Amazon Extreme by Colin Angus

Author:Colin Angus
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Published: 2009-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

Day 30: October 12, 1999

It was a delight following the Instinct boats, but not without its moments—the worst when we got trapped in a hole. The current spun the raft sideways and threatened to push us back under the cascade.

“High side!” Scott screamed.

I jumped across the boat onto the high side. The idea was to keep all the human weight on one side to try to counteract the flipping force of the water. Tons of water pushed down on the opposite side of the boat, forcing it down. It reared up to almost 90 degrees, but our weight won and it dropped.

We were still trapped in the middle of the hole, the currents moving up and down beneath us like jackhammers. The boat was in the middle of the river, bucking and rearing, slowly spinning, but making no forward progress. Every so often the current spinning the raft pushed it under the cascading water and we would be forced to counteract the pounding to keep the boat from flipping.

As we rushed from side to side, I slipped and fell overboard into the hole. Unfortunately, my ankle was wrapped in the paddle tether. The current sucked me down, but the rope held me with the raft. I tried to reach up to untangle the line from my ankle. I couldn’t—the current was too strong. I felt my strength fading. I concentrated on holding my breath, waiting for my lifejacket to pull me to the surface. It felt strange, in such a dynamic river, for everything to be so static. I seemed to be suspended somewhere beneath the raft at the end of a paddle rope. My lungs were bursting. I could see nothing.

Hold on, I thought. Hold on. Then I was jerked free. I came to the surface gasping for breath. Scott and Ben hauled me back into the boat.

The long-haired guide in the gear boat behind saw us caught in the hole. He angled his raft into the hole and slammed into us, springing us from the grip of the currents. Out of the hole, the raft surged downriver, pulling us free of the river’s death grip. I coughed and grinned.

We celebrated my rebirth with a dinner of steak and potatoes, with soup and salad. Fabulous! How many times can you say it’s great to be alive!

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