My most recent trip landed me in the ER. Whitewater rafting the Sevier River starting at my grandma's place near Hoover's cafe. First trip was great fun. So we decided to go again in the afternoon. after launch and hitting the beginner rapids, I realized I had overloaded the boat. I struggled to keep the raft pointing down stream and the newbs along for the ride were not much help either. The first few small rapids were swamping the boat, so we decided to cut the trip in half and get out a little earlier than planned. About 200 yards from landing the raft took a drastic left turn. I was unable to correct it and the other paddlers followed my orders too little too late. the back of the raft dipped into a rapid and was pushed under. This was were I was sitting as the guide. I was thrown backwards into the water with so much force that it pulled my toes of both feet out of my sandals. I then connected the back of my head to a nice soft rock. Many thoughts went through my mind the next few seconds and I'm not real sure what all happened exactly. But I was told that I rolled under the raft and came out the other side. The raft and it's clueless passengers went on to eventually get stuck on some boulders in the middle of the river just before the "Big Daddy" waterfall. I wasn't quite sure exactly what was wrong, but I was hurt bad and out of breath. My heart was pounding and my ears were ringing as I staggered to the bank using my paddle as a crutch. Not sure how I managed to keep a hold of it but I was glad I did. A few minutes later I emerged from the tall grass to find the raft and its hysterical occupants stuck in the middle without a clue. knowing that there were also kids on the boat, I had no choice but to help them. The adrenaline had already started to take over as I made my way through the water to the stranded raft. I managed to push the raft off the rocks and pull myself back into the boat. Still a little loopy we did our best to navigate the waterfall with no problems. at the takeout point, our pickup was not yet there, so i grabbed the rope and jumped ship and pulled the boat to the bank. This took the last of my strength as everyone else also abandoned ship the the safety of dry land. I nearly collapsed in pain and fatigue as the last person stepped to shore. I smiled for the camera as the truck arrived. It was then that I began to realize how bad I was hurt. I had no strength in my left leg and as time passed it got worse. Many scrapes were bleeding, and bruises were growing before my eyes. The bumps on my head were massive and every hair on my head gave me pain. We loaded up and within an hour I was sitting on an xray table. No broken bones but a few torn muscles and a hematoma in my thigh. I was then informed that I had a concussion, therefore the doc suggested no pain meds or muscle relaxers for the constant spasms. After three days of rest and crutches, I can now stand and put some weight on the leg without too much pain. Still have the headache and many bruises to show for it. oh ya, and the ER doc wants to go along with us on the next trip. Sure will be nice to be able to get treatment on site for the next round.
There are two videos that I made of this trip. one is short and shows me falling out of the boat in slow-mo. The other is longer and shows the fun parts of the trip. (this one is still uploading. I will give the link when it finishes.
http://youtu.be/Xs-ORqxevPc
