Guy Fun

Recently our men's ministry when on what is now our second annual white water raft trip. What an exciting trip! The anticipation builds all morning en route to the place where we don our dry suits, life jackets and helmets. The safety pep talk on the shore of the six-mile river has the effect of pumping adrenalin into your blood stream as they speak of danger of the white water variety. The first thing once all of that is out of the way is for you to jump into the river and swim across to the other side. In a stream that is flowing pretty swiftly and about 40 feet across at that point and 40 degrees it takes about 120 yards to get across. This is the hardest part of the trip. When you clamber out on the other side with any bare skin, principally your hands, aching like an ice cream headache you are thinking this might be more than I am ready for. But, at that point you load into rafts and are introduced to your river guide and you embark on the adventure. Aching hands and cold are of less importance as you face the upcoming rapids.

I took this video with my little camera tucked into my life jacket so it doesn't get the best pictures but hey, I was busy paddling. It does give you an idea of the action we enjoyed bouncing through the rapids with our fearless river guide barking out paddling commands. Outrageous fun! The back you see much of the time in the video is Brad, my son who took the day off to go with me on this trip. I was so glad he was able to go and we could share the adventure.
We all managed to survive the day and one of the group had the dubious distinction to be the only one who fell out of the raft going down the rapids. He not only was the only one who fell out, but he did it twice. Needless to say he was the target of the many comments disparaging his abilities. Man talk for bonding. This final picture ist he "after" picture at the end of the day. Yes, this is the same handsome group of men as the beginning but wetter, tired and feeling the rush of a great day risking death and living to tell the tale.I hope there is a third annual event, it is one of those things I want to see if I still muster the sense of adventure and expend the energy to enjoy the older I get. It is also a way to spend some quality time with friends and experience life in a new way.