Maybe We Just Need to Get on the River

Maybe We Just Need to Get on the River

By Brad De Young
Cofounder, West Michigan Kayaking Club
The Kayakers Journal

Making friends as an adult can be surprisingly difficult, especially after graduating from college. Life gets busy, careers take priority, families grow, and the opportunities to meet new people and develop meaningful friendships can become increasingly limited.

For me, paddling changed all of that.

Through kayaking and the community we’ve built at West Michigan Kayaking Club, I’ve met some of the nicest, most welcoming people I’ve ever known. There’s something special about the paddling community. In my experience, at least 90% of the people I’ve encountered on the river are approachable, friendly, and happy to strike up a conversation. You can paddle alongside someone you’ve never met, exchange a few words, and potentially walk away with a new friend.

Paddling has a remarkable ability to bring people together, regardless of age, background, profession, or personal beliefs.

I was reminded of that during the first large, multiday event we organized through West Michigan Kayaking Club.

Three Days on the River, a Lifetime of Possibilities

The event was a three-day kayaking and hiking adventure. When I first posted it, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I hoped people would participate, enjoy themselves, and share in the experience we were trying to create. But I had no idea how many people would actually show up.

When the day finally arrived, I walked toward the launch point and remember thinking, Holy smokes, there are a lot of people here!

The turnout exceeded anything I had anticipated.

There were participants in their 20s all the way up to 73 years old. Some had traveled more than 150 miles to join us, while others came from nearby communities. Among the group were retired military personnel, college professors, and people from a wide range of professions and personal backgrounds.

We came from different generations, held different political perspectives, and had different religious beliefs and life experiences. Under ordinary circumstances, many of us might never have crossed paths.

Yet there we were, gathered at the same river for three days of kayaking, hiking, exploring the outdoors, and getting to know one another.

We didn’t share every belief or perspective. We didn’t have to.

We shared a love of the outdoors, a passion for paddling, and a desire to experience something beyond our everyday routines. That common ground was enough to bring us together.

As the weekend unfolded, strangers became friends. Conversations developed naturally, laughter carried across the water, and shared experiences created connections that extended well beyond the event itself.

Since that weekend, many of us have continued exploring Michigan together. We’ve paddled rivers, hiked trails, camped outdoors, and created memories that have become an important part of our lives.

What began as a three-day adventure became the foundation for lasting friendships and a stronger outdoor community.

What Brought Us Together Was More Important Than What Divided Us

Looking back on that weekend, one thing stands out to me just as much as the adventures themselves: what we didn’t spend our time doing.

We weren’t arguing about politics. We weren’t debating religion or trying to convince one another that our personal beliefs were right. We didn’t need to agree on every issue to enjoy one another’s company.

Instead, we focused on the things we shared. We enjoyed the adventure, the camaraderie, the beauty of Michigan’s natural landscapes, and the simple pleasure of spending time together outdoors.

We helped one another, shared stories, learned from each other, and enjoyed being part of something bigger than ourselves.

I think about those experiences almost daily, and I’m deeply grateful for the friendships I’ve made since cofounding West Michigan Kayaking Club.

What started as a way to bring people together through paddling has become something much more meaningful. It’s shown me that when people have an opportunity to connect through a shared interest, their differences don’t have to stand in the way of a meaningful relationship.

Sometimes, all people need is a reason to spend time together.

Finding Common Ground in a Divided World

It’s difficult to spend much time online without encountering conflict. Political disagreements dominate conversations. Religious and philosophical differences can become sources of hostility. People who have never met one another argue over opinions, assumptions, and ideas that often leave little room for understanding.

At times, it seems we’ve become so focused on our differences that we overlook the things we share.

When I see that happening, I think about the people I’ve paddled with and hiked alongside over the past year.

I think about a 20-year-old sharing a river with someone in their 70s. A retired service member laughing with a college professor. People with very different political perspectives working together to navigate a challenging stretch of water, helping one another along a trail, or sitting around a campsite at the end of a long day.

These are people who might disagree about many things outside the outdoors. Yet those disagreements don’t prevent them from sharing an experience, building friendships, and appreciating one another’s company.

On the river, we’re simply people enjoying something we love.

We’re helping each other, exchanging stories, learning from different experiences, and appreciating the natural world around us.

Those moments have reminded me that people are far more complex than the labels we assign them.

It’s easy to reduce someone to a political affiliation, a religious belief, or an opinion expressed online. It’s much harder to do that when you’ve spent an entire day paddling alongside them, helped them through a difficult section of river, shared a meal at camp, or laughed together over something that happened along the way.

When we spend time with people as people, rather than viewing them through the lens of our differences, we create opportunities for understanding that might never exist otherwise.

We don’t have to abandon our convictions or pretend our differences don’t matter. We simply need to recognize that disagreement doesn’t have to prevent friendship, mutual respect, or shared experiences.

More Nature. Less Technology.

Our increasingly digital lives offer countless ways to communicate, but they don’t always give us the kinds of connections we need most.

We can spend hours scrolling through posts, reading arguments, and responding to people we’ve never met. Meanwhile, opportunities to get outside, meet someone new, and develop meaningful relationships are waiting just beyond our screens.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if more people stepped away from their devices and spent a weekend outdoors with people they might never otherwise meet.

What if we spent less time focusing on what divides us and more time discovering what brings us together?

What if, instead of arguing online, we invited someone to go hiking? What if we joined a paddling group, explored an unfamiliar river, or spent a weekend camping with people from different walks of life?

We might discover that we have far more in common than we ever realized.

Nature offers a setting where those connections can develop naturally. There’s a shared sense of purpose in navigating a river, a satisfaction in reaching the end of a long trail, and a special kind of camaraderie that develops when people experience an adventure together.

You don’t need to know someone’s background before sharing a river with them. You don’t need to agree on every issue before helping them carry a boat to the water. And you certainly don’t need identical worldviews to sit around a campfire and enjoy a good conversation.

Sometimes, the best friendships begin with nothing more than a simple hello at a kayak launch.

Building Community, One Paddle at a Time

I cofounded West Michigan Kayaking Club because I love paddling and the outdoors. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate something even more meaningful than the miles traveled or the places explored: the people who make those experiences memorable.

I’m grateful for every friendship that has grown out of this community. I’m grateful for the people who travel from near and far to join our adventures, for the members who welcome newcomers, and for the shared experiences that continue bringing us together.

Our club is about more than getting boats on the water. It’s about creating opportunities for people to explore, challenge themselves, experience nature, and connect with others who share their enthusiasm for adventure.

Every river trip offers the possibility of discovering a new place. It also offers the possibility of meeting someone who will become a friend, learning something from someone with a different life experience, or seeing the world from a perspective you hadn’t considered before.

We may arrive at the launch as strangers, but we don’t always leave that way.

If there’s one lesson I’ve taken from these experiences, it’s that we don’t have to agree on everything to build something meaningful together. We don’t have to share the same background, profession, religion, or political beliefs.

Sometimes, we just need a common interest, an open mind, and the willingness to spend time with people we haven’t met yet.

Perhaps the answer to some of the division we see around us isn’t another argument or another round of angry comments online. Perhaps it’s finding more opportunities to share experiences, build relationships, and appreciate the things that connect us.

Maybe we need more time outdoors, more conversations around campfires, more miles on the river, and a little less time staring at our screens.

Maybe we need to spend less time trying to convince one another that we’re different and more time discovering the ways we’re alike.

And maybe, every once in a while, we just need to put our kayaks in the water and paddle down the river together.

Because somewhere around the next bend, you might discover a beautiful stretch of water, an unforgettable adventure, or a friendship you never expected to find.

Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.

More nature. Less technology. 🛶

Brad De Young
Cofounder, West Michigan Kayaking Club
The Kayakers Journal

WILD RIVERS.RUGGED TRAILS.REAL ADVENTURE 

Explore upcoming adventures and learn more about our community:

Website: https://www.westmichigankayakingclub.online

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