The pebble promise

I’ll be speaking for a river this week. Not the mighty Delaware, but a river, fairer in some ways, than the majestic waterway it joins near the Zane Grey Museum in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania.

From the Lackawaxen River Conservancy’s booth at the Wayne County Fair in Honesdale, PA, I will distribute materials that tell about this special river and the organization formed by people who love the Lackawaxen River.

I happen to be a fan of the Lackawaxen, long charmed by its winding ways and lovely water-voice, which changes with its variable levels. Small signs along its banks urge caution as “river levels change rapidly” when water is released from the dam at Lake Wallenpaupack.

At such times, one can sit upon the shore and watch a slow-motion wave overtake boulders and brush. When the water’s up, a thrilling adventure is in store for kayakers and canoeists. Listen to the hush emanating from hemlock groves, marvel at an eagle’s piercing cry and a heron’s motionless form as each studies the water for sustenance. Walk or bike the peaceful road that follows the river’s flow and explore the old canal nearly obscured by river growth.

Indulging in a dip during the golden hours is transporting, as lengthening light rays slice around the mottled sycamore trees and toss their beams across the water’s darkening surface. Small swarms of insects dance in the burnished haze; fish break the water’s occasional glades of stillness into widening rings of motion.

Take a camera and a pen and a pocket journal to collect inspired thoughts. And if you find yourself enchanted, pick up a pebble and toss it with a promise to become a steward of this beautiful river. The Lackawaxen River Conservancy formed to protect and preserve the Lackawaxen River, its wildlife, watershed and natural beauty. Join us at a monthly meeting every third Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at PPL’s Educational Center, Lake Wallenpaupack, Hawley.

For more information visitlackawaxenriver.org.