River Love – Finalist Number 2 – By Cailtlin Head
I grew up in Kendall, Washington, about an hour east of Bellingham, Washington. Growing up, my family took us on yearly camping trips, weekly trips to Mt. Baker to ski, and daily adventures on my parent’s property. But it was my times spent on the Nooksack River that I am the most fond of. My parents decided early on that they wanted us to experience the Nooksack River, and it’s beauty, every year. So they chose to be a part of a co-op, owning a piece of the river and giving me and my sisters a life time of memories. Going to the river every summer meant loading up our car with the river necessities (towels, buckets for rocks, landjaeger sausages), and heading out for a full day of swimming, lounging, and trying not to burn our feet on the hot sand. To this day, I feel like I’m the only person that can appreciate the changes rivers take on each year. I grew up with the Nooksack River, changing and growing, just like her. On our first visit of the year, we never knew which river we were going to get…but she never disappointed. We grew together through days of being a baby and sitting in her quiet pools, to tubing the river as a teenager. Now, I love her as I go over two Nooksack Rivers to visit my parents, one of which hosts some of the largest groups of bald eagles in the NW. My love story truly begins and ends with the Nooksack River, and I can’t wait to bring my kids to visit some day. Who knows what she’ll have for us then!
– By Caitlin Head
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