RIVER ADVENTURE By J.H. Morris It is a hot summer’s day in Hells Canyon, Idaho. John Trammel is finally happy to get some time off and relax. He planned this trip nine months ago for him and his wife. But since she left John shortly after planning the vacation, it’s just him. Just as well, he thought. With all the stress he has had at the office, working as the prosecuting attorney back in Seattle, he needs this time alone to reset his life. The Snake River is one of the most beautiful rivers in North America. Not only because of the scenery on either side of the canyon, but because of the wildlife you see and the peacefulness you get when you are on the water. John is planning on making a simple three-day trip down the river to experience the calmness along with the class III and IV rapids. He packs his waterproof Yeti boxes into his raft and ties them securely in. One box contains snacks while on the river, another with food, and the last box has his overnight gear. Finally, John puts on his lifejacket, sits down on the seat in the raft, and prepares for launch. It has been nearly a year since John’s mother passed away, and his wife left him. After three years working as a prosecuting attorney on a murder trial back in Seattle, Washington, his wife could not handle the fact he was hardly ever home. And when he was, he was busy researching the case. So now, he’s on his own and on a single-man rafting trip down one of the prettiest rivers in North America. The river, at first, is calm and easy-going—a perfect place to catch glimpses of the elk on the shoreline and river otters in the water. In the sky, John could see Bald Eagles in flight. One even dove to the river, trying to catch a finespotted cutthroat in his talons with no success. John pulled off the river and made camp before hitting the class IV rapids. He felt it was better to navigate the rapids during the morning rather than late in the afternoon if he had some problems. A decision that he would be thankful he made. The following day, John wakes up and packs up his raft again. It’s another hot summer day, and he cannot wait to get back on the water. He prepares his raft by making sure all his gear was doubly secure to prepare for the rapids coming downstream. Just before John launched from the shoreline, he waved to a group of six on a guided river tour. They returned the wave and added smiles and yelled good morning. John felt it was a good sign because he knew the river guide would not take a tour down the river if the rapids were running rough. John launched and eased his way to the middle of the river. He took a deep breath, smelling the fresh morning air. It helped him relax and forget about his work and his wife leaving him. It didn’t take long before John heard the screams of the boat in front of him as they hit the rapids. He could tell they were having a great time, as the screams were mixed in with laughter. He prepared
himself mentally for the ride. He checked the security of his Yeti boxes and got a good grip on his ores. The water moved faster as he caught his first glimpse of the rapids, just fifty yards downriver. John can easily navigate the first few rapids as he smiles when the cool water hits his face. Navigating through the small eddies was an excellent warmup to what was ahead. After that, all John could see were white caps of the larger rapids ahead. The sound of the water got louder, like an airplane getting ready for take-off. John’s eyes stay steady as he surveys the upcoming water challenge. He mentally marks his path of least resistance. He navigates his raft towards an opening between two large boulders, which were creating a funnel effect. John can get through the space, only to be challenged with a giant rock splitting the water in half. He had less than a second to decide his route and instinctively went to the right. A choice he would soon regret. The raft could not turn to the right fast enough, and the bottom hit the rock John was attempting to avoid. Directly in front of him was yet another boulder, forcing the water to the left. John’s raft hit the rock head-on, causing a significant jolt and the raft to turn back as it moved downriver. The back of the raft was now at the front, and John struggled to see what was ahead. The raft is now at the mercy of the fast-moving current. A large-eddy takes control of the raft and tosses John off the boat just as his raft capsizes. The water forced John under like a washing machine. John struggles to get air. He can see the sunlight shining through the water, but he cannot swim forward. His training kicks in and forces him to relax and let the current take over. The current tossed John around in the water, never making it to the surface to get air. He blacks out because of a lack of oxygen. John regains consciousness as he lies on the riverbank. He struggles for air and can feel the regurgitation of the water that he was forced to inhale during the river’s agonizing adventure. He is thankful to be alive. He lies on the ground as he breathes in the fresh air. Exhausted and weak, he remembers his raft with all of his supplies. He sits up and looks over the landscape, hoping he can spot his only chance of survival. About two hundred yards downstream, it relieved John to see his boat hanging on to the shoreline like a fall leaf holding on to its mother tree. He noticed the raft is overturned, concerning him of the status of his gear. He struggles to get to his feet. John realizes his left leg and right arm are badly bruised from being beaten up by the rapids. He fights through the pain and discomfort, knowing his only chance of survival is that raft and his supplies. He moves down the shoreline towards his boat. Twenty yards into his trek, John looks across the river to the other shoreline and sees a Yeti box floating in the water, stuck between two rocks. He knew it was one of his. He looks towards the boat, still clinging to the riverbank, and then back at the discovered Yeti box. He struggles to decide which one to go for. Finally, he chooses the box with supplies is needed and plans his rescue mission. He knows the current is powerful when you get to the center and moves back upstream to take advantage of the current as he swims to the other side. John’s memory kicks in as he returns to the water that had almost taken his life. Am I nuts, he thought? He leaps in and swims across the river. The current moves him downstream at the same time. His arms hurting and muscles weak, he makes it across, now exhausted, hoping the box is his food supplies.
He makes his way to the stuck Yeti box to see that it is overturned. He struggles to pull it from the rocks, only to discover it had opened and all contents were gone. John collapses to the ground, disappointed and now scared of what is coming. He looks downstream to his raft, still clinging to the edge. It was now his only hope of surviving this ordeal. Unfortunately, it also meant having to cross the river one more time. John drops to his knees and looks up. Trying to find the strength to move on. He knows, despite how tired he was or how much he hurt, he must catch up to the raft before it floats away, along with all hopes of survival. He stands up and jumps in the river, once again, knowing this may be his last chance at staying alive. His weak arms try to navigate across as the current takes him downstream. He eyes the raft and can see he is going to have to swim faster to make it. He digs deep. With every stroke, he feels his muscles ache and burn like they were on fire. Finally, he gets closer to the raft. He reaches with his last stroke, trying to time it so he can grab his boat. His eyes widen as he misses the rope dangling over the side and continues to float downstream. He makes it to the shoreline, fifty yards past where his raft was. His head hangs low, disappointed that he missed grabbing his raft. He looks up and notices another Yeti box on the shoreline, only feet away from where he was. He dragged himself towards the box and was happy to see it was still securely shut. John opens the chest, exposing the protein bars and water he had packed for snacks. Now it was his only food that would keep him alive. John quickly ate two of the bars and drank one bottle of water, hoping to regain his strength. While eating, he thought about hiking back upstream to rescue his raft. However, with the sun setting behind the canyon wall, he felt it would be best to stay put and let his clothes dry out. He continued to watch the river for his raft to float by. Finally, John fell asleep at the river’s edge, watching the water pass by. The following day, John wakes up on the shoreline. He grabs another protein bar from his Yeti box and goes back upstream to recover his raft. His clothes had dried out enough to feel more comfortable, and he was ready to get back in his boat to float the rest of the way to the next pullout on the river. So, putting his Yeti box on his shoulder, he started the fifty-yard walk upstream. Turning around the corner where the raft was, John was disappointed to see the boat was no longer there—it had come loose and floated downriver. Still having his lifejacket and the Yeti box with his protein bars, John uses the box as a float to get further downstream. He figures floating down the river is no worse for him than sitting on the bank waiting for someone to rescue him. John hugs his Yeti and floats. The river was calm for a good amount of the day. Then, with his clothes wet, once again, he paddled to the bank of the river and hoped to see another tour raft group coming from behind. The following day, John wakes up on the shoreline again. With a sense of deja vu, he eats the last protein bar and drinks the last of his water. Today is the day he knows he has to make it to some location that can help him. If he doesn’t, Plan B is to sit and die.
Only vaguely familiar with the river, John thinks it is relatively calm to his end destination and pull-out. But not having his map, phone, or any other navigation, he can only go by his memory of what is coming up downriver. He hugs his empty Yeti box and gets into the river one more time. The first half of the day was calm. But the river picked up, and John feared the worse that more rapids were ahead. The first sign of white water was easy—barely a class I. But it only took minutes later for John to realize more high-class rapids were coming. Once again, the current tossed him around like a leaf that just fell from its tree. He hit significant size boulders and could barely hang on to the Yeti box. Finally, all it took was one hard it to a rock that knocked John unconscious. He lets go of the box, which floats downriver. John washes ashore like any other common debris in the river. John regains awareness just before nightfall. He sees he is on the shoreline, tired and exhausted. He closes his eyes, thinking there is no chance of survival. John thinks about his ex-wife and how this trip was supposed to be their get-away. He thinks of his co-workers and his family. Then, he thinks of the trip and what he should have done differently or what he should have not done entirely. John fades away. “He’s still alive,” a voice said. John was still not fully conscious, but knew there were people around him. Not being able to move or talk, he let the individuals gather around him take control. John passed out once again. Two weeks later, John wakes up from an induced coma in the hospital. His memory is weak. The doctor asks questions to see if he is coherent and knows where he is and what happened. John only remembers the protein bars and the water. After that was nothing more than a blur. He is concerned about how he ended up in the hospital. “Doc, where am I?” “You’re at St. Lukes McCall. Do you remember what happened?” John did his best to recall his adventure. “I remember eating my last protein bar. I was stranded on the river. But I do not know how I ended up here.” “It was another rafting group. They found you passed out on the riverbank. They brought you to a safe exit on the river and called for a helicopter to fly you here.” “I don’t remember any of that.” “You’re lucky to be alive.”