The Adventures of True Crew: Friends find fun kayaking together during retirement

Some members of True Crew and a few of their other friends pose for a photo on a kayaking and rafting trip. True Crew members kayak together from Memorial Day to mid-October.

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True Crew is a group of retired friends who get together several times a year to kayak Missouri rivers. When they talk about kayaking, their faces glow with humor and excitement. Their energy is infectious.

“We’re all young at heart,” crew member Shirley Essner says.

Sandy Glaser and her husband, Kevin Glaser, were the first crew members to purchase a kayak 10 years ago. They honed their kayaking skills out West on vacation, then brought those skills back to Missouri. They encouraged their friends to buy kayaks. Over the course of two years, their friends purchased kayaks, and True Crew began kayaking together.

As of 2023, True Crew consists of Kevin and Sandy Glaser, Stan and Shirley Essner, Darrell and Cheri Medlin, John and Lisa Spalding, and Marilyn Schlosser. Designated chauffeurs Ronnie Scholsser and Bob and Margie Stull transport those members upriver, and Kevin and Sandy’s daughter, Kirsten, tags along and acts as their “senior safety supervisor.”

From Memorial Day to mid-October, members of True Crew take their campers and head for various rivers across Missouri. Because of the loveliness of its scenery, Montauk State Park on the Current River is their favorite destination, Stan says; the Current River is good for all skill levels.

“The water is so clear, you can see the fish, and there are beautiful caves along the way,” Shirley says. “Kayaking is a great way to stay active and keep your body working. It’s restful when you just want to float and exciting when you hit the rapids.”

Learning to kayak is an exercise in problem-solving, Stan says.

“The first thing you have to learn is how to get in the kayak. The main objective is to get in without tipping over,” Stan says.

Kevin Glaser, a member of True Crew, a group of friends who kayak together, paddles through the water. Glaser and his wife Sandy Glaser first purchased kayaks 10 years ago.

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This is a challenge, because kayaks tend to be wobbly in the water. Several members of True Crew recommend inflatable kayaks rather than hard kayaks, because they are less likely to tip, and they are easier to transport.

The rivers where True Crew kayaks offer plenty of smooth water where crew members can simply float and enjoy the scenery, but there are also rapids. Where there are rapids, Sandy says, natural currents form a “v.” If kayakers follow the “v” where the water is deeper, they are better able to navigate.

Although the level of difficulty may only be mild to intermediate, for True Crew, the most exciting aspect of kayaking is tackling the rapids. Kevin and Stan usually go first.

“Some rapids are trickier than others,” Stan says. “If you come up to a protruding rock, you must determine how to get around it. You don’t want to get caught in a current that draws you to the tree line. You need the side that will let you through without tipping.”

Sandy warns that kayakers should always be on the lookout for downed trees. This is particularly problematic when the water is high, because the trees are hidden.

“It’s easy to get caught in the trees and tip your kayak,” Sandy says. “And if you fall overboard, you can get pulled down and trapped underwater.”

Members of True Crew kayak through the water together. The friends say they have many stories about their adventures together, including rescuing a couple and a small boy once.

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During their kayaking trips, members of True Crew have recovered rafts and kayaks and even rescued people. On one occasion, they found a small boy caught underwater. They untangled the boy, pulled him from the water and got him to dry land.

On another occasion, True Crew found a couple clinging to tree branches next to a tipped canoe. Members helped the couple get to safety and flipped the canoe upright. After multiple rescues such as these, True Crew began to call themselves the “Swift Water Rescue Team.”

When they are not acting as a rescue team, crew members love the camaraderie and pure fun of kayaking. And then there are the stories.

“Oh, do we have stories,” Shirley says.

True Crew members look at each other with mischievous grins, then burst into laughter.

“But we’re not telling, ” Shirley says.