There are times in our lives where each of us are fairly hard to love. Many say that taking the path of least resistance means taking the easy roads of life and never breaching out into the unknown. But sometimes those gentle, endless, meandering paths can be our saving grace.

 

 

Jimmie Lunsford of Corning, Arkansas found himself while canoeing the gorgeous Buffalo River during one of life’s tough spells. He had hit a rough patch in life and decided to just hit the river. With two packs of cigarettes and $40 in his pocket, Jimmie made his way to Ponca, Arkansas to carve his path down the mighty Buffalo River.

 

It was 10:30 at night when he finally arrived and his low fuel light blinked at him as he cut the engine. He decided to make camp. The next morning he walked into the grocery store at Ponca, grabbed a of gallon of water, another pack of cigarettes and some wet wipes. He made out with just thirteen cents to his name!

 

Jimmie set out on the Buffalo River and before he even got his canoe in the water he had already made friends with a few local folks and acquired two snicker bars before he’d even left the banks.

 

“I‘m always amazed at the kindness of the people I meet on the river, especially on this trip, everyone just looks out for each other out there.” he says.

 

Once he was on the water, the river took over. The mighty Buffalo River in Arkansas is a soul changing kind of beauty, the kind that gently and overwhelmingly captures everyone lucky enough to travel its banks. From Ponca Jimmie ended up at Kyles Landing where he set up camp for the night under the pavilion.

 

Some awesome river folks let him charge up his phone. It rained that first night and the next but Jimmie stayed true to his path. From the Ozark Campground to Wollum, Jimmie met up with a wonderful man couple “They wanted to paint my toenails purple!” he laughs. “They were great people.”

 

From Wollum Jimmie made his way down to Gilbert, the only incorporated town on the Buffalo River with a population of just 33 people. A gentleman named Gabe Leahy gave him a porch to hang out on out of the rain and even made him breakfast.

 

Jimmie had quite an adventure in the nine days it took to go down the Buffalo. He made a lot of new friends and met some interesting characters.

 

From Mike Conners who popped his head up after overhearing Jimmie on the river mention he was from Corning, Arkansas; to playing his guitar for beer on the way to Rush, which he canoed over 33 miles in one day! He ran into the rapids at Clabber Creek but managed never to turn over and even befriended a rattlesnake along the way who wanted to ride in his canoe!

 

 

“You don’t have to have money to have the time of your life: just balls.” he says with a big grin.

 

 

He also met Hardy Broom the so called “Ozark Buddha” from Mountain View, along with Virginia Ivy, and Bob & Pam Tomlin. “They were the best, just awesome wonderful friends.” He canoed with them the rest of the way past where the Buffalo River meets the White River and finally to Norfork where they let out. They were generous enough to drive him to Mountain View and friend him a $35 bag of tobacco and a place to stay for the night.
When I asked him what he took from this experience he said

“To stop letting difficulties get to me all the time. To have confidence in myself and in my life. This trip was the first time I had been brought to my knees to meet God on his terms, I learned that God takes his most joy when we learn to take joy in his creation.”

 

 

Jimmie continues to inspire many to go on their own journeys, to follow the nature of water down its paths of least resistance and to find joy in their own lives.

“Technology can be such a soul killer, sometimes the only thing you need to do is to lose yourself to find yourself.”