Trip down the RIVER OF DEATH aka Near Death Experience

Okay most of you know how I love the outdoors, this trip just confirmed what I have felt for so long "stay home and in the house as much as you can, it is not safe outside"!!!  So, here is the whole story for those of you who haven't heard.  We too a trip down Warm River with our mia maids and laurels fro our ward.  I had some really mixed feelings about this trip, but my Laurel Advisor (who I think is more in touch with the spirit than I am) had me convinced that all would be well.  She said that her brother in law went on this little trip before and that it wasn't over waist deep anywhere.  So, we left the church at about 11 and headed to Ashton to get in the river with our canoes.  I had told one of the moms that there would be an adult in every canoe, but when we got there, the girls assured us that they would be fine.  So, we separated into boats.

Aren't we cute?  This was one of the good things about the day, I got to spend it with Jerika and Ray.  Oh, that is one thing that I forgot to mention.  The night before we left I had a bad dream about going, so I made Ray go with me, since I had no clue what I was doing.  We also had two other priesthood leaders with us.

The calm before getting into he water.  What a bunch of good girls!!

My very own Captain Ron

Right before the "FUN" began.

This is Jerika and her friend Ally, they were in a canoe with Ray and I.

I'm not sure who was in this boat, I think it was all leaders, and they didn't tip over once.

This boat was 3 young women and didn't fare quite as well as the leader boat, their boat got stuck on some rocks and they high centered.  One of the girls fell out of the boat and started to float away with the current.  So, some fisherman off the side of the river waded out to help them and they arrived safely at the end.

This boat was another all young women boat and they didn't have any problems either.  It might have been because they are all pretty outdoorsy and do stuff like this often and they don't weigh very much either, which I think was part of our boat's issues.

Right after we put the boats in the water, I knew it wasn't going to be good, we all spread out really far apart and it really made me nervous.  Then one of the other boats with 2 leaders tipped over.  I took all of the pictures above right before we started to eat our lunches, which another one of the leaders thought would be a good idea.  NOT!!  Every little move we made, the boat would rock really bad, see Jerika hanging on for dear life in the picture.  As a result of the rocking, we were taking on water, once again I mention the weight on the boat.  Now Ray and I are not the smallest people in the world, which I am sure everyone is aware, so I am thinking at this point maybe we should not have gone in the same boat, but here we are.  So, in an effort to get rid of some of the water we are taking on, we row (and by we I mean Ray because I have no freaking clue how to actually use the row I am holding) to the side of the river.  As we get closer to the bank, we hit rocks and tip the boat and in we all go, lunches, camera and all.  We finally get control and get the girls to the bank and then we tip the boat back and attempt to empty some of the extra water.  But, oh wait, it gets so much better!!  We gather up our lunches, and the girls, luckily my camera was around my neck or it would have been lost at sea.  At this point I really start worrying about the girls in the other boats WAY out in front of us.  If we are tipping, they certainly must be having problems also, so Ray and I paddle with a little more effort to try to catch up to the other girls.  Well, on this leisurely jont down the river, we encounter more rocks, at least that is what I think it was.  This time we flipped over and it was one of the scariest things I have EVER experienced.  Ally was under the boat and Jerika was floating away down the river.  Now, keep in mind it was only about waist deep, but the current was really fast.  Ray got Ally out from under the boat and then Ally reached for Jerika and they were both able to get their footing after a few minutes.  I am here the tell you one of the worst things in life is watching your child struggle and you not being able to help them because you don't have your footing either, that is a good lesson I learned that day.  Anyway, Ray got the boat steady, but it was FULL of water, so we all held onto it and walked to the bank.  Now, that may seem like an easy task, but guess again.  Our feet are slipping on the rocks beneath our feet, the current is really fast, the boat weighs about 300 pounds and to top it all off I lost both of my flip flops in the battle and Ally lost one of hers, oh and we lost an oar too.  Therefore making the walk to the bank one of the most painful things I have ever had to do with my very sensitve feet.  I had to dig my bare feet in between the rocks and get my footing before I was able to step.  So, we got to the bank, and we were so lucky!!!!!  There was a house right there off of the river, which I felt was a complete blessing.  Now keep in mind I am still REALLY worried about the girls ahead of us and if they are okay and if they will know when to pull their boats out of the river, etc. etc. etc.  So, I went to the house and knocked on the door, surely if they were home, they would be able to help.  Well, no answer, so yes, I opened the door and yelled hello.  No answer again.  So, I went inside and used the phone, which I don't think they would mind either.  Here they have this huge million dollar house they are not going to mind if I use the phone.  So, I called my mom, isn't that who we are supposed to call for emergencies.  I think I first of all told her that we were all safe, but that I needed help.  Then I asked her if it showed up on her caller id where I was calling from and she said it did.  I told her I needed her to find out where it was and come and get me.  Then I went outside and by this time the last 2 boats had caught up with us.  Brother Hawkes, our "guide" for the trip was trying to get Ray to get back in the canoe.  At this point I had to strongly object!!  I was not getting back in that boat and I knew Jerika was not getting back in either and I knew my mom was on her way.  So, we sent him down the river to try to catch the other girls and we pulled the our canoe up to the road in front of the house.  Jerika and I sat down on the grass and Ray walked out to the main road to wait for my parents.  At this point I am REALLY freaking out about the other girls.  We had been sitting for maybe 10 minutes when my parents showed up (I don't know what I would do without those people, they are always saving the day!!) and they drove us to the end of the river where the girls were supposed to take their boats out.  Well, none of them had made it yet, so when they did get there, Ray was there to help them get their canoes out of the water. 

I know this is a really long story, but there is still more.  In order to get directions to the house, my mom called the Fremont County Sheriff's office and told them what was going on.  Well, the sent an officer up to check on us to make sure the girls were okay and that all was well.  The police officer said that he had called the owners of the house to tell them what happened and they were not happy, but luckily we know the people at the police department including this officer and he was able to smooth it over for us.  I was not charged with breaking and entering, thank goodness.  That house was beautiful though, I could see why they would be angry.

So, in the end we were all safe.  Two of the boats with just girls didn't tip nor did they have any issues at all.  I wasn't sure though how the bishop would feel about my breaking and entering, okay it was just entering, the door was unlocked.  I still don't know how the bishop feels, because he has been out of town for a month, and maybe that is a good thing.  I really do believe that we were watched over that day by a loving Heavenly Father.  I have since talked to several people who are experienced at canoeing and they said they would have never put canoes in that water where we did.  So, I guess we live and learn and we thank our Heavenly Father for his hand in all things.

It is really late and I am not proofing this, so if there are errors, I am very sorry!!  Thanks for letting me share and I guess if you don't care, you don't have to read.  Peace OUT!