Our Numinous Nature
Our Numinous Nature is a traveling podcast in search of profound stories focused on regional flora & fauna, folklore & history with a penchant for the mysterious. We’ll be hearing from folks with a deep connection to the land, from herbalists to hunters, folk artists, paranormal investigators, & living historians. The hope is to reach the soul of these people & places through tales of profundity & awe. Find a comfy log and join us at the sonic campfire.
Our Numinous Nature
SHENANDOAH: AN ANCIENT EFFIGY, ROWDY BOATMEN & THE FLOOD OF 1870 | River Outfitter | John Gibson
John Gibson is a world-traveled river outfitter on Virginia's bucolic Shenandoah River where thousands come to tube each summer. While her waters are shallow, her history runs deep. Between readings of the valley as a frontier, the great flood of 1870, & a legend of the river’s origin, John tells the Shenandoah’s journey through human habitation. He begins chronologically with a 10,000-year-old Paleo-indian site, followed by the commerce of rowdy 18th-century boatmen on unique flat bottomed "gondolas," through to the devastating industrial pollution of the mid-1900's. We then hear entertaining examples of things found today in its waters, some you'd never imagine... In the last third of the episode, John shares lessons learned while globetrotting, including one about honesty from a packed & smoky train-car in Pakistan.
Next time you're in the Shenandoah Valley, visit John's river outfitter, Down River Canoes for a day of canoeing, kayaking or lazy river tubing.
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Contact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com