Graduation Rapid

Our final day on the river, so sad, but no time for that now. We still have 12 hours of sweet memories to make. We drive down Glenwood Canyon to Grizzly Creek exit. Earlier we pulled over to put on our wetsuits and get ready because the put in will be crowded with everyone and their mother jumping into a raft to enjoy the sweet view of the canyon walls and the mild but fun rapid sections of the river. Coming from a ski resort adventure town I liken kayakers and rafters to snowboarders and skiers or tent campers to RVers. As a kayaker you don't want to be anywhere near a raft in the rapids or you will be squashed and beaten or scoffed at. In all seriousness life on the water is the most calm and serene and the attitude amongst everyone is more like "Hey, Yo! How YOU doin? "I like the cup holder in your inner tube dude!"
It was our final day and before we jumped in our kayaks. Millisa aka "Smelly" (our camp director) asked us to find two rocks on the river side. One represents something negative in your life that you want to get rid of or throw away. The other is something you want to work on positively. We were handed out Sharpies and wrote our words on the rocks. I felt the weight lift after throwing the negative rock into the water. I wrote three words on the large sized negative rock: Stress, worry, frowns. My son (and husband) often say,  "You're frowning momma". On the positive rock I write a word that, I believe, encompasses many or all aspects of life..."Happiness". I keep that rock in my life jacket. It's small so I'll still float :).

Further down we stop for lunch. Immediatley before I decided I was going roll. I told my guides and they immediately set up to rescue me "just in case". I leaned left with my paddle, went under the water and came back up the other side...I rolled!!!! Everyone in my group was cheering for me. I was so happy I was crying. I should have stopped there because I tried to do it again where we stopped for lunch and with about 60 eyes on me it was too much pressure, but I stayed in the water and an instructor broke down the steps for me again. It's scary when you first learn to roll, but no time like the present, no chance of drowning when you have 15 instructors ready to save you.
After lunch campers were asked to line up and get into our kayaks side by side. The counselors/staff were instructed to stand up behind us with their boats. It made for a fun, colorful picture.

Then without notice Smelly tells all the counselors to paddle out. We are left sitting in our kayaks, alone, on the bank of the river. Just then about eight rafts pull up and we discover we must be in the best swimming hole on the river because the rafters start jumping in the river. Smelly is the only staff left standing and informs us that this is our "graduation rapid". All of the staff and counselors have gone around the corner and will be lined up along the rapid waiting for us in the side eddys. One by one we go down the rapid symbolizing a week of conquering our fears and rediscovering life.
I am second to last so when it is my turn I paddle through the flat water for about two minutes navigating the rafts before I see the rapid ahead. As I power through the rapid I recognize face after face as they cheer me on before turning into the eddy to become one the people cheering for the final camper to go through the rapid. There were so many rafters and inner tubers in that section that the final camper "RV" hooked up with one and went through the rapid with her, he got a lot of cheers for that too.
The river section we paddled today was filled with lots of obstacles and so I learned how to "boof" kayaking over where a rock sticks out of the water and the river is pouring over it. You paddle like a maniac to get to the rock then boof over it and land on the other side, ideally. Needless to say I broke in my Jackson Villian very well on this trip.
Lauren "Box" took about 2,000 photos of us so after dinner we watched a slideshow of our week at camp and then gathered around our final campfire. Such an amazing time I can't begin to explain or convey what it all meant to me. I won the award for best on water that night for rolling. Just before our final take out where we load up the gear and drive back to camp I told the instructors in my group, "okay, I'm going to roll" five boats hovered near while I...did...my...roll...AGAIN! Yeah! A perfect end to the kayaking portion of this camp. Everyone at the campfire was happy for me and we heard many more inspiring stories throughout the evening. At one point we all gathered around a kayak filled to the brim with water, candles were passed out in little glass containers. One by one we placed a candle in the water floating in the dark. These candles represented a blessing for ourselves or for someone else who has been through or is going through cancer.
This week will stand out in my life forever.