Spirit of Canoeing, by Ron Riegel, 1979

< Riegel Entry No. 7, The Spirit of Canoeing >

Pharm Phantasy Series, Last Entry

         John Cox had a vision of all pharm hands taking a vacation together during the summer of 1979 and came up with the idea of hiking through Zion Canyon, now referred to as the “Zion Death March” and then canoeing down the Green River from Moab to the confluence of the Colorado River. He spent weeks, maybe months, organizing and planning that vacation for all.
         Little did we know that John was going to end up a despot, yet I am quite certain that his only goal was to make certain that everyone did their fair share of the work. Well, this did not sit well with the free spirits who were on vacation mainly to get away from all the structure and to have a good time. What transpired during that trip was a good example of how well educated Pharm Hands, left to themselves in an Edenic country far from Glendora and modern civilization, could so rapidly descend into the darkness of human nature. Well, maybe I am exaggerating just a little, but we were extremely close to experiencing and participating in our first real life mutiny. Fortunately for all no one was hurt and the vacation ended just minutes ahead of the first attempt to seize power and coup d’etat.
         “The Spirit of Canoeing” is somewhat adjunct to pharm history but I wanted to include it in the Pharm Phantasy series anyway.

Zion Death March and Canoeing Green River

The Spirit of Canoeing

When I was just a little ladd
I saw a man canoeing
My Father said it was his soul
that he was there renewing.

I didn’t understand at all
what my Father meant
But in my mind I filed away
that meaningless event.

With time I grew and learned those things
which life does offer all
The beauty of a mountain
and a roaring waterfall.

I then began to realize
what my Father said
The spirit of canoeing
down from rivers head.

–Ron Riegel ’79

Zion Death March and Canoeing Green River

The Green River and Zion Leviathan

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