I had had some open canoe white water experience but not much enclosed boat experience. On my second trip in my kayak a party of us took a 2-day trip down the Klutina (sp?). I've had a thing about drowning, so why I kept putting myself into these situations I don't know. Although I am a decent swimmer I almost drowned when I was a teenager because I paniced. Near the end of the first day we scouted out the gorge before going through it. Sinse I was not that experienced, when getting back into my kayak and nosing out into the river I underestimated its power. I flipped over, and not knowing how to do a roll I reached my head around to the surface to breath and I popped out of the boat.

Then I'm instantly in this calm place. I watch as my body does everything that it should, but I'm not directing it. Instead I'm watching from a very safe and protected place. The thing with my experience is that I did not have the above the body perspective. I watched as I grabbed the loop in the end of the boat with my right hand and the paddle with my left hand. I let the boat go down first so it would take most of the battering against the rocks. Also since I did not have any protective head gear I went down feet first. Everything is slow motion, no panic, no thoughts until the boat got washed up unto a log-jam and the current is sweeping under the logs. Then I hear/think KICK. I did a very powerful scissors kick and managed to rip loose the back of the wet suit from the snag on a log. Then I float free down through the boulders.

 

I didn't start thinking and making desicions until I was through the gorge and started considering going into shore. I started to swim on over to the closer shore when I realized I had better wait until the river curves around the other way. The main force of the river is on the outside of the curve. It cuts away at the banks and topples trees into the water that sometimes are submerged. With the still strong current I could have easily got caught up in these "sweepers". When I got to shore the emotions settled in and I just burst out crying.