Paddling on the River of Life
By Anne A. Simpkinson, Director of Communications
Posted on
One summer several years ago, I joined my niece and her family at a Family Camp held at Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg, California. One of the afternoon activities was canoeing on a local river. I hadn’t canoed since Girl Scout camp more than 40 years ago, and I discovered that I’m an abysmal paddler. Who had time to commune with nature when we kept zig-zagging down the river despite being helped by the current. Then, far worse, we struggled mightily to get back to the dock. As I recall, we were finally ignominiously towed in.
So it was with curiosity and vicarious pleasure that I read about the River of Life: Connecticut River Pilgrimage, 2017. At the suggestion of The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire; with the support of the seven New England Episcopal dioceses; and in partnership with other organizations, a 40-day, 406-mile river pilgrimage was launched.
Dubbed “the holy flotilla,” a small group of pilgrims set out on May 31 from the source of the Connecticut River near the Canadian border. They then paddled through New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut until, joined by others, they reached the river’s mouth, Long Island Sound, on July 9.
Steve Blackmer, in addition to being an Episcopal priest, is a long-time conservationist; outdoorsman and founder of Kairos Earth, one of the pilgrimage sponsors. The intention of the pilgrimage, he said, was to have people not only experience the river, but also to carry prayers and blessings to the river, as well as to the farms, land, woods and communities along the river.
Mark Kutolowski, who with his wife Lisa, acted as river guide and river chaplain, said they paddled with the intention of “changing our relationship with the natural world, to be more aware of God’s presence and of our presence’s impact on the land.”
On day 18, Willem Lange, host of the New Hampshire PBS program, “Windows to the Wild,” and his camera crew met up with the pilgrims, joining them briefly. The result is an informative program with shots of the river pilgrims and interviews with Blackmer and the Kutolowskis.
For example, you can hear Lisa talk about the experience of being “struck by the patience that the earth has … compared to our modern life … and also how often we fail to pay attention to the infinite beauty, life and lessons right in front of us.”
This year, an abbreviated pilgrimage will be held from July 12-15, traveling along a portion of the Connecticut River that borders New Hampshire and Vermont, and enters Massachusetts. For more information on this pilgrimage, go to the Connecticut River 2018 page on the Kairos Earth website.
You can also still catch the half-hour program, “Holy Flotilla,” on the New Hampshire PBS website.
As for me, perhaps with some paddling practice, I’ll be able to join them in the future. At least, that's my prayer.
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