Class IV? Who Needs A Raft?
Trip Start
Apr 04, 2005
1
39
43
Trip End
Jul 18, 2005
Rio Pacuare, Turrialba, Siquirres, Costa Rica
Monday, June 20, 2005
We pull up and the boats are already in the water, so we get geared up and after a brief safety lesson we were off. Bear in mind this all happened in Tico Time. Anyway, I was in a raft with Emma, Erin, Katy, Lornett and Ruth, the guide, Phil and myself. Now Phil was quite a character, a very large chain smoking man with huge Wayfarer glasses taped together in the corner with electricians tape. Said he had a ton of experience on the river and that his safety record was impeccable. Well, we changed that!
The first part of the trip went very well. We went over quite a few rapids, class 3 and some 4īs, of course the whole time surrounded by the rich landscape of the area. We cut through canyons, wound around some plains and creeped through the jungle that was alive with the sounds of the Esmeralda, a huge beautiful green grasshopper looking insect that just makes an immense loudly unique sound. We stopped at some little thatch lodge where our river guides made us lunch and I soaked in some rays and tried to skip some rocks. (My best was only 6 skips, but there was a lack of good skippers, I must say.)
We get back in the boat and I think it was the 2nd rapid, a class 4, that took us down. It was called The Wild and the Untamed. Was it ever!! We entered the rapid after a couple of practice sessions, since he told us this one was really technical and if we didnīt do it just right we would hit, HARD, and that wouldnīt be good. So we navigate the boat so the nose is facing shore and go over the first drop sideways, with everyone leaning towards the high side. He then tells us NOW, and we paddle as hard as we can but apparently not hard enough, because before I know it I am under the boat. I reach up and can feel the flat bottom of the boat above my head as I am being knocked around by the huge rocks on the riverbed. So I push off and back, trying to get the boat in front of me. To no avail, since suddenly I am above water and realize I am facing the next drop. Trying to turn around and get my feet up as fast as I could I see the rock in front of me and tred to kick off of it but it is slippery and instead I take it in the tailbone, HARD! The water carries me over the rock and for a little bit I am stuck in the swirling current on the other side but soon I wash out and look around and see a variety of different colored helmets bobbing in front of and behind me. Then another drop, another rock, another bruise, another scratch, another mouthful of water. Then I see one of the kayaks and try to swim to him then hear Lornett behind me, yelling for me to watch out since the boat is heading right for me. I turn around and grab the rope on the boat and eventually they pull me in. But not before I was able to casually drift by the other people in our group and wave a quick hey guys, whassup? With a smile, of course, which ended up in more water being swallowed.
Lornett and Ruth pulled me in and then the question, who is bleeding and who is missing. Blood was everywhere and we finally figured out the source was Lornettīs head and ear, but no time to stop since another rapid was right around the corner. I grabbed a paddle and so did one other person and the guide and we navigated through that while the injured just held on. We stopped and got out to assess the damage and realized that Emma had injured her foot quite badly and couldnīt walk on it very well and that Lornett had gashed through his ear and had another cut on his head. Got him bandaged up and headed back, and with Emma being the trooper she is she still laughed during the rapids that followed. The rest of us were just a little battered and shaken up but other than that great! Off we went to finish the day.
We cut through this canyon, with cliffs rising straight up on either side of us we entered a calm area where we could get out. I hopped out and floated on my back enjoying the amazing view of the jungle contrasted by the bright blue sky. National Geographic Magazine has touted the Rio Pacuare as one of the Top 5 most scenic white water rafting locations in the world. It is truly something to behold. Each corner brought me to a new level of awestruck.
Made it back to San Jose and hired Mario Andretti to drive us in his Toyota Tercel cab back to San Ramon. At the bus station Graham realized that his wallet had been stolen out of his backpack either on the bus or at the station, so that was a bummer but he handled it really well. Lornett was still bleeding so we called a doctor to the house when we got home and he said too much time had transpired for stitches, gave us some gauze, antibiotics and painkillers and went on his way. I patched him up for the night and hit the sack.
I do have to say that being that it is Fathers Day I am already thinking of my dad and how lucky I am to have such a good person to look up to. Between transferring buses I told everyone I had to go buy a phone card so I could call my dad. I only had 30 minutes before our bus so I had to hurry. I asked everyone if I could pick them up a card since it was Fathers Day and all, and they all said no. Then as I headed off I remembered that out of the 10 people in our group, that 2 of their dads had passed away, one girl hasnīt spoken to her dad in over 10 years, one guy just met his dad for the first time last month, and another girl never knew her dad. So that is half and I donīt know about the other peopleīs parents. I felt kind of like a jerk because I should have thought of that before bringing up how I was going to call my dad and how much I missed him and how great he is. Obviously unintentional but yet again another lesson. I wish things could be different for them, because they are all good people.
But it is the truth, Pa! I am so lucky, and I couldnīt imagine my life without you. Being apart from you and being exposed to people who donīt have the luxury to call their Dads made me miss you even more on this special day. Sorry I couldnīt get to a phone but I am glad I was able to email you, albiet briefly! I smile thinking of our next fishing trip, because this time I think you might actually save some of the fish for me to catch! Since you miss me so much and all! A girl can only hope, right?? I canīt wait to see you and I love you Papa! Happy Fathers Day!
