My dumb plan last Sunday morning
Woke up way too early buzzing with energy, wanted action. Scrolled through my phone looking for something wild. Rock climbing spots nearby? Trail running? Saw ads for “easy whitewater rafting”. Thought: “Yeah! Adventure time!”
Grabbed my ancient backpack. Threw in:
- A half-empty water bottle (rookie move)
- My lucky baseball cap
- Phone at 40% battery (double rookie move)
- Zero snacks
Basically prepped like I was walking to the corner store. Total mess.
How reality smacked me
Got to the rental place by the river. Guy behind the counter took one look at my flip-flops and raised an eyebrow. “Kayaking today?” he asked, way too calmly. I nodded all excited. He points at a giant chalkboard full of rules and warnings.
Turns out the “easy” rapids weren’t happening – heavy rain made the river super angry. They weren’t renting kayaks to clueless folks like me that day. Felt my adventure bubble pop big time. But the dude wasn’t done.
“You plan on eating? Hydrating?” He nudged my sad little backpack. “Flip-flops on wet rocks? Good luck holding a paddle.” Man, I felt stupid standing there. His simple questions nailed it: I wanted fun, zero safety.
My totally non-epic reset
Screwed up? Yeah. Gave up? Nope. Marched my embarrassed butt home. Operation Responsible Adventure started.
- Stalked the river company’s info online. Learned they do guided trips ONLY when conditions are GREEN for beginners.
- Dug through my closet. Found actual waterproof shoes! Threw in extra socks. Packed a whole dang picnic: sandwiches, trail mix, giant water jug.
- Got serious. Printed their “What to Bring” list. Actually packed everything: whistle, basic first-aid kit, extra plastic bag for my phone.
- Studied the map they provided. Learned the exit points. Took notes!
It felt kinda boring compared to my first “grab and go” plan. But also… solid.
Finally hitting the water (the right way)
Returned next weekend. Saw the green flag waving. Met the guide – super chill, big beard. He actually checked my gear! Saw my packed lunch and water and nodded. “Good.” Felt like passing a tiny test.
The guide talked safety stuff for ages:
- What happens if we flip? (Answer: Don’t panic, point feet downstream, paddle floats, guide comes)
- Where the calmer “pull-out” spots are
- How to paddle like a team (mostly just follow his calls)
- Whistle signals (one blast = okay? Two blasts = stop? Listened hard)
We practiced wet exits right near the start. Water was COLD. Got dunked deliberately. Wasn’t graceful, but I knew what to do. That felt massive.
Then the rapids! Smaller ones at first. Used the paddling we learned. Got splashed. Laughed like an idiot. Didn’t die! Made a sandwich pit stop later. My pre-packed food was gold. Kept the energy up.
Epic win (without the epic fail)
Biggest surprise? It was way more fun doing it smart. No panicking about my feet sliding or phone drowning. No cranky hunger monster. Just focused on paddling, hitting the rapids (mostly) right, hearing the guide yell “ALL FORWARD!”. Saw a freakin’ eagle fly overhead because I wasn’t busy being terrified!
Got back feeling exhausted and pumped. Sunburned nose? Yeah. But not a single new injury, just sore muscles and a massive grin. Responsible didn’t mean boring. It meant I actually enjoyed it instead of screwing up or getting turned away. Total bullseye. Still thinking about the eagle. Next up? Maybe actual rock climbing… after I find someone who knows what they’re doing!
