We met at Mascot on a rather cloudy, but warm summer day. After taking time to catch up with each other’s busy lives, we left one car at Mascot and headed down to Big Island to put in. I’ve never been on the Dragon in August. And for good reason, but I’ll get to that later. One of the first treasures I found was a beautiful flower blooming on the trail at the Big Island landing. It was pink and yellow and the bracts made up the “flower” part. One plant in the patch was prettier than the next. Fortunately for us Rollin knows his plants and was able to quickly identify it as Horse Mint. We used Rollin’s horticultural expertise quite a bit. I only wish I could remember all the plants he identified for me through the day.

The River greeted us with its lush beauty. Sun shining through the canopy provided great opportunities for some classic photos. Teta was capturing as much as she could and other cameras were busy taking photos of the summer scenery including shots of brilliant red cardinal flower and deep pink swamp milkweed blooming along the edges of the river.

We slowly headed downstream enjoying the surroundings and each other’s company, and climbing out of our kayaks to cross the beaver dams. When we came to the stretch of the river where the Polygonum gets really thick, Teta forged ahead, telling us to wait there until she could see if we could get through. She finally admitted that we couldn’t and needed to turn around and head back. Teta was out of her kayak, wading through the thick vegetation, reminding me of Humphrey Bogart in the African Queen. Rollin joined her and helped her bring the kayak back to navigable water. We all struggled to get back over the beaver dams we had just crossed – it’s a little harder going up the dams than down! But the warm weather made wading in the Dragon’s cool water a treat rather than a chore.

We ate lunch on Big Island near the rock that was dedicated to Jimmy Morgan. Teta recounted the tale of how they got the rock to the island and the dedication ceremony that was held there. We walked the trail around the island and exchanged knowledge of plants and animals. My husband and I were certainly more on the receiving end of that exchange! I never knew there were so many different species of oaks in Virginia. In addition to natural history, Teta and Pat reminisced about the early days of FODR. My favorite story was of Jimmy Morgan making a work group finish the observation pier after a brutally long day. Despite being ill with cancer, Jimmy was the first back to work and motivated the crew to keep working and finish the project before quitting for the day. I never had the privilege of meeting Jimmy Morgan, but his spirit is alive and well on the Dragon.

Thunder sounded in the distance just as our loop around the island was complete. Each of us hated to end such a lovely day, but we quickly packed up our kayaks and paddled across the river. Everyone was grateful to Teta for asking us to join her. We didn’t make it all the way down the Dragon, but we certainly got to experience its unquestionable beauty and share it with those that have worked so hard to make sure it stays that way. Welcome back, Teta! -
Anne Ducey-Ortiz