{"id":22540,"date":"2020-03-20T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=22540"},"modified":"2020-03-27T08:43:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:43:08","slug":"a-river-runners-pandemic-rx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2020\/03\/20\/a-river-runners-pandemic-rx\/","title":{"rendered":"A River Runner’s Pandemic RX"},"content":{"rendered":"

I got a sore throat Tuesday, by Wednesday I had a cough. Thursday, I decided to stay home. On Friday I went to the doctor. It probably wasn\u2019t the Coronavirus, but our state didn\u2019t have enough tests so\u2026?<\/p>\n

That afternoon, aptly on Friday the 13th my wife called, \u201cThe Governor closed all the schools for a week. Maybe longer. Please go get groceries!\u201d<\/p>\n

My wife and I both teach, so we were facing at least nine days at home with three hungry teenagers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

By the time I reached the grocery store, the parking lot was full, but shelves were starting to get empty. I\u2019d heard jokes about toilet paper for a couple days. But\u2014no joke\u2014there was no toilet paper.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not being flippant when I say my brain went into multi-day rafting mode. Time-wise this was Deso plus a Rogue. With a mental list taking shape in my brain, I pushed my cart down the aisle.<\/p>\n

I suspect that most people who take multi-day river trips have a \u201cworst-case-scenario\u201d fantasy. This is not to say that any of us want to face a real \u201cworst-case\u201d situation, but many of us have probably considered what we would do if civilization as we know it crumbled. Who hasn\u2019t stopped at Buck Skin Bill\u2019s on the Main Salmon and thought, \u201cYeah, I could wait out the end of the world here\u2026” (As long as the freezer held out with an unlimited supply of ice cream bars.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our rafts, rolled up in the garage or basement, serve as a final insurance policy. These crafts are uniquely capable of hauling people and gear into our country\u2019s most inaccessible areas, canyons, valley and gorges all but shut off from other access. A large raft can carry well over a ton of people and gear and still run rapids and bounce off of rocks that would destroy another vessel.<\/p>\n

Most of us have detailed maps (mental and actual) of various river canyons. We know where the best camps are, where to find an abandoned cabin, where to climb to a cave in the cliffs, where to get water at a sparkling stream that runs into the main river, where to catch fish, and where roads or trails can take us into or out of the canyon.<\/p>\n

We also have the gear to let us live in a canyon for an extended time. Besides the boat to get us into the canyon, we have tarps, and tents for shelter and sleeping bags for warmth. For protection\u2014from rapids\u2026rain\u2014we have drysuits and splash jackets,\u00a0and we have warm camp clothes for comfort.<\/p>\n