its confinement any longer. I wanted to forget the trifling idiosyncrasies that all mankind seems to hide behind, struggling against each other, fighting for recognition and pride... Oh God, I wanted to be free!...
"Time to go! Hey, Newton, get a move on!" It was the group leader interrupting my thoughts with such a jerk that it hurt. It snapped something deep inside into place and seemed to tell it to stay there. I climbed into my kayak and shoved off, paddling upstream to get away from the main group.
As soon as they were out of sight, I looked up into the sky. The glider was gone. In its place, like a great bird circling the sky, ready to swoop down on its prey... was the search plane!
June 26, 1971
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