Go Outside - Peace River Paddle

When I was little, my mom used to tell me to "Go Play Outside"!  I loved it!  I wanted no where else to be than outside!  Throw me in the briar patch, said Braer Rabbit!  As a parent now, I wonder if she really just wanted me out from under her feet, but I am forever greatful!  

I enjoyed my last adventure blog on the Florida Cracker Trail, but have been inspired to start a new blog after listening to Dr Sylvia Earle (Her Deepness) and Dr Meg Lowman (aka Canopy Meg) implore people to get outside!  You don't have to tell ME twice! Hahahaha!

So how can I get outside with a purpose in addition to educating others and leading scouts (as if that's not enough!)?  So, I am starting this blog as a way to detail some outdoor experiences and encourage others to do the same.  

Today I am canoeing the Peace River and camping along its banks with my Girl Scout Troop from Tamp, FL.  We put it at Brownsville, FL, have set up camp at the Canoe Outpost property at Oak Hill, and plan to canoe the remainder of the way back to Arcadia, FL tomorrow.  We have a short paddle each day (about 4 miles a day) and the weather is just beautiful!  We set up camp in the spot known as Hickoty Hammock, and the teens are napping and doing homework (seriously!) in their ENO hammocks!  It's a beautiful site with plenty of trees for lots of hammocks!  

We stopped song the way and sifted for fossils!  The Peace River is well know for its shark teeth and we found quite a few!  More importantly, though, we got kids to spend a weekend outside!  We are doing what Dr's Earle and Lowman beg of us all...get outside and appreciate nature.  I have seen so many birds, listened to cicadas, and watched life in the canopy overhead from the comfort of my hammock. I have researched the history of this river and shared in its treasures!  I see plenty of people on the river doing the same thing; scout troops, families, and friends, and wonder how many people are still inside.  

Go outside and play....right now!