First swim in 13 years (first ever running a river).
Where:
Middle channel,
Level @ 6 and a quarter,
Rapid: Garvins, Staircase line,
I Decided halfway down not to not catch an eddy and windowshaded after being pushed against a ledge.
Result: Lungs full of water, bruised jaw, a severely dislocated/bruised thumb, a badly sprained right knee, two bruised ribs, a bruised right shoulder and a bruised upper back, bruised neck and multiple contusions on my hands, arms and ankles
Lessons Learned: Don?t write long feeling sorry for yourself type messages when under the influence of medication?.. You?ll just have to edit them later, feeling quite stupid ?.Shit Happens, Friends are forever, Paddling knuckle gloves are my next purchase, First Aid kits are worth their weight many times over, Helmets with face shields, even more! Follow your line no matter what and don't let yourself be distracted by what anyone tells you, well intentioned
, in mid-descent (100% my fault). Deciding not to go into the eddy really changed my run as I had planned it and I should of have changed the angle and the where I re-entered the current, I did not think! I also did not think of what to do if I flipped. Never flipped in shallow water before, never got hit by anything so hard, so fast, so many times, so I was unprepared...should?ve gotten out as soon as I lost my paddle and flipped, not try to ride it out. Stupid...
Thanks for all those who helped out: Christian and Bill, Wendy, Tomas Kelly, Tibor, Ray, Heather, Sandra and of course John and Alfred, (sorry if I forgot anyone).
Cheers,
Paul
