Kayak Extravaganza- Part II

Right, so we're trapped in the middle of a river with lightning ever-approaching. What should we do but keep going?

My efforts to have Chris escape the same swift current that Erin and I faced were successful, as he steered clear of the trees in which we were caught; however, he was unable to stop himself and kept moving downstream without us and with my paddle. At some point he was able to pull up on a bank, and waited for what he remembers as nearly an hour.

In the meantime, Erin and I tried to figure how to get back into the kayaks while still in the water. It was literally impossible for us to wade to the opposite bank without being swept away, so we painfully managed to balance ourselves against each other and both made it in. Since I had no paddle, I was at the mercies of Erin's steering capabilities and held on to the front of her kayak while facing backwards to maintain our balance. I'm sure there was an easier way to do this.

We caught up to Chris in about 1/4 mile and were all able to portage at a low bank. The damage was assessed, which turned out to be just a few soggy snacks and some lost water bottles.

We headed back out, and the river was basically quick-water from then on, with the exception of one more set of rapids. First, Chris- fine. Then, Erin- fine. Finally, Steph- capsized. This time I took on the rapids feeling confident, but obviously too confident. I don't even know how I turned over, but I was able to dump the water out of my kayak and get back in with only a few minor cuts and scrapes.

The rest of the trip was easy, and we even spotted a few of what we thought were Great Blue Herons before it ended. Pretty Amazing.

+ Photo by tsiya