Filed under: Seattle, Uncategorized | Tags: guide stick, helical flow, laminar flow, rafting, rockport pub, Skagit, Skagit river, training, white water guide, White water rafting
“What the heck are you doing?” Asked Kenney coolly as we headed toward the rapids. Apparently, he didn’t like my choice of direction. “What the heck are you doing, man?” He started gesturing to the left, “turn, TURN, THAT WAY!”
His arm jabbed the air viciously to river right, and as water smashed over the bow and the crew paddled ahead. I had decided, apparently, to make an example of myself by doing everything in this instant wrong. In the panic I did not realize that I was actually pulling in the opposite direction that I wanted to go; I’d moved from my post to the back of the raft up the side and tried–as panicked guides do–to muscle the 1400lb boat myself, and finally, as the raft began to spin wildly our of control, I froze, unable to decide what to do. Which is why we went over the rapid backward.
Written Inaction 