{"id":27349,"date":"2022-06-30T11:00:34","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=27349"},"modified":"2022-06-28T07:46:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T14:46:30","slug":"finding-stoke-on-the-west-fork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2022\/06\/30\/finding-stoke-on-the-west-fork\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Stoke on the West Fork"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hadn\u2019t had customers fall out of my boat in three years, and here I was on the San Juan River outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado with two heads bobbing down rocky, cold Class III water.<\/p>\n

One of them swam back to the boat, and after shouting, \u201cGet her in!\u201d to no avail, I grabbed her PFD and pulled her back in with all my strength. The other swimmer was floating helplessly behind the raft. I reached out to grab his hand and just missed it. If only he had extended his paddle to me. He was quickly swept under the raft and downstream, eyes wide as dinner plates.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The guide in front of me was manically blowing his whistle and trying to direct his crew toward the swimmer. They finally heaved him out just before the rapid increased in intensity. He lay gasping at the bottom of the raft while the guide tried to straighten out and avoid further carnage.<\/p>\n

Now no one was paddling in my raft. I seized the oars and narrowly avoided hitting a boulder that surely would have flipped us. We slurped and bumbled our way through the section, my paddle commands going unheeded. I might as well have been shouting at an empty raft.<\/p>\n

We finally reached a section of calm water. I shipped the oars and put my head in my hands. I swore that as soon as the trip was over, I would quit.<\/p>\n