The rushing of the water was loud and vivid. With my best friend, Alex Canfield, at my side, and fishing poles in our hands, we slowly made our way down the steep banks of the Smoky Hill River, and onto the sandy flats. Once there, we took a moment to look out, and see the swift movement of the water, gracefully passing over rocks and logs. The sound of the river swishing by is soothing to our souls.
The river is our second home. I can’t even fathom how many times we make the half mile trek through a cornfield, lugging fishing poles, tackle, and camping gear, down to the banks of the Smoky. It is almost a weekly ritual. We usually set up a campsite on the sandy flats, and fish all day long. We spend countless hours chasing Mr. Whiskers. Mr. Whiskers is the infamous thirty pound channel catfish that, by legend, lives in the deepest hole of the Smoky Hill River. Alex and I, are determined to catch the monster fish at all costs, as this will secure undeniable bragging rights for years to come. Unfortunately, Alex and I are still on the hunt for Mr. Whiskers, but regardless whether we catch him or not, the experience and friendship we build during these times, will last through the rest of our lives.
At the end of the day, when the sun has thoroughly cooked our bodies to a crisp, we take a dive into the peaceful river. The feeling of the murky water on our sun glazed skin is cool, and refreshing. The smell of the dirty water is musty and wet. Sometimes, after we swim to the bottom of a deep hole in the river bed, we run out of air coming up. This makes us breathe underwater, and get a mouthful of the gritty water. A combination of mud and water that tastes just as the river smells.


One day, we decided the same old river trip was not enough anymore.We decided to change the routine up and look at the river in a new way. Alex and I are “Lewis and Clark” on an adventure, to discover new species, and territory. It sounds ridiculous but this is very important to us, and “the world”.
We decide to go farther than we have ever gone before, past our usual boundaries, and discover new land, just as Lewis and Clark had. We plan our trip for weeks in advance. Not a single detail is left out: from what we were going to tell our parents, to what type of Doritos to take. Nutrition is very important to our survival.
When the day had finally arrived, Alex and I set out very early. We are awake and eating breakfast by five in the morning. Needless to say, we were anxious and excited for the day ahead. By five thirty, we left the house and ventured across a cornfield and down onto the Smoky Hill River. Once on the banks, we elect to head east, because the territory west has already been discovered by Lewis and Clark themselves. We also decide to make the journey on the muddy banks, so we can see every detail of the land.
With a backpack and water canister, we start our journey. Walking through the mud makes our feet sink into the banks, sometimes up to our knees. The sound of pulling our feet out of the thick mud is slightly disturbing. At times, we get so caught up in the mud that when we try to pull our feet out and take another step, our foot sticks in the mud, and we are sent flying face first into the sloppy mess. For a pair of nine year old boys, this is never a problem. Our moms on the other hand, are never happy.
Walking down the river we make many new discoveries. We mostly see “new land” but also spot “new species”. One of which is an astounding bird. Its brilliant black/brown plumage is accented by its soft white head. It sits perched on an overhanging oak tree, neck stuck out. His bright yellow beak is impossible to miss. Alex and I can not believe our eyes when the seemingly normal sized bird takes flight. Its wings stretch out to an immaculate distance, making both our jaws drop. This beautiful creature has put us in awe, making us know that we are the first people to ever see this bird.
While still talking about the incredible bird, we make another discovery. Twenty feet out into the current, we spot what seems to be a large box turtle. This is no ordinary box turtle because the colors of its shell are much darker. We follow the turtle for many turns of the river, until it finally dips under water, and is lost forever. So we think. We continue walking and about three minutes later, I look out and spott\ the same turtle! We are sure this is the same one, because all we had ever seen before were lighter colored turtles. This was a new species.
The foolishness of our young minds, makes for an amazing Lewis and Clark adventure. We really didn’t find any new species, but we thought we had. A simple bald eagle and snapping turtle, make us feel a great sense of awe, and that is why the river is a place I will always remember in my life. It didn’t matter what we did, from chasing Mr. Whiskers to catching sand toads for bait, these are some of my greatest memories, that I will cherish, for the rest of my life.