Duck and Cover

Off in the distance somewhere behind me, I could vaguely hear the voices of the others in the rafts floating down the rushing White Salmon River. As our boat continued to float down the stream, the green foliage on the banks slowly passed by. The sunlight danced in our eyes off the ever changing river. For the fourth time today, the oars man yelled, “Cover!” In one swift motion, we all quickly sank to the …

…raft had a mind of its own, it refused to stay submerged and clawed back to the surface. We shot out of the drop zone, hearts pounding furiously, and exhilarated to emerge out in one piece. With the 14 foot waterfall now behind us, the river had lost its ferocity and seemed tame and boring. As we finished up our rafting adventure, we could hear in the distance the others plummet over the White Salmon Waterfall.