What a strange day it was today. Because the tent groups were separated yesterday, half the group started atop Swamp Rapids and the other down below. I myself belong to the former, and was able to begin my day by paddling the class 1 rapids. After reading journal and doing some quick stretches, the group was ready to paddle downstream towards Dead Wood Rapids. Deadwood Rapids wasn't as menacing as the name would have you to believe. These rapids were much like the ones we have seen before, except that they were significantly deeper. I was paddling with Kelly today and these rapids proved especially exciting for us. You see we were maneuvering splendidly, until we were blindsided by an enormous rock. I swear it came out of nowhere. The rock halted the bow swinging the stern 180 degrees around. We looked at each other, and I could tell we were thinking the same thing, “well I guess were riding this one backwards.” The excitement was unmatched. as we continued down the River we could hear a storm a’brewin, so we kicked it into high gear. We were making great time until a great log jam jammed us up. The rain began to roll in as we begin to portage around the jam, and by the time we finished the sky had cleared. We took only a few more curves then landed at our Wavy Rapids campsite. We ate lunch then met Jeff at the water for a very hands-on lesson. After studying the workings of the class 2 rapids, we were told to grab our PFDs and meet at the mouth. Here we were shown just exactly what can happen if we fall out of a canoe. We each took turns getting into the water, and practicing proper safety techniques on the way down the rapids. Long story short, my butt may be a bit bruised in the morning. Just before everyone had their chance, a bolt of lightning struck above and we were sent to our tents. We set patiently for 3 hours waiting out the storm. When it cleared, we cooked and hung bear bags. It wasn't long however, before the rain started back up. It rained steadily for about an hour, and in an unfortunate turn of events everything in the blue tent, including sleeping bags and note books became wet. Oh dear! I hope tomorrow is a dryer day.
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