Beating the Heat

Sure enough, we had triple digit temps yesterday. It was roasting out. So we piled all the floating devices we could find in the back of the truck along with food and drink, stopped to buy some more floaties, and headed for the north fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. Sarah and Frank went with us, as well as daughter Ruth, Dan, his wife Sue, and son Nathan. We went into the river about an hours float above Beehive bridge and got out 5 hours later at the bridge they used when they made the movie Dante's Peak (I can't remember if it has a name or not).

I had a great time, despite my anxiety initially. Ever since June of last year, when I had the nasty 'almost killed me' accident with my kayak on the river (literally-I almost died. I got caught in a nasty current and ended up trapped underwater under a large downed tree. I'm still not sure how I got out of that mess. Quick thinking on my part, and a whole lot of luck!) I get extremely anxious about getting into it again. I respect the river. Always have. But now I find myself fearing it too, which I shouldn't. I'm hoping that over time the fear will eventually go away. I will keep making myself go in until it does.

I don't know what it is, but when everyone is floating the river, it's just one big happy family. You find yourself hooking onto the tubes of complete strangers and carrying on conversations with them, even though you'll probably never see them again.

When we first got in, there was a young fellow who spotted my bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos. He yelled "I love Doritos!" and all the rest of the way, every time he saw me, he would mention again how much he loved Doritos. At one point, we were in a really slow part, so I got to talk to him and his party. It was their first time. They hadn't brought any food with them. Just some beer. You can't float for 5 hours on the river without food. You need something to give you energy, cos believe me, it's a tough thing to do physically. You have to paddle your way properly through the rapids, or you'll find yourself or your tube impaled on a branch, or chopped up on some rocks. So I gave them a good scolding, and handed them my Doritos. They needed them way more than I did.

Today we're being couch potatoes. I'm wiped out from yesterdays float. In fact, I'm surprised how sore my shoulders are, and my neck. Why on earth is my neck sore? It's hot outside, so we're hiding in the house with the air conditioner on high, watching movies on the tv. I think I'll bead for awhile.

Have a great day