I Canoe, Can You?

On Friday afternoon May 09, 2014 the Mercury New Media team set off for Canoe Escape for our annual team event.  Upon arrival each team member was handed their oar, life jacket and demonstrated the finer points of paddling.  After our short tutorial we paired up with our paddling partner and headed for the river to begin our 4 mile adventure.   

Everyone had a job to do to make their ride down the river a success.  The bow rider was in charge of navigating and using the draw stroke to help steer.  The stern rider was responsible for steering and utilized the J-stroke as a rudder.  Each boat needed to work as a team to navigate down the Hillsborough River. 

The river snaked along with tight turns and narrow channels.  There was an abundance of wildlife; birds flying overhead and turtles sunning themselves on river logs. Gators slinked into the water from the shoreline and peeked their snouts above the surface. 

Half way down the river our group encountered a tree that had fallen the night before that blocked our path.  In true MNM fashion our teams had to Craft a solution to a Wicked Problem in order to move forward on our adventure.  Each team evaluated their position and decided as a team how to proceed.  Several got low in the boat and limbo styled through the blockade.  Others powered through the foliage and forged a new path.

After our 3 hour paddling trip we reached Morris Bridge Park and pulled our canoes on shore.  It was a great afternoon of fun, sun and team work!