While there is certainly a preferred line to run through the falls, no matter what happens, your boat will end up on the other side of the drop. Gravity just works like that. However, if you want to keep your guests in the boat, it is imperative that no matter which side of the river you are on, you square up to the drop and run it straight. Run it sideways and you are guaranteed to dump a guest or six.
Going into the first drop (Top Hole), the raft was precariously angled. I reached out of the boat and did a big draw stroke. The raft swung around and straightened out, but unfortunately I wasn't with it. Instead, my massive stroke swung me right out of the raft.
My mind went into shock. The water in the Nantahala runs at a constant fifty-two degrees. It felt frigid. All I could see was whitewater. I vaguely recalled the whitewater swimmer's position, but when I went to tuck my feet in, I noticed a minor detail. My right foot was still jammed inside the raft. Every other limb, from my head to my left toes were swimming, but that right foot wasn't going anywhere. I still had my paddle, swirling in the water above my head. I don't know how, but I seized upon all my core strength and performed an epic sit-up, back into the boat.
We hit Bottom Hole just fine. Everyone stayed in the boat.
Once the trip was over, the paddles were put away and the gear was rinsed and ready to be hung up, I walked my guests over the photo hut to see pictures of our run. The first few were unremarkable, as were the last couple. Sure, there was big water, paddles in the air, and the shocked and surprised facial expressions of the guests. But there was also a guide sitting calmly in the back all the while. How boring. Only two photos showed how exciting the falls run had actually been for me.
The first was a side-view of the raft. Instead of my profile in the back of the raft, the picture shows a strip of black (my right leg) standing out against the yellow raft and a few inches of my dirty blonde hair dangerously close to a large rock.
The second photo in the series is another side-view. In this one, I am mid sit-up, rising into the raft like a phoenix from the ashes, paddle in hand. In fact, it looks like I'm about to clock the guest in front of me with the paddle, but in reality I missed her. Thank goodness.
Most of the guests had no idea what had happened until they saw the photos. They were quite impressed, as were the other guides and staff members. I sacrificed myself for my guests, and then I saved myself. I was a hero, well on my way to legend.
Unfortunately, that one epic save overinflated my ego. I pulled myself out of Top Hole, I could pull myself out of anything! Or so I thought, until my self-confidence all came crashing down at Delebar today.
My boat was heavier than ever before, with six adults. Admittedly, I was having some trouble with boat control. Still, Delebar isn't a particularly large rapid. There's a drop and a little S-curve, but nothing too dramatic. Well, it's nothing too dramatic when the bow of the boat has two ten-year-olds. It's a much different experience with average American adults. We snagged a rock for a spin, but it was much more powerful than those I had done before. I was caught unprepared and slid right out of the boat. I let go of my paddle and grabbed the boat. My guests had no clue that I was missing. I hauled myself in, with their eventual assistance.
I was, and remain, hugely embarrassed. I knew that an unintentional out-of-boat experience was going to happen eventually, but I wish there was a better story than me suffering from my own arrogance.
To make matters worse, I also lost my river knife. My PFD had a special knife tab, but it was made of plastic. It broke when I hauled myself back into the raft. The company has a repair center in Asheville, so next week I'll send the PFD down to be fixed. Unfortunately, my knife could not be recovered, and since it's required river gear I had to shell out for another one. Yikes. The kicker is that I knew I should put a rope on it, just in case the plastic tab shattered. I even went to the Outfitter's Store for rope last week, but they were out. Today, of course, they had it in stock. Just a tad too late for me.
In any case, lesson learned. Ego reigned in. Wallet lightened.
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