Brilliant Serendipity

March 24, 2019 3:26 PM

Sometimes One Wrong Creates A Half Dozen Rights... This is a chronicle of a life changing kayak trip, taken by three old friends. In spirit, rather like John Muir's Stickeen, a story I read several times as a child. Sometimes the universe seems to conspire to undo, some random blunder. A well told tale of friendship and adversity, countered by absolute serendipity with a ton of effort, risk, and ability. Glacier Bay Alaska was their destination, traveling with a close friend who was a seasoned guide. An irresistible destination, but wild, part of the attraction and also the invigorating unease. A beauty of a place.
posted by Oyéah (5 comments total)

Wow, this is a monumentally Long Read. I'll have to take it in over time.
posted by hippybear at 4:51 PM on March 24, 2019

Good read. Man, they got lucky.

And the flavor of PTSD he gets - it's such a 21st-century American thing. Ugh.
posted by notsnot at 6:22 AM on March 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have to admit, as I first glanced over this I wasn't reading it terribly carefully, and I thought that when I clicked it was going to be a recut trailer for Deliverance.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:41 AM on March 25, 2019

I think this is my favourite line in this story:

He added that if he ever has to spend two hours dying on a remote forest floor again, having me there to recite poetry would be one of his top ways to do it.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:28 AM on March 25, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yeah, "Let us go, then, you and I..."
posted by Oyéah at 8:10 AM on March 25, 2019