30th Annual Sprig Outing
| River: | Other |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 12/01/2012 |
Sometimes opportunities come in bunches, and in this case we’re talking mistletoe bunches. As I was perusing the calendar, I noticed that several events were falling into line: a concert in Chapel Hill, then the Sprig Outing trip Saturday morning , another social engagement that night, and finally the club’s annual Winter Potluck/Meeting. I decided the Sprig Outing needed to be part of my itinerary.
The Sprig Outing trip is something Forrest Altman has hosted for over 30 years. The purpose of this trip is gather mistletoe from trees overhanging the river, in this case a tributary of the Cape Fear near Lillington. Word of this event had reached Associated Press reporter Allen Breed who came along to document the trip. Little did we know what that would lead to, but I’ll get to that later.
About a dozen of us gathered in Lillington, including CCC members Joan Monnig, Marlow Durbin, and Camille Warren. I thought at first I was going to be in trouble when I got there—my Big EZ looked pretty out of place among the touring kayaks and canoes that made up the rest of the group. My concern grew a little when Forrest explained that we would be putting in on private property along the river, then PADDLING UPSTREAM. Once I saw the river, my concerns abated—black water, virtually no current. Ultimately, my boat exhibited some advantages as I slipped under some of the low-lying branches that the larger, taller boats couldn’t fit under.
We used poles with hooks on the end to remove the mistletoe from the branches. Some caution was needed to catch the boughs before they reached the water, as mistletoe doesn’t float. At first it looked like we would have to really forage for the stuff, but as we worked upstream it became much more plentiful. By the time we finished, I think we collected about half a dozen trash bags full. There was also a plentiful amount of merriment displayed. Most of the participants adorned themselves with some manner of Santa hat. For my part, I wore a red helmet which was soon decorated with mistletoe sprigs in the drainholes.
Caroles were sung, fun was had. And all was documented by the reporter. The results? Newspapers from around the world picked up the printed article, and according to a message sent to Camille, the video report held the most-watched on the AP site for a couple of days after. Several websites in Australia even posted the video (I guess ‘down under’, they don’t see much mistletoe?) I even had a coworker approach me about getting some of the mistletoe. When I asked him where he heard about it (thinking office gossip), he said, ‘I saw it on the internet the other day’.
If anyone didn’t already see the article or the video, links are available on the Carolina Canoe Club Facebook page (work your way back to December 2 and scroll forward).