Chapter 1
It was an early Sunday morning. The rising sun fought thru a hint of cold left behind by a night of unrest. None knew what lie ahead, but the possibilty for disaster was manifest... ha I'm just kidding around...
So we went to this white water rafting place out in Jim Thorpe. None of us had ever been so, needless to say, we were grossly ill-prepared. Dad brought a wetsuit he borrowed from his neighbor and then proceeded to put it on in the parking lot, backwards.
We grabbed our sack lunches & tussled onto the main grounds of what seemed to be a relatively large event. How haughty of us to think we'd have the whole river to ourselves. Nonetheless we wandered about, more disoriented by these alien surroundings and not really knowing what to do first or where to go. We saw others heading towards a far-back corner building and re-emerging looking dressed for underwater battle, so like monkeys, we followed. Now, I had never worn a wetsuit before and think I'm the better for it. It is not the most pleasant thing to scrape over your body, but it did keep me warm so... I can't complain.
Once the bathroom mêlée with my new rubber skin finally came to an end I headed out amongst a sea of wetsuited & life-jacketed strangers. This is like that dream where you go to school naked. Just artless. I found my family, who was equally destitute and we made the most of it buy posing for a group photo.
Mom & Fran opted out for the trip down the river so they were staying warm & snuggly by the fire.
After a brief yet excrutiating "class" on how to not die on the rapids we clogged up the seats of a school bus never meant for an ass not belonging to a 6 year old and headed off into the woods. Upon arrival there was a short hike even deeper into the wood where we clearly became disoriented.
And then we saw it. There, amongst the changing leaves and the bright blue sky, nature at the height of its most resplendent season, was a giant metal conveyer belt dumping rafts off the edge of a cliff. Nice.
We had to carry our boat down a hill, into the river, under a bridge, thru the woods, down another hill, and finally into the river on the other side. It was a dry run for our teamwork skills, and we failed miserably. Tyler & Melissa wouldn't even get in the water. I'm not sure they fully understood what the rest of the day was going to be like. They spend to much time on Disney water rides.
Once the raft had cast off we felt a new sense of confidence which was shortlived. A professional photographer is there to capture this moment, probably the only chance he gets to get a shot of everyone in the boat. Here is that picture. A boat full of fools.
Now, rafting is not as easy as it looks, and it looks pretty hard. I'd say the hardest obstacle to over come would be the amount of teamwork you need. The guides suggested we elect a captain to navigate the choppy waters. We thought we'd be fine without one. We were wrong.
The first few rapids we overcame with relative ease, but as we approached our first class III you could cut the tension with a knife. Time to take it up a notch, whether you're ready or not, you're going. And go we did. Right overboard and into the water. Not all of us. Only Dad & Dani. It was a slightly horrifying moment, Dani squished between and rock and a hard place (literally) and Dad floating downstream on his back, and fast. You see these things happen in movies but there's usually a humungous waterfall or a bear involved. Not the case here. So after a momentary panic attack and then utilizing the life-saving skills we acquired at "Don't Die Rafting Class" we managed to keep all souls alive and can now say we were involved in a white water rafting incident. A story to tell the grandchildren, if anything.
Here's us in the calm.
And in the sun.
Most of the day went by with out much happenstance. Oh! Except when we were called upon by a rogue kayaker to rescue a young girl whose raft had smashed on the rocks and sent the rest of her family floating down the river. No joke. And us, fresh off our recent rescue attempts, dove in head first. I mean, we didn't get in the water, you know what I mean. But this is how we met Ryan. A nice young lady, well versed and I believe a southerner who just moved up north with her family, who may or may not now be at the bottom of the river. She didn't seem too worried however. Could be shock, or maybe this whole trip was just a ruse to try and knock off her parents and collect the insurance money. We'll never know.
We caught up to the rest of the group, found Ryan's parents and we ready for some lunch. Another rapid or two and it would be time. We had already been out for 3 hours and were barely half way. So we rowed like the Dickens and hit the clearing where we deboarded, peed in the woods, and ate sandwiches on a rock.
The second half of the trip went much faster as promised. All class III rapids and long sessions without stopping. This is where we really shined. We were bobbing and weaving, rock-dodging, and save for one little triple-rock blunder towards the end, had an unblemished record.
It ended up being a beautiful day and the perfect time to appreciate the fall landscape. Down in the Gorge, vintage trains passing by, our view could not have been better. White water rafting is fun and I would do it again. But first I need to be custom fitted for my very own wetsuit.
*for full photo coverage click any photo to go to the online album
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