“Just a few seconds of logical thought should tell anyone there is no way a river could run in a circle.”
There are quite a few slow flowing rivers that run in large meanders, that would only require a short walk to get back to the starting place (if one knows where to depart).
The meanders eventually get cut off and form “oxbow” lakes.
So the idea of a river coming back to close to the takeoff point is not completely silly.
Coming close isn’t the same as “going in a circle” though...