Modern Day Deliverance
Ok, most of us paddling enthusiasts have had a good laugh over Burt Reynolds and the movie, The Deliverance. Do you remember that one? Dueling banjos, bad teeth, and crazy backwood hicks? Well, I have relatives that live in Arkansas and I love them to death but this recent article makes me a little bit nervous about paddling there. Sounds like some locals decided to play detective, judge and jury in their own real-life thriller. They suspected a group of paddlers had attempted to steal a motor from a boat at their dock and decided to take the law into their own hands. After hunting them down on the river they held them at gunpoint! Luckily two of the group escaped and were able to run for help or who knows what may have happened. One thing I love about paddling in the Boundary Waters and Quetico Park is that I am hardly ever afraid of anything. People are the least of my worries, dangerous animals are almost non-existent, and you can see a wildfire miles away. Even so, the next time I paddle I may be a little more wary of strange noises, especially if they sound like banjos.