Whitewater river run

On the second day of the course, we went out to the Cheakamus river and left one car at the pull-out, one in the middle and one at the put-in. Then we got our kit on, dragged the boats down to a gravel bar and got in.

The river was the lovely creamy green colour that's common in the area and it was bigger and faster than the one we'd practiced on the day before. We went across to the other side and back a few times, practicing the all important skills. If you don't tilt the boat when you cross the river, it pushes you under.

After going back and forth a bit, we headed downstream a bit and stopped in another eddy then went back and forth a bit more. Every time I went out into the flow of the river, my heart starts pumping faster, I'm concentrating on the angle of the boat, the tilt, my paddle strokes, and trying to look at where I'm going. There's so much to remember! But with every crossing, it feels more natural. 

Once we start making more progress, the river run starts getting to be fun. We leave an eddy, get into the flow, steer ourselves with the flow until we catch the next eddy to come to a stop again. The ripples are turning into small waves in places and there are rocks to avoid (or bump over - keep those hips loose!) and you have to aim for a safe part of the river all the time. Don't get trapped under deadwood or stuck up against a rock!

It's such a good feeling going down river over the rapids, sloshing through waves that splash over the hull and in your face, woohoo! And getting good at coming into an eddy lets you slide in like a skier coming to a stop.

We stopped for lunch, hungrily gobbled down our food and got back in. We were feeling a bit tired and a few people flipped over on the first set of rapids. I got stuck on a rock and pulled the safety maneuver that we'd just been taught to get myself off without tipping, phew! 

By the time we got to the end, we'd done 10km of the river, my arms and shoulders were tired and I felt exhausted! But I was relatively dry, having not capsized all day! We changed into dry clothes, packed up the kit and I got a ride home with Emily again.

That evening, Sally and I had dinner and her friend Nick came over and I managed to stay mostly awake until bedtime.