Whitewater Fever
My kayak drove up onto Danny’s kayak then twisted in a corkscrew motion so that it was now completely upside-down. The front of the kayak was out of the water and wedged between Danny’s kayak and some rocks and somehow, I had managed to get my head out of the water. My body was still in the kayak, held fast by my spray-skirt, and I was twisted sideways with my head resting on a flat rock. Most of my body was under water but at least I could breathe. The whitewater was crashing all around me with tremendous force, but I was stuck. Both of my arms were pinned under the kayak. Danny looked helplessly down at me. “What should I do?” he asked. I looked up at him and said, “Danny this bad. This is very bad.”
Kayaking is one of the fastest growing sports in America and it’s no wonder. Kayaking is a great sport. You can get some much needed exercise while taking in the best that nature has to offer. The gear you need to get started doesn’t cost much and after that, your only cost is gas to get where you are paddling. But kayaking is also a dangerous sport. You are taking your body into an environment that is potentially fatal. All it takes is one wrong move, or more likely, one stupid move and you’re in deep trouble.
When I started kayaking, there weren’t many outfitters or clubs, so most of my early trips were haphazard at best. I learned the hard way, but it is my hope that by reading about some of my bone-head adventures, you might learn a little and spare yourself the danger or at least the embarrassment that I’ve experienced. If nothing else, you might get a chuckle at my expense.
So what happened to Danny and me? Check back for the next post to find out.
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