Alaska

Mom really wanted to go rafting while we were in Alaska a few years ago. We ended up on the Six Mile River...not an easy float down the glacier waters of Alaska.

Let me set up the scene. I sat in the middle row next to K, our guys were in the front row and mom was behind me in the back (where the guide could keep an eye on her). In order to even depart on the trip we first had to pass a swim test that involved jumping in the glacier water and floating downstream, turning over and fiercely swimming to the opposite shore. Mom passed. Don't know how. We started our rafting expedition and mom was immediately chatting up our guide...it's what she does...all the awhile the rest of us are practicing bracing our feet underneath the seat in front of us and carefully placing out bodies in a stance that would prevent being tossed overboard.

When the rapids started I was immediately annoyed because any bump we came across mom threw all her dead weight into my body. Not only was I trying to brace myself from falling out, but I had to brace myself against her imminent impact. I'm not sure what rapid it was - might of been the last one of the second canon - but that's when the chaos really began. Our guide warned us this was going to be an above average crazy rapid. We braced ourselves and paddled our hearts out. When we successfully made it down the drop I remember looking over at K and both of us expressing a cheer of success. I celebrated too early. I felt myself falling backwards. Everything was immediately in slow motion. K remembers seeing the look of confusion across my face. I was confused because I was not falling out; I was being pulled out. Mom fell out and as she went she grabbed onto the strap of my life vest and drug me out with her. I managed to grab onto the raft before I was even out and held onto my paddle, but I was being pushed underwater. It felt like someone was trying to drown me. The others pulled me in...then we recovered mom and a ways down the river her paddle too. Needless to say, when the guide made the offer to go down the more dangerous 3rd canyon we were all in shock that mom was the only one who thought it was an awesome idea. Soaked to the bone from barely unfrozen glacier waters, I did not want a repeat.

We did the third canyon, had a blast and no one fell out. Why did no one fall out? Bc our guide held onto the back of mom's vest during every major rapid/drop. Afterwards when mom called home to tell C somehow this story translated into "No one fell out of the raft!"...not only did 1 fall out, 1 was pulled out as well! We purchased the cd of pictures and when we got home and looked through them we saw the real story. In every picture...every single picture...mom is a dead monkey on my back. No bracing at all.

The point to this story? She was so impressed by her athleticism during this adventure that now, over two years later, she has dedicated her email address to the idea that she's an Alaskan Rafter.