Life 2.0: “A River Runs Through It”

Life 2.0: “A River Runs Through It”

Tonight, I find myself on the 16 hour long haul from Atlanta back to South Africa. Sue remains in Toronto, excitedly awaiting the arrival of the newest additions to our family.

This journey began in Alaska and ended in Toronto. But as always, journeys aren’t defined by their start and finish — they are shaped by the experiences in between.

Each of our adventures seems to centre around an unexpected theme. In 2020, our six-month journey was defined by the decision to bring Roga, our working gundog, to North America. Accommodating him—and navigating the society around us—became the glue of that wonderful adventure.

On this journey, early on, we noticed that rivers kept surfacing in our conversations. The significance of rivers grew deeper with every passing day.

But why this fascination with rivers?

It all started with the Kenai in Alaska. Six months before the trip, my friend Jeff Lopes , a passionate saltwater fly fisherman, said, “There’s no way you can go to Alaska and not catch salmon.”

What started as a small add-on to mostly a hiking and kayaking trip became an avalanche. Many a day, in the 10 weeks of our journey, was spent hiking and driving next to or physically drifting on the Kenai, Maddison, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Missouri and Henry’s Fork rivers - to mention a few. Six weeks into the trip we rewatched “A River Runs through It”. Norman Maclean’s words resonated deeply.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.”

Many a drift, a lunch break, or sunrise were spent gazing over these waters.

“I sat there and forgot and forgot, until what remained was the river that went by and I who watched. On the river the heat mirages danced with each other and then they danced through each other and then they joined hands and danced around each other. Eventually the watcher joined the river, and there was only one of us. I believe it was the river.”

In the end, it was the river that shaped our trip.

A video with some highlights

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