Cody, Nate, Johnny, Sam, Ty, AJ, Toby, Marissa, Beth, Gene, Carson, Vano, Sharifa, Megs, Steph, Ali, Jessica, Kels, Abby, Carl and me! (pretty sure it's Patrick playing in the background)I was finally able to get my hands on a few pictures(thanks, Ali!) of our River Rukus 2008 weekend to share. So here’s the story…as brief as I can make it.
It rained Friday night while we were setting up camp and things looked bleak for our trip down the river the next day. Fortunately, we woke to beautiful sunshine. I took advantage of it and went for an early morning run before anyone else stirred. (niiiiice)
On the (very, very, very cold) river, we were briefed on what to do if we decided to take an involuntary dip at any time. I’ll admit, I was a little cocky as we had no problems last year. Rapid #1 was called Rock n’ Roll. According to our guide, Cody, it is ¼ mile long set of rapids. We hit the first set right on. The front of the raft shot straight up and the back three (Gene, Cody and myself) tumbled out the backside. Gene somehow ended up in front of the raft and Cody stayed close behind; both being pulled back in within seconds (from what I’m told). I decided to navigate the remainder of the rapids along with my paddle (good girl) a good 50 or so yards from the raft. My thoughts went from “oh sh*t when am I coming up for air” to “I’ll be ok, just stay calm, Pat (our kayaker) will come get me” to “WHERE THE HELL IS PAT!!?!” Eventually Pat arrived and pulled me and my paddle back to the raft. It wasn’t until I was yanked back in the boat that I realized, I’M FRIGGIN’ FREEZING!! I don’t think I was in the water longer than 2 minutes but it felt like an eternity!
It rained Friday night while we were setting up camp and things looked bleak for our trip down the river the next day. Fortunately, we woke to beautiful sunshine. I took advantage of it and went for an early morning run before anyone else stirred. (niiiiice)
On the (very, very, very cold) river, we were briefed on what to do if we decided to take an involuntary dip at any time. I’ll admit, I was a little cocky as we had no problems last year. Rapid #1 was called Rock n’ Roll. According to our guide, Cody, it is ¼ mile long set of rapids. We hit the first set right on. The front of the raft shot straight up and the back three (Gene, Cody and myself) tumbled out the backside. Gene somehow ended up in front of the raft and Cody stayed close behind; both being pulled back in within seconds (from what I’m told). I decided to navigate the remainder of the rapids along with my paddle (good girl) a good 50 or so yards from the raft. My thoughts went from “oh sh*t when am I coming up for air” to “I’ll be ok, just stay calm, Pat (our kayaker) will come get me” to “WHERE THE HELL IS PAT!!?!” Eventually Pat arrived and pulled me and my paddle back to the raft. It wasn’t until I was yanked back in the boat that I realized, I’M FRIGGIN’ FREEZING!! I don’t think I was in the water longer than 2 minutes but it felt like an eternity!
This is me, before the plunge
The trio that swam...
Patrick, the savior!
We navigated the rest of the river with no problems and had a great time. The only injury I suffered was a dislocated big toenail…which I found out ductape works well for stopping the bleeding in a wet environment. I lost one of my Buffs and my “fast” sunglasses but gained a new respect for the river.
We ended the day playing volleyball in the park before heading to camp. Weather rolled in and the rain began just before dark. Again, we thought things looked bleak for the next day’s trip but were pleasantly surprised when the sun was out to greet us in the morning.
During this day’s trip (which I opted out due to too many people this go-around) there was a full boat that overturned on the same rapids as the day before. Funny thing is, if I had gone, I was told I most likely would have been on that boat. No-thank-you!
Like the night before, we ended the day with volleyball and a campfire…and a very tired bunch.
Before heading home, we squeezed in a hike up Icicle Creek and through a long, dark and damp tunnel. There was mold growing off of what looked like some creatures’ poo and I aided in scaring two friends when my headlamp spotted a white rat-looking creature scaling the walls. Good times…
Can't wait for next year!
2 comments:
Great pics! Looks like you guys had a blast! So much fun... glad you made it out of the water safely!
Sounds like a GREAT trip! You have such a great smile in all of the pictures :)I can't wait to hang out with you this weekend :) That will be another great trip for sure!
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