Going Down The River Feeling Bad 2021
May 24, 2021 20:06:01 GMT -5
Sneake, hrpufnstuf, and 7 more like this
Post by TOO $ on May 24, 2021 20:06:01 GMT -5
This past weekend was our 3 day 35 mile canoe/camping trip. I was a little bit anxious going in because I had not really used my leg in any type of strenuous outdoor activity. Turned out to be some great physical therapy and a significant milestone in my rehab. The weather was hot and clear with low humidity. Perfect weekend to be on the river except for the water being at below normal levels.
We head down the river and all of those canoeing skills come back like riding a bike. Felt very comfortable, relaxed and confident. Most of this river is class 1 and 2 at this level so other than the endless number of rocks to avoid no real hazard from waves except one spot called The Squeeze. It's called The Squeeze because the river narrows from about 150 feet feet wide to about 50 feet wide and takes a hard left. Same amount of water being squeezed into a narrow passage makes for some nice waves. Sometimes we run The Squeeze without scouting it, sometime we stop and look. As I approached it Friday something felt off and at the last second I turned and decided to scout the waves. We pull over to the beach and see a canoe with no one around. I get out of my boat and approach the boat to see what's up. As I get closer I hear a man calling for help and asking me to bring a rope so that I can help him get up out of the river. Turns out to be an 81 year old man in the rapids in water up to his waist with no PFD on. I turned to Robert and asked him to bring the throw rope. We walk over and start to talk to this fellow and see if he has any other injuries. We were afraid that he may have a broken leg which was going to make this rescue much more difficult. He somehow had gotten out of his boat and had over-exerted himself trying to stand up. Other than that he was uninjured. He told me that he had prayed to God and that God had sent the two of us to him. Maybe. Something put the three of us in the same place at the same time. I don't believe in coincidence. I was afraid that getting him up was putting myself at risk as I'm not as sure-footed as I once was. We sized up the situation and were able to get him standing, get his PFD on and get him seated in his boat. Robert then took him and his boat and walked him down a shallow passage and back into the river and on his way. We got back in our boats and ran The Squeeze. Super fun and no issues. We caught up to our friend and he was gathering his strength and headed for his takeout. Mission accomplished. All I could think of is how that might have turned out had I not decided to change course at the last minute. Fate, or something. Fellow called me over to his boat and said that he wanted me to have something. He said it's not much but it means something to me and I want you to have it. He gave me his fishing pole. On the river there is no greater gift from one man to another than his fishing pole. I gratefully accepted it because I could tell it was important to him.
We head down river to our favorite camping spot, Skipper's Cove. The head of a small island in the river. Suited us perfectly.
Dinner consisted of foil packs of salmon with lemon, mushrooms and butter with a side of rice cooked in the Dutch oven. Yum.
Day 2 is hopefully somewhat less exciting than day 1. Starts out fairly uneventful, some fun rapids, good brews, cover about 12 miles to get to camp for night 2. We round the last corner and I see a debris field in the river where the kids in front of us have capsized their canoe and all of their stuff, including their boat is floating downriver. At this point we are thinking as long as they aren't injured they are on their own. One kid was laying on the beach as I pulled up but he said he was fine. He walks downstream to meet his friend. We set up our tents. Robert goes to check out the kids and see if they have a game plan. They say that they are waiting on some friends behind them to help them gather their stuff. One kid tells Robert that his buddy shit his pants and needs somewhere to change. Robert tells him to take a swim and clean himself up and he'll be fine. Something tells me this kid didn't know how to swim which may have led to his current situation
Steak and baked potato for my dinner Sat. night. Robert opts for fajitas. Album pick of the night is Grateful Dead Two From The Vault. Life. Is. Good.
For breakfast Sunday I prepare eggs benedict. It didn't suck.Will do that agin for sure.
Day 3 is a short 7 mile paddle out. Blood Mary in the morning floating downstream. Warm and sunny, no rain all weekend. We didn't see anybody on the river that morning. Bumped and banged our way through the rocks and make it to the takeout. Brutal load out up the ramp as we probably each have 300 pounds of gear in our boats. Another epic trip in the books. Was a great personal achievement for me as a year ago I wondered if I would ever be able to do this again.
If you made it to the end thanks for reading. I really appreciate it!
We head down the river and all of those canoeing skills come back like riding a bike. Felt very comfortable, relaxed and confident. Most of this river is class 1 and 2 at this level so other than the endless number of rocks to avoid no real hazard from waves except one spot called The Squeeze. It's called The Squeeze because the river narrows from about 150 feet feet wide to about 50 feet wide and takes a hard left. Same amount of water being squeezed into a narrow passage makes for some nice waves. Sometimes we run The Squeeze without scouting it, sometime we stop and look. As I approached it Friday something felt off and at the last second I turned and decided to scout the waves. We pull over to the beach and see a canoe with no one around. I get out of my boat and approach the boat to see what's up. As I get closer I hear a man calling for help and asking me to bring a rope so that I can help him get up out of the river. Turns out to be an 81 year old man in the rapids in water up to his waist with no PFD on. I turned to Robert and asked him to bring the throw rope. We walk over and start to talk to this fellow and see if he has any other injuries. We were afraid that he may have a broken leg which was going to make this rescue much more difficult. He somehow had gotten out of his boat and had over-exerted himself trying to stand up. Other than that he was uninjured. He told me that he had prayed to God and that God had sent the two of us to him. Maybe. Something put the three of us in the same place at the same time. I don't believe in coincidence. I was afraid that getting him up was putting myself at risk as I'm not as sure-footed as I once was. We sized up the situation and were able to get him standing, get his PFD on and get him seated in his boat. Robert then took him and his boat and walked him down a shallow passage and back into the river and on his way. We got back in our boats and ran The Squeeze. Super fun and no issues. We caught up to our friend and he was gathering his strength and headed for his takeout. Mission accomplished. All I could think of is how that might have turned out had I not decided to change course at the last minute. Fate, or something. Fellow called me over to his boat and said that he wanted me to have something. He said it's not much but it means something to me and I want you to have it. He gave me his fishing pole. On the river there is no greater gift from one man to another than his fishing pole. I gratefully accepted it because I could tell it was important to him.
We head down river to our favorite camping spot, Skipper's Cove. The head of a small island in the river. Suited us perfectly.
Dinner consisted of foil packs of salmon with lemon, mushrooms and butter with a side of rice cooked in the Dutch oven. Yum.
Day 2 is hopefully somewhat less exciting than day 1. Starts out fairly uneventful, some fun rapids, good brews, cover about 12 miles to get to camp for night 2. We round the last corner and I see a debris field in the river where the kids in front of us have capsized their canoe and all of their stuff, including their boat is floating downriver. At this point we are thinking as long as they aren't injured they are on their own. One kid was laying on the beach as I pulled up but he said he was fine. He walks downstream to meet his friend. We set up our tents. Robert goes to check out the kids and see if they have a game plan. They say that they are waiting on some friends behind them to help them gather their stuff. One kid tells Robert that his buddy shit his pants and needs somewhere to change. Robert tells him to take a swim and clean himself up and he'll be fine. Something tells me this kid didn't know how to swim which may have led to his current situation
Steak and baked potato for my dinner Sat. night. Robert opts for fajitas. Album pick of the night is Grateful Dead Two From The Vault. Life. Is. Good.
For breakfast Sunday I prepare eggs benedict. It didn't suck.Will do that agin for sure.
Day 3 is a short 7 mile paddle out. Blood Mary in the morning floating downstream. Warm and sunny, no rain all weekend. We didn't see anybody on the river that morning. Bumped and banged our way through the rocks and make it to the takeout. Brutal load out up the ramp as we probably each have 300 pounds of gear in our boats. Another epic trip in the books. Was a great personal achievement for me as a year ago I wondered if I would ever be able to do this again.
If you made it to the end thanks for reading. I really appreciate it!
