Its not everyday that you have a story to tell. Today I do. So you can grab your pop-corn, but I do not guarantee that my story-telling is par-excellence.
Yesterday I went white-water rafting for the second time. I had been there last summer from Amazon, as part of an intern trip. This time Raja's team-mate organized it and I said yes. Unremarkably, I had been scared the last time. This time I was pretty calm and infact played the role of trying to pacify others who were scared. All in all, I was a little indifferent, a little complacent and I guess I did have an attitude of "I have done this before and nothing will happen".
Well for those of you who have not come across white water rafting, its an adventure sport where you navigate the rapids of a river on a kayak or raft. A kayak is a one person small canoe kind of boat but covered. A raft holds upto 8 people and hence seems more stable and you have company. :) A rapid is where the river is flowing across through rocks and creating waterfalls and swift currents. The fun or adrenalin rush is in navigating the rapids over those currents. There are upto 6 classes of rapids classified by the range of their difficulty, with class 6 being the kind only crazy people will attempt. (Like plunging down the Niagara Falls.) Class 5-4 are navigable by sane people, but include entrapments and hazards like strainers and sweepers. I have forgotten which is which but I will attempt to describe them both. One is something like a fallen tree trunk. The water current rushes against it at a high rate and pins you to it, incase you happen to be floating by :). As a result you have no escape and you may die because of it. The best way to overcome it is by using the force of the water to propel yourself over the obstacle or get on top of it. The second kind is a rock with a hole beneath it. As a result the water is gushing through it at high force. So even though you cannot see anything on the surface, is you happen to be again floating by, it might happen that you get trapped in that hole underneath the surface with no escape. Other kinds of danger might involve you getting hit or hurled against rocks or hitting the rocky bed of the river or even getting your foot wedged in the rock bottom. All these ofcourse are in the extremely unlikely situation that you happen to be in the river.
When we started out, there were 5 of us from my company, one guy Robert who was interning at the white water rafting centre - Skykomish White water rafting (I guess is what it is called), and Patrick , our guide. No sooner had we started off, than I lost my balance a bit, but thankfully the guys on the opposite side caught hold of my shoe and pulled me in. Unfortunately, Kelvin who was sitting at the helm, in front of me on the right, lost his balance and fell into the river. But he only ended up being a bit cold, because the rescuers on the kayaks had soon got hold of him and got him back to the raft. And we were in the relatively smoother part of the river still.
Most of Skykomish river has Class 2-3 rapids. The most exciting one is called Boulder Drop which is a class 4-5 depending on the water level. It has some hair pin bends, some pretty strong currents and some pretty nasty rocks jutting out. We navigated a few of the Class2-3 s before we came to the actual Boulder drop itself. There we had to get out and scout the rapid first from an overlook point, to see if we would like to go through it. It was series of cascading falls over rocks with the first one being about 4 feet and had gigantic rocks peering out from everywhere. We ofcourse did not ever think of not doing it and hurried back.
Once in the raft, and back on the river, just as we were approaching the entrance of the drop, Robert found that his helmet was unclasped and stopped paddling to attach it. As a result, the left side lost man-power and because of this instead of swerving to the left as it was supposed to, our raft went and hit a rock jutting out on the right. What happened after that is still vivid in my mind. I lost balance and got swept clean off the boat and into the water. I lost my oar as soon as I landed in water. I fell head down , and when I re-surfaced I saw the raft about more than few feet away from me. I did not comprehend it then that they could not have saved me in that position. The current was too strong and they had to save themselves and navigate the rapid. I only knew that I felt lost at seeing them float away...... ofcourse that was not for long. The water soon surged over my head, and I went under gulping mouthfuls. My life-vest kept bringing me up to the surface if only for a few seconds. But the current was now pulling me downstream the rapid. All the while, I only tried to follow the instructions the rafters give before the ride. I was trying to keep my feet up in front of me to avoid hitting any rocks with my knees and legs and also to fend off any obstacles like rocks, coming up in front.
The instructions had seemed easy at the time they were said. Believe me, when you are in a rapid, its an all-together different ball game. I did not have any control over where what part of my body was. Sometimes I was pushed upright to a standing position, sometimes I was plunged under water, sometimes I was just turned around and faced upstream which is a bad position to be in because you cannot see what you are going to hit downstream. The worst part was when the waves would crash in over my head, drowning me, because when you are under water you just don't know what you will be hurled against ....... if its a rock coming up against you ...... and the only fear running through my head was of getting wedged. I did get hurled against rocks, but they were smooth and I slipped past them with the current. I was even swept over some of them and squashed against and around others. One time, when I happened to be facing upstream, I caught sight of the guy who was sitting behind me on the raft also in the river, hanging on to his oar. It seems funny now, but I know that I thought then how well he was managing. Ofcourse, it was only much later that we both admitted to each other how petrified we were.
Well rescue seemed nowhere, and the rapid seemed never-ending. I kept at it for however much longer I could, but it was getting awfully difficult to breathe, the water kept rushing over me, and inspite of instructions to breathe only in troughs and not on the crests of waves, I could not manage any gulps of air at all. And I was starting to feel suffocated. On top of that, the water was chilling. And I was scared, and numb by then. My energy had started to give way on me and thats when I finally thought I was not going to make it....... not out of fear. Just because I did not have any energy left to ward off anything or try anything else. Yet I was surprised at how clearly my brain had functioned till then. I could remember it almost dictating every instruction to me. And I cannot imagine something so capable in the middle of that crisis.... if I may call it so. It was only then, with failing strength and almost on the verge of dismissing a rescue and life, that the rescue kayaker appeared and asked me to hold on to the end. By then I was simply whimpering, I did not have any energy left to emit a scream and I think I was sure I was going to die. And somehow nothing more than that would come out of my throat. I can still remember it, a low moan of fear and acknowledgement I guess. When the rafter told me that if you have any energy left....... try to stand on the bank, I just couldn't feel my legs under me. But it was only then that I knew I was safe. When he saw I couldn't stand, and I am sure he heard me whimpering all along, he took me a little further ashore and asked me to wait there for the raft.
My raft appeared a little later and got me on-board. By then I was smiling at their pacifications (cannot think of a better word) and their repeated talk of me having swum well. All I knew was I was alive and the ordeal I thought would not end, had ended. We picked up the other guy who had also been rescued and we wee both commended on keeping calm and making sch a great swim across the Boulder Drop rapid. Thank god, they did that and made it seem like no big deal. Otherwise I probably would have cried there.
After that we made it through a lot more rapids, we also stood up on one of them. All of them were class 2-3s. None as scary, none as eventful . I was very cold by then and was shivering and I just wanted it to end. I did not have the strength to row anymore but I did. A little later it was over. We, Han and I, were quite the topics of discussion. We even got t-shirts saying that we had survived the Boulder Drop.
What can I say..... that I am thankful I am alive....... that everytime I took a step today or did anything, I knew I might not have been taking it. ........ that everyone I met I re-assessed myself, thinking out loud about how they did not know what I had been through just moments back......
and all the time all I could ask myself was - "why me" !! I know these things happen, but there were only two people in the entire team of 50 who fell out and one of them was me. And more than anything, shock , fear or any other emotion, that is probably what hurts me most and maybe it is stupid, but I feel let down. The fact that I am alive pales sometimes in significance. And yet I know thats not how it is. But I wish I could make myself understand.
Since yesterday, my tears seem to be stuck, there is this huge barge which seems stuck at my throat. There were tears streaming down my eyes as I was writing but that huge barge does not seem to be breaking. My mom says I am in shock. Probably, maybe. And yet when I think about it, it does not seem a big deal. I will cry probably, over the next sentimental love story or movie that I watch :).
So that was my story. What did you think !!
Yesterday I went white-water rafting for the second time. I had been there last summer from Amazon, as part of an intern trip. This time Raja's team-mate organized it and I said yes. Unremarkably, I had been scared the last time. This time I was pretty calm and infact played the role of trying to pacify others who were scared. All in all, I was a little indifferent, a little complacent and I guess I did have an attitude of "I have done this before and nothing will happen".
Well for those of you who have not come across white water rafting, its an adventure sport where you navigate the rapids of a river on a kayak or raft. A kayak is a one person small canoe kind of boat but covered. A raft holds upto 8 people and hence seems more stable and you have company. :) A rapid is where the river is flowing across through rocks and creating waterfalls and swift currents. The fun or adrenalin rush is in navigating the rapids over those currents. There are upto 6 classes of rapids classified by the range of their difficulty, with class 6 being the kind only crazy people will attempt. (Like plunging down the Niagara Falls.) Class 5-4 are navigable by sane people, but include entrapments and hazards like strainers and sweepers. I have forgotten which is which but I will attempt to describe them both. One is something like a fallen tree trunk. The water current rushes against it at a high rate and pins you to it, incase you happen to be floating by :). As a result you have no escape and you may die because of it. The best way to overcome it is by using the force of the water to propel yourself over the obstacle or get on top of it. The second kind is a rock with a hole beneath it. As a result the water is gushing through it at high force. So even though you cannot see anything on the surface, is you happen to be again floating by, it might happen that you get trapped in that hole underneath the surface with no escape. Other kinds of danger might involve you getting hit or hurled against rocks or hitting the rocky bed of the river or even getting your foot wedged in the rock bottom. All these ofcourse are in the extremely unlikely situation that you happen to be in the river.
When we started out, there were 5 of us from my company, one guy Robert who was interning at the white water rafting centre - Skykomish White water rafting (I guess is what it is called), and Patrick , our guide. No sooner had we started off, than I lost my balance a bit, but thankfully the guys on the opposite side caught hold of my shoe and pulled me in. Unfortunately, Kelvin who was sitting at the helm, in front of me on the right, lost his balance and fell into the river. But he only ended up being a bit cold, because the rescuers on the kayaks had soon got hold of him and got him back to the raft. And we were in the relatively smoother part of the river still.
Most of Skykomish river has Class 2-3 rapids. The most exciting one is called Boulder Drop which is a class 4-5 depending on the water level. It has some hair pin bends, some pretty strong currents and some pretty nasty rocks jutting out. We navigated a few of the Class2-3 s before we came to the actual Boulder drop itself. There we had to get out and scout the rapid first from an overlook point, to see if we would like to go through it. It was series of cascading falls over rocks with the first one being about 4 feet and had gigantic rocks peering out from everywhere. We ofcourse did not ever think of not doing it and hurried back.
Once in the raft, and back on the river, just as we were approaching the entrance of the drop, Robert found that his helmet was unclasped and stopped paddling to attach it. As a result, the left side lost man-power and because of this instead of swerving to the left as it was supposed to, our raft went and hit a rock jutting out on the right. What happened after that is still vivid in my mind. I lost balance and got swept clean off the boat and into the water. I lost my oar as soon as I landed in water. I fell head down , and when I re-surfaced I saw the raft about more than few feet away from me. I did not comprehend it then that they could not have saved me in that position. The current was too strong and they had to save themselves and navigate the rapid. I only knew that I felt lost at seeing them float away...... ofcourse that was not for long. The water soon surged over my head, and I went under gulping mouthfuls. My life-vest kept bringing me up to the surface if only for a few seconds. But the current was now pulling me downstream the rapid. All the while, I only tried to follow the instructions the rafters give before the ride. I was trying to keep my feet up in front of me to avoid hitting any rocks with my knees and legs and also to fend off any obstacles like rocks, coming up in front.
The instructions had seemed easy at the time they were said. Believe me, when you are in a rapid, its an all-together different ball game. I did not have any control over where what part of my body was. Sometimes I was pushed upright to a standing position, sometimes I was plunged under water, sometimes I was just turned around and faced upstream which is a bad position to be in because you cannot see what you are going to hit downstream. The worst part was when the waves would crash in over my head, drowning me, because when you are under water you just don't know what you will be hurled against ....... if its a rock coming up against you ...... and the only fear running through my head was of getting wedged. I did get hurled against rocks, but they were smooth and I slipped past them with the current. I was even swept over some of them and squashed against and around others. One time, when I happened to be facing upstream, I caught sight of the guy who was sitting behind me on the raft also in the river, hanging on to his oar. It seems funny now, but I know that I thought then how well he was managing. Ofcourse, it was only much later that we both admitted to each other how petrified we were.
Well rescue seemed nowhere, and the rapid seemed never-ending. I kept at it for however much longer I could, but it was getting awfully difficult to breathe, the water kept rushing over me, and inspite of instructions to breathe only in troughs and not on the crests of waves, I could not manage any gulps of air at all. And I was starting to feel suffocated. On top of that, the water was chilling. And I was scared, and numb by then. My energy had started to give way on me and thats when I finally thought I was not going to make it....... not out of fear. Just because I did not have any energy left to ward off anything or try anything else. Yet I was surprised at how clearly my brain had functioned till then. I could remember it almost dictating every instruction to me. And I cannot imagine something so capable in the middle of that crisis.... if I may call it so. It was only then, with failing strength and almost on the verge of dismissing a rescue and life, that the rescue kayaker appeared and asked me to hold on to the end. By then I was simply whimpering, I did not have any energy left to emit a scream and I think I was sure I was going to die. And somehow nothing more than that would come out of my throat. I can still remember it, a low moan of fear and acknowledgement I guess. When the rafter told me that if you have any energy left....... try to stand on the bank, I just couldn't feel my legs under me. But it was only then that I knew I was safe. When he saw I couldn't stand, and I am sure he heard me whimpering all along, he took me a little further ashore and asked me to wait there for the raft.
My raft appeared a little later and got me on-board. By then I was smiling at their pacifications (cannot think of a better word) and their repeated talk of me having swum well. All I knew was I was alive and the ordeal I thought would not end, had ended. We picked up the other guy who had also been rescued and we wee both commended on keeping calm and making sch a great swim across the Boulder Drop rapid. Thank god, they did that and made it seem like no big deal. Otherwise I probably would have cried there.
After that we made it through a lot more rapids, we also stood up on one of them. All of them were class 2-3s. None as scary, none as eventful . I was very cold by then and was shivering and I just wanted it to end. I did not have the strength to row anymore but I did. A little later it was over. We, Han and I, were quite the topics of discussion. We even got t-shirts saying that we had survived the Boulder Drop.
What can I say..... that I am thankful I am alive....... that everytime I took a step today or did anything, I knew I might not have been taking it. ........ that everyone I met I re-assessed myself, thinking out loud about how they did not know what I had been through just moments back......
and all the time all I could ask myself was - "why me" !! I know these things happen, but there were only two people in the entire team of 50 who fell out and one of them was me. And more than anything, shock , fear or any other emotion, that is probably what hurts me most and maybe it is stupid, but I feel let down. The fact that I am alive pales sometimes in significance. And yet I know thats not how it is. But I wish I could make myself understand.
Since yesterday, my tears seem to be stuck, there is this huge barge which seems stuck at my throat. There were tears streaming down my eyes as I was writing but that huge barge does not seem to be breaking. My mom says I am in shock. Probably, maybe. And yet when I think about it, it does not seem a big deal. I will cry probably, over the next sentimental love story or movie that I watch :).
So that was my story. What did you think !!
6 comments:
Interesting description for a kayak..'canoe closed on the top' :)
People generally use terms like 'kayaks' and 'open boats' (implying canoe).
Raja
you are a brave girl didi....
shriram
I can only imagine myself crying, had I faced such an ordeal.. but you managed to stay calm & composed.. and to think I was scared at six flags :)
Keep up the good work! Wish I were half as brave as you!
I also tag you. (Rules on my blog).
that was 'wow'.. immense envy comes, as always ;) have fun!
That sounds like one hell of an experience (scary!). Sorry about the shock it caused you but happy that you made it through with courage. I am sure it has left you stronger than before to face more adventures :). And perhaps you were the chosen one by nature (God) for the same -- a good way to think about an answer for your question. Take care!!
this is awesome adventure!
reminds me of the giant wheel at Ramoji Filmcity, when I had a sneaky feeling that you had gone numb when we all were upside-down ;-D
Oh you did prove that your head was still working, by saying "i am fine, i am fine (oh heck, when will the world look right-side-up again)" words :-P
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