The Journeying

Production: Chris Ward

Five friends. One hundred miles. A childhood home at the finish line.

The Journeying follows a Colorado father and four friends as they paddle 70 miles down Iowa's Cedar River and pedal the last 30 into Muscatine, all to reach the house Chris grew up in. What starts as a wild idea turns into four days of middle-age reckoning, the kind of honest talk that only happens when you pull a few dads off the grid and put them on the water together.

They used BOTE boards to make the trip. We asked them to tell us the rest. Here's the story behind the film, in their own words.

Q&A with Chris Ward

The origin

Where did the idea for this trip come from, and why Iowa? What was going on in your life when it first hit you?

CW: In my day to day life I could literally fill every moment with busyness. I have a lovely wife and three young daughters and a full time job as a middle school teacher. Like most adults, I have endless responsibilities and tons of things on the "to do list" every day. Adventure allows me to slow it down, take a reset and in turn puts life in perspective. It reminds me of all the things I have to be grateful for. So the project came out of needing that adventure while a curiosity of figuring out if we could do that back in near my hometown of Muscatine, Iowa.

Why these four friends specifically? What did you want out of doing this together rather than solo?

CW: Solo trips can be worthwhile in their own ways, but I think there is power in community. When I've gone on big adventures with other people, I always come out of it with a changed perspective on the world. I'm lucky enough to have a bunch of friends who will say "yes" to any of my harebrained ideas and these are all guys who I look up to as role models, so I intentionally wanted to spend time with them. The hope was that by understanding how they've gone through the ups and downs of life it could help me best navigate my own.

Most of you had never set foot on a paddleboard. What was day one actually like?

CW: A couple of the guys had never set foot on a paddleboard and they dove head first into a 70 mile river trip. Quite literally at times! It took them awhile to get their "sea legs" but they all figured it out eventually!

On the water

What surprised you most about paddleboarding 70 miles, the good and the brutal?

CW: The best part of paddling down a river is that it really narrows the day to day choices you have to make. As busy adults we are overwhelmed with thousands of decisions we make every moment of the day. Whether we recognize it or not, I think that exhausts us. On a river, you are just going "that way" and you literally get to simply go with the flow. It was a great and much needed refresher.

What was the hardest stretch of the trip, and what got you through it?

CW: The hardest stretch was the last day of paddling. The temp rose to nearly 100 degrees, the river got really wide which slowed the current, and we had a headwind the entire day. Headwinds on paddleboards can be rough! We definitely slowed to a crawl for the last 10 miles.

The Midwest gets written off as flat and boring, but you grew up there. What did you want people to see in it when they watch this film?

CW: I think lots of people don't actually experience the Midwest, either flying over it or rushing through it on the interstate. They think it's only corn fields and flat roads. Once you get off the beaten path you discover that the Midwest is incredibly diverse with rivers, caves, bluffs, and beautiful rolling hills. By slowing down a bit, you really appreciate its beauty and uniqueness. I'm proud our film captures this side of Iowa.

You met Reggie by the river and he took you in, let you camp, brought you water. What stuck with you about that kind of kindness from a stranger?

CW: Reggie's midwestern hospitality was one of the highlights of the trip for all of us. He represented the best parts of Iowans. Just a guy living next to the Cedar River who was stoked to support us in any way he could. I believe most people want to support others in this world and Reggie was validating in that sense. He is a midwestern legend in my eyes.

Fatherhood and middle age

The film keeps coming back to a "new phase" of parenthood. What does that phase look like for you right now?

CW: My kids are growing up and are now moving into middle school. People have told me that this time goes by super fast. I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the craziness of parenthood, when your kitchen table is perpetually messy and three kids are all excitedly trying to tell you something at the same time. There is a bittersweetness in knowing it's passing and you'll miss how overwhelmingly bonkers it all was. I'm trying to appreciate all the little things that makes being a parent special.

There's a moment about how, as our kids change, we change too. Has becoming a father changed who you are in a way you didn't expect?

CW: Being a dad constantly reminds me of how absolutely incredible our world is and how lucky we are for the journey. You think your life/job/town is boring? Bring a three year old with you! Their curiosity is infectious and soon you'll be truly amazed by the everyday. Be prepared though, they will probably ask you like 10,000 questions in a span of five minutes.

Why do you think trips like this, away from the daily grind, give space for conversations that don't happen at home?

CW: There's something magical that happens on an outdoor adventure that opens people up to be vulnerable and authentic. There's no distractions, you're simply being in the moment with other people. Simultaneously the world seems really really big when you're in nature and yet your community condenses. You feel tiny in the grand scheme of things, but your connections with your fellow adventurers feels beyond significant.

What's something about fatherhood you understand now that you wish you'd known earlier?

CW: On this trip, I learned from my friend Phil that "not every moment is a Danny Tanner moment." It's not simply sitting them down to explain big life lessons as they eagerly await your advice. A lot of fatherhood is just how you are showing up for them day to day in the little moments, the consistency and the loving environment you cultivate.

The bigger stuff

The film talks about the pull toward cynicism as you get older, and the idea of "earning your optimism." How do you practice that day to day?

CW: Optimism comes from doing things that bring you joy. You gotta go seek those things out. Whether it's paddle boarding, playing guitar, game night with the family, you need to intentionally seek out those activities and let yourself feel joyful!

When you think about legacy, what do you actually want your kids to remember?

CW: I want my kids to remember that they were loved through every single moment of their lives. The legacy I want to pass on is smiles, laughter and adventure.

The film is named for a poem, and the line about joy being "in the journeying, not at the journey's end." What did that mean to you by the end of this trip?

CW: There is joy to be found in every moment. You just got to be open to them and willing to experience joy. The little things are what matter the most because they add up to our life in full.

You spent four days chasing big questions. Did you come home with any answers, or just better questions?

CW: Life's about asking the big questions while knowing you never will fully find the answers. The search for the answers, being curious about our world and moving through your journey with intention is the important part. It's how we naturally were as kids and it is important to reengage with this part of ourselves.

It's releasing Father's Day weekend. If a dad watches this and takes one thing from it, what do you hope it is?

CW: The hope is that this inspires fellow dads to look for those refresher experiences in their lives. The ones that help us be vulnerable with others about the challenges of parenthood and life. Life's a team sport. We all go through this together. "All it takes is a trip to Iowa with a great group of guys, you realize that it's not just us in this great big universe going at it alone. Someone's either gone through it before us or someone is currently going through it or will go through it. You can garner so much knowledge and comfort from that. It's pretty beautiful."

The joy is in the journeying, not at the journey's end. That's the line the film takes its name from, and it's the thing these five keep circling back to. Not the destination, not the answers, but the days on the water and the people in the boat next to you.

This Father's Day, that feels like the whole point. Watch The Journeying above, then go find some water of your own.