THE RIVER OTTER Article and photos by RUSSELL A. GRAVES
F
loating down Bois d’Arc Creek in Fannin County, Texas, the water is comforting. With a hue somewhere between topaz and turquoise, the liquid flowing through this creek takes its color from the hard clay subsoil that's been stubbornly eroded over time. The creek channel proper is wide and open with no discernible flow save for a slight crease that’s created where water flows around an occasional limb that's penetrated the surface. Along the margins, button brush and ash trees compete for space. The canoe slides quietly through the water. I'm helming the bow while my brother steers from the stern. We’ve paddled cooperatively enough where we don't need to communicate with one another to understand our ultimate intent, so we sit in silence and listen to the smattering of natural sounds emanating around us. Soon, it's not a sound but a smell that catches my attention. It's musky and rich and beyond what I could readily recognize.
42 T E X A S W I L D L I F E
AUGUST 2021
