QC WOMEN'S OUTDOOR CLUB
MEMBER BLOG
QC WOMEN'S OUTDOOR CLUB
MEMBER BLOG
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MEMBER BLOG
April 2025 in Review
April 2025 in Review
Author: Claire Dodson, QC Women's Outdoor Club Member
Veteran member Chris Ciasto was April's point person for QCWOC events, and she managed to create an action-packed month of adventures with ease! She scheduled a whopping 20 events of the 30 days available, and each of the 10 I attended were fantastic. Here are some of the highlights—with pictures!
April 1st was kicked off with an April Fool's hike and potluck book discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass. The weather was cold, windy, and gloomy, but getting out on the winding trails of Stephen's Park and ridding it of litter as we walked was refreshing. Equally refreshing was a potluck and environmentally-conscious discussions of Robin Wall Kimmerer's beautiful book about a love of nature and the reciprocal relationship that aids our mutual flourishing—a key value our club stands for and celebrates.
April 2nd we attended a lively drum circle, where we pounded drums or shook maracas in a circle of women. We set intentions before each round of drumming. We tried different instruments—some as simple as a plastic coffee can and intricately beautiful as a custom-stained leather drum. It was a wonderful way to let out energy or frustrations and return to peace.
April 3rd was a 3-part event with a death centric theme. We checked out a Figge exhibit about death, decay, and dementia created by a former nun. Then we walked the peaceful grounds of Fairmount Cemetery, which gave us a new panoramic view of Davenport, Iowa. Finally, we hung out at the lodge at Schuetzen Park and learned about what it takes to be a death doula while munching on delicious food and getting ideas for memorabilia boxes.
Photo Credit: Kellie Godwin
Floatzilla 2024: Fear is a Portal
Floatzilla 2024: Fear is a Portal
Author: Claire Dodson, QC Women's Outdoor Club Member
We were seven: Team QCWOC, eager and prepared for a day of paddling on the Mississippi. We arrived with our kayaks to Empire Park in Hampton early in the morning. After jitters and a potty break, it was time to ‘put in’. Our colorful pod stuck together and paddled down river. The steadfast current pushed us, although a headwind inhibited our forward progress a little.
Picture: Starting out on the Mississippi
The sky was overcast, and the water was an opaque blue-brown with hypnotic waves to watch. We saw flocks of seagulls swooping and calling with reckless abandon over the spray, and squadrons of pelicans and likely cormorants sitting together on a sandbar.
The first few miles were full of steady work and light conversation, enjoying the natural scenery, industrial architecture, and amateur graffiti that stated things like “Beauty & Terror”, “Endure”, and “Fear is a Portal” above what appeared to be the ominous void of a manmade storm drain. These sights continued until we saw what no one wanted to see…one of our squad capsized just ahead of our passage under the I74 bridge. Shocking us all, she kept her glasses on, hair dry, and maintained an even-keeled smile, happy her swimming conditioning was being put to good use!
After about 20 minutes of idling, the Bettendorf (water) fire brigade trawled over in their boat to save our upended friend. Cyndy got an exciting tale, and we got to carry on paddling; it was all we could do. Soon enough, we came upon Leach Park and stopped for the water closet and to stretch our legs. As we entered the domain of Davenport, the water got choppier and the paddling required more gusto. But, just like life’s rough patches, the water’s abated and passed away by the time we neared the Lock.
We had a short wait to enter Lock #15, but two consecutive trains made for above average wait time. It was alright; more time to chat, snack, and rest from our previous miles paddled. After about forty-five minutes, we heard the bargelike bellow that meant the water levels were adequate to go through to the other side. It was so cool to see the gates open, like we were being welcomed to a foreign land of magical inhabitants. Except, this was more Quad Cities!
Picture: Since we were going downstream, water was released from the lock (about 10-12 feet) to lower the water levels to be equal to the downstream levels behind the gate.
Kayaks and canoes raced through the gates and out into the open water. Schwiebert park was to our left, and the sun-soaked Davenport skyline stood to our right. It was a fabulous three-sixty vantage point, and we only had a little left to paddle. Having chosen the longest route, we had to hustle to get to the picture, but we made it to Sunset Marina’s Lake Potter just in time!
Floatzilla was a fun-filled expedition of eleven river miles of the Mighty Mississippi and its mysterious beauty. Three of us were first-timers—pushing us to try something new, viewing fear as a portal to a new experience and subsequent mind shift, one of confidence, of breaking personal records, of “I can do it!”
Picture 1: The 2024 attempt for largest Flotilla.
Picture 2: On the Mighty Mississippi
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