Paddling a river is an immense joy because you get an intimate feel of the power of nature below you in the flowing water. Ah, but what if mother nature throws you a curve?
Kayaking is a multi-tiered sport. There are those that prefer rapids and only rapids. Others like to get out and cruise a river to take in the serenity of nature. If you prefer rapids, rocks are your friends. If you prefer to cruise, rocks can be a problem. This is particularly true if they barely break the water or are just below the surface.
Rivers often look serene and calm when you are paddling down them. Don't be fooled. A river is, in my opinion, a living thing. Like us, it has pimples and such that can be hazardous to you if you are not paying attention. When cruising a river, this often happens when you come upon a boulder just below the surface you failed to notice.
When this happens, you have to make a quick decision. The first is to try to steer around the beast and save the day. Ah, but what if there isn't time? Are you fated to crack your rig on the rock and potentially bust it up? No, but you have to fight your natural instinct.
Assume you are serenely cruising a river. You suddenly realize there is a boulder five feet in front of your. It has lots of edges. You can see paint from previous kayaks on the edges. The boulder appears to be smiling! What do you do? The answer is to angle away from the boulder, but only so much as to change your direction. You want to aim for the outside corner of the boulder and try to maintain your speed. Now comes the tricky part.
As you approach the boulder, you must lean into it. With your upper body. And your face. By leaning into the rock, you will push your rig down into the current flowing around its edge. The current will grab the rig and pitch you around the rock. Feel free to reach out and push off the boulder if you can, but make sure to maintain your balance. If you don't, you may need some new teeth.
Learning to kiss the rock may sound simple, but it is difficult. Faced with a sudden, dangerous situation, your survival instinct will always tell you to run. In this situation, that means leaning away from the boulder. Doing so is a disaster. At a minimum, you are going to run your keep up and over the boulder. There will be damage, potentially enough that you will need a new kayak. Fight your instincts or pay dearly!
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