Float the River Day 2008

So I was asked to go on a trip today to float on the river with my roommates, my neighbors, and several of their friends. Sounds pretty fun, so I cleared today at work and nabbed a tube (a tubing tube, so it had this dense sleeve on it that people wanted me to take off) and started today relatively early.

A few hours of waiting later, we managed to get everyone assembled and began floating down the Gallatin River, which is a tad bit flooded and cold due to the ice melt, but no real problems, just a bunch of people in a flotilla playing drinking games and having a good time. Pretty fun afternoon right?

Yeah, we thought so too.

My first fun encounter of the day, I was out in front of the group by a ways and rapidly approaching rapids (pun kinda-sorta intended). These were minor rapids, but I wanted to wait for the group so as not get ahead. I was near the shore and made the critical error of expecting the water level to only be a couple feet.

I was very wrong.

After dumping out of my tube and realizing there was nowhere to go, I managed to keep ahold of my tube and stay afloat. The current was strong enough that it still pulled me under a few times and I got to experience rapids in a way that was most unique to me. I was dragged through them. I did manage to get to the shoreline and sit down for a minute to rest and wait for the group. If it wasn't for the handle on the tube and the tube itself... I really don't want to know what could have happened.

Sadly, this was not the highlight of the day.

It got cold, rainy, colder, and we were getting hit by bugs pretty bad. We stopped a few times and played games (well, I watched mainly, I don't really drink), but in the end we decided to just finish the float because of the storm clouds and the cold (and maybe the really close lightning strikes and thunder played a part).

So we turned right and started picking up speed until...

The main group hit a tree. Now, from my perspective, this looked innocent from the one side, like a rope got caught and people had climbed ashore to untangle it. The truth is, the inflatable boat tipped over, spilled everyone and everything out, and the tree acted as a trap for everyone attached. I slammed into the tree and was told to bail out.

You know, there's a strange point when you realize what has happened to you and you start to panic because drowning is NOT a fun proposition. I was pulled by the current under the tree and as I tried to get up, I was hit in the head by raft after raft after raft until I managed to pop out the other side about 20 seconds later.

Luckily everyone was okay, the adults, the children, the dogs, all managed to make it out only traumatized. Several of us took the express trip under the boat and we got lucky in that there was no obstruction under the tree.

About an hour and several rain showers later, we saved some of the coolers (though I lost my favorite t-shirt), and managed to make it ashore.

In short...

I. Hurt. Everywhere.

So how was your day?