No outdoor activity conjures up more butterflies in my stomach than whitewater boating does.  (That shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who knows me.) It may just be my own perception, but the river has more variables that are completely out of your control.  When climbing, you are putting your faith in the gear and your group's competency.  Living to ski another day is primarily dependent on your ability to read the snow pack to know if avalanche conditions are present.  And when mountain biking, just follow Rick's saying, "Slow is smooth.  Smooth is safe.  Safe is fast." and it will pull you through most of the time.  The river, however, is a completely different beast.   

Originally, my fear was rooted in ignorance.  When I first started running rivers this spring it was hard for me to grasp and recognize all the hazards on the river.  I felt like I was drinking from a fire hose; no matter how fast I drank, I still couldn't absorb everything.  After one season of boating, the fear inside of is coming from a different avenue.  Now when I look at a rapid, my eyes are opened to all the hazards and the accidents waiting to happen.  There is only one thing that scares me more than a river accident, and that is being involved in one and not having the quick thinking and skill set to respond appropriately.  It's inevitable... accidents happen.  Should the situation arise, I want to be confident in ability to help buddy or another boating party in need.  

Thanks to the swiftwater rescue course through FRC I spent last weekend in the river getting the training and practicing the rescue skills that I've lacked.  It's an incredible deal for students, because FRC contracts the instructing out to the experts at Sierra Rescue, yet we only pay half of the normal certification cost.  I have nothing but praises to sing about the instructors, Abi and Zach.  Their expertise in conjunction with their teaching skills and efficient time management made for three intensive days of learning!

One solid weekend is not much time for a swiftwater class, yet in those three short days we covered an extensive amount of information.  We practiced stabilizing and extracting a foot/body entrapped victim, rescuing by contact and by live bait, using riverboards as a rescue tool, setting up vector pulls, swimming over strainers, and that is just barely a taste of what we covered. 

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Starting with fundamental throw-bag skills

Rescue Scenario:  Setting up a snag line to extract a 

victim who is foot/body entrapped

 

 Rescue Scenario:  Shallow water crossing as means of 

contacting and stabilizing the airway of a foot entrapped victim

Swimming over a strainer

Using a tension diagonal to get people and gear across the river

 

Practicing how to get a person 

in a raft when you suspect c-spine injuries

Parbuckling: a fancy word for pulling
fat customers or dead bodies out of the river

swimming rapids ....just becuase

the "swiftwater entry"

River board as a rescue tool and a toy

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Last weekend made me more eager than ever for the 2011 boating season.  I am motivated to continue to hone those fundamental skills, so they are sharp if I ever have need to use them.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to have those butterflies every time I hop in a raft or snap on my skirt, but that is healthy.  Despite my fears, the river still captivates me by it's beauty and through the thrill of the rapids.  That is what keeps me going back.