Rapid Thinking

Muscles straining and completely drenched in water, two words trigger a change in my actions, “GET DOWN!” In an instant I find myself huddled in the fetal position on the bottom of an inflatable enclosure side-by-side my co-leader, Leonardo, as we plunge into what seems like an impenetrable wall of water. A deluge of raging water crashes down over us and one moment later we emerge unscathed on the other side with another command ringing through the crisp mountain air, “UP! FORWARD!” Pulling myself back up with oar in hand, I take to the strenuous task of raking the river with my flat paddle.

This is one of many such experiences that greeted me on the Rio Pacuare on Sunday. Take away the sites and sounds of the city, place 6 individuals in an inflatable raft and push them down a river with class 4 rapids and you can be assured that the individuals involved will be forever changed for the better. Now that might be a mild exaggeration, but it certainly does serve as an amazing team-building exercise. One instant everything may be floating along splendidly, but with a slight jolt a fellow team member may have disappeared over the side of the raft and though you scramble to help him, the raft has gone into a flooding death spin and you must thrust your body wait every which way to escape the depths of disaster yourself . . .

Such events (perhaps not exactly in that detail) are sure to arise in the midst of it all, but such foolish trickery by Mother Earth stands no chance when up against the determined spirit of a team seeking to rescue their cherished co-captain. Heheheh, so yes, with adrenaline pumping through our veins we propelled the raft out of the sinkhole and over to Leonardo. The reasoning for his mysterious abandonment of his post beside me is still under investigation. Some claim that our recent rescue of another rafts team member only moments prior to the incident caused mental disruption in our dear Leonardo, which then manifested itself in a physical specter to cast him overboard. The jury is still out. No matter though, for I was able to hoist him back into the raft with my big strong arms and away we went.

Add these moments of shear excitement to the breathtaking scenery and companionship of 5 new friends with which you have momentarily entrusted your life to and one can perceive how empowering the whole adventure can be. It’s places like the Rio Pacuare & activities like white-water rafting that truly make me feel alive.