“About two o’clock in the morning the raft grounded on the bar 200 yards above the head of the island…Part of the raft’s belongings consisted of an old sail, and this they spread over a nook in the bushes for a tent…They built a fire against the side of a great log 20 or 30 steps within the somber depths of the forest, and then cooked some bacon in the frying pan for supper…

“It seemed glorious sport to be feasting in that wild free way in the virgin forest of an unexplored and uninhabited island, far from the haunts of men, and they said they would never return to civilization.

“The climbing fire lit up their faces and threw its ruddy glare upon the pillared tree trunks of their forest temple, and upon the varnished foliage and festooning vines.”

Mark Twain penned these lines in a chronicle of his adventurous daydreaming. He recorded the dreams of a free life on the river that he lived in his mind through the exploits of Tom and Huck and Joe in his book, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Though Samuel Clemens dreamed of life on a raft more than 135 years ago, many of us still aspire to floating away to find something different and letting it surprise us.

Our reasons differ, as did those of each of the three characters on Clemens’ raft, but few outdoor types have escaped the magnetism of the river. Mention a “float trip” and instantly the mind pictures slow flowing current with swirling eddies, sudden noisy rapids, birds perched in pastel scenes passing by in an endless slow motion parade, gleaming sand bars pocked with animal and bird tracks, shady pools for wading barefoot. For these are the joys that await those of us who float the streams.

Some use the excuse of fishing to go on a float trip, since we tend to need reasons to do things in our society. And fishing is as good an excuse as any. What could be better than a shore lunch or supper of fresh fish sizzled in the fry pan or wrapped in foil and baked with spices in the coals of a campfire. In such a float trip one can experience fishing and camping as bonuses of the float. This triple treat can sooth the souls of outdoors people and bring first timers into the fold of nature lovers, thus adding splendor to their future days.

Ready the jon boat or the canoe. Get some tackle and a tent. Find a stream that fits the skills and spirits of the floaters. And cast off in the waters that will take you to adventure; to the unknown; to revitalization; to your dreams. For like Joe and Tom and Huck in Mark Twain’s raft, we sometimes need to float away for a while so we can better handle the rest of life.