A solo journey up the creek becomes a test of Zach's resolve - and he passes. Just!On our annual dads and kids camp in December, I set off with another bloke, Josh, for a hike along a trail that runs on the ocean side of Jerusalem Creek for about four kilometres. The creek runs from Blackrocks campgrounds parallel to the shore to an exit to the ocean some four or more kilometres to the north. The hike is along a wide tongue of land with creek to the left and ocean to the right.
Josh and I eventually reached the end of the trail at the point where the creek met the ocean. There was a wide sandbar preventing the creek from flowing out into the ocean. After exploring around the creek mouth, we walked back along the through the "black rocks" (more like coffee in both colour and in consistency as it is a soft, sedimentary rock).
Back at the campground, everyone was back.
Well, everyone except Zach.
I was told that Zach had tried to round up someone to paddle the two-man kayak with him down the creek to ocean - a journey of over 4kms.
No-one had expressed any interest, and undeterred, Zach set off paddling a two-man kayak on his own down the winding creek.
No-one had seen him since.
Josh and I had been gone for about two hours and Zach for most of that time also. So I set off on a run retracing the trail alongside the creek. As I could not see the creek from the trail, I yelled "coo-ee" repeatedly as I ran.
A little belatedly, I realised that I had not re-applied any sunscreen, I had no t-shirt or top. I stopped at a point where the creek came alongside the trail and covered myself in mud to protect my already sun-exposed skin.
I ran on, coo-ee-ing every 50 metres or so.
Eventually, I heard a response, a solid cooee from beyond some trees and rushes to my left where I knew the creek to be. But the voice was more bass than Zach's. On yelling, I heard a man yell that they had him with them. I crashed through the bush and rushes to arrive at the creek.
I then walked along the creek edge around a corner beckoned by more calls to find a family group: two men, two women and a couple of kids distributed across two kayaks who were towing a kayak bearing a rather forlorn looking Zach.
He was crushed. And he told me the reason why as we (okay I) paddled us back to the campground.
He had paddled the length of the creek. On arriving at the same sandbar that Josh and I had seen, he had dragged the kayak out of the creek and some 50m over to the ocean.
He had it in mind to return to the campground by the ocean.
As he paddled out a little, he had to negotiate the waves crashing on the shore.
Then he realised the wind was strong - and blowing off shore. He tried to paddle back to the beach, but the wind was opposing the return. He leapt into the water and swam towing the kayak back to shore.
As he approached the shore, a wave took the kayak and capsized it losing his hat and/or sunscreen.
Once ashore, he towed the kayak back up the beach to the creek.
And then proceeded to paddle the over 4kms back to the launch point in Jerusalem Creek - against the wind.
The family group passed him and asked if he was okay. Stoically, Zach said 'yes' and they paddled on.
After they had passed one of the many bends in the creek, Zach decided he was not okay. He gave a final burst of energy to pursue them and on rounding the bend, called them back.
They tied his kayak to one of theirs, covered him with an umbrella as he was becoming increasingly exposed, gave him some water although he refused food.
They began their meandering back up the creek towards the campground.
I arrived about five minutes later apparently - so Zach had done most of this journey on his own.
I was so proud of Zach. He set himself a BIG task. It proved to be bigger than he expected. He tried some different ideas, but above all, he kept on going.
Epictetus remarks that "the greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."
The journey to manhood is a long way, but this was a solid first step.
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