Time and Tide on the Ocoee River
“Time and Tide on the Ocoee River” is short essay about a man and his devotion toward a sport. ... Fifteen years later, the 42 year old rafter realizes that time is against him; he is an athlete in a sport where something two years old is considered “ancient history” (30). The theme of time serves an integral piece to the puzzle, not only is it mentioned in the title, but Quammen uses time in reference to Spelius’s competition, the sport of kayaking itself, the hole and the river. ... The side-affect of all these responsibilities is entropy (complication) and time spent on the water. ... However, time has played a role in kayaking as well, not only have boat models changed, but in terms of the sport, one could make the claim that he fears the sport is growing too widespread not because he wants it to be exclusive, rather, people’s intentions are more victory based rather than amusement-based. ... This essay and others fall under “The River” section of this book, the book has progressed from an introduction relating to the scarcity of the wilderness to an analysis of the significance of trout to tides that serve as the backbone for the kayaking sport. ... As time passes, more chaos is waiting. ... Which leads to the title in its entirety, “Time and Tide on the Ocoee River,” the title is a metaphor for how Chris was once a glorified figure; it was the height of his talent and the prime of his life. However, just as a tide rises it falls, and do to factors that he cannot control, his abilities as a kayaker receded, due to aging and senescence he cannot do some of the things he could do physically. But as he says on page 30, life goes on like a conveyor belt, the tide will once again rise, that rise for Spelius has been in an arena other than professional kayaking, its been Chile and his camp, where he can once again capture the spirit of rodeo.