On the Avoidance of Drowning

Looks simple enough, right?

The first month of my intern year is halfway done, and it's been awesome. We've had conferences and skills labs; worked a couple shifts in the ED and figured out the computer system. Even so, I've had a good bit of time for poker, climbing, and most recently, cutting my teeth on some whitewater...

Now, you guys know that whitewater in MS is nearly non-existent... If I remember correctly, the Okatoma has that one hard right turn where you might go ass-over-ears in a canoe if you've had a few too many cold ones, but otherwise it's pretty chill. And the Mississippi River Scouting Incident, (although hella scary and likely the closest to death I've been thus far) likewise did not have rapids or falls to maneuver through. Here in Chattanooga, it seems everyone I meet has some boating experience... Bryan Vance, one of my fellow interns, is a 15 year veteran, having paddled some of the sickest water in the U.S. and New Zealand. We were sharing stories over cold PBRs the other day when he mentioned plans for a trip to the Ocoee, and I jumped on board full steam. Although I'd never set foot in a whitewater boat, had never been in real whitewater, and knew nothing about the C-to-C roll technique (of paramount importance to avoid drowning), I figured he'd be the guy to learn from. Now Vance is a playboater, meaning he stays on one feature or hole for awhile, surfing and doing tricks. This is in contrast to river runners or creekers because you can spend the whole day in one location and not worry about getting from point A to point B. After a quick crash-course in rolling technique, he paddled off towards the rapids, leaving me to practice in the slower moving eddy.

Now the thing about these tiny whitewater kayaks is, you're crammed in so tight that you almost feel you're trapped. So flipping upside down underwater and attempting (unsuccessfully) to right yourself can be a bit...unsettling. I quickly realized just how easily I could dislodge my lanky ass from that boat after a couple unsuccessful rolls. Once I was confident in my ability to escape, my worries disappeared and I started hitting the whitewater right alongside Vance. After paddling a bit I would infallibly get flipped over, flounder around attempting to roll, and bail out of the boat, swimming like hell in the hopes of making it to the bank before being washed down the next set of rapids... (which happened to be named Broken Nose). We played for several hours on some of the rapids and whirlpools, and I eventually succeeded in righting myself a couple times. I bummed one of Vance's boats, and plan to practice rolling in the calm water here at the pier until I'm confident in my ability to avoid both drowning and bailing out. This could be the beginning of some really good times... and no, that's not me... yet.