I absolutely love water. Swimming, bathing, boating, scuba diving… I'm usually a pretty happy person whenever there is water to be found. Most people are solar powered, but I'm pretty sure I'm hydro powered. Ask any of my teammates. I'm the one who has taken a bucket bath or shower religiously every morning since we started the race. Trust me, it's as much for THEIR sanity as it is for mine.
However, my passion for agua was definitely challenged two days ago when I nearly drowned. Okay, maybe that sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, but there is a reason you wear life jackets and helmets when you go whitewater rafting down the Nile River. Years of swimming, nor any amount of power stroking, will help if you're trapped in some of the craziest currents I've ever seen. On the other hand, staying calm and praying for dear life as you're being sucked under swishing green streams of water is apparently the best way to handle the Nile's infamous rapids. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure God still has plans for my life, though, because through every toss, turn, flip, and heart-pounding thrill, I'm still very much alive and kicking and have almost regained my love for all things water.
Truth be told, rafting down the Nile River was by far one of the most insane things I have ever done in my life, but I have no regrets. I spent the day with eight other Y-squad members in a coalition we dubbed "Team Extreme." After about ten minutes of calm water training, where we learned what to do when (not if) we flipped out of the boat, we headed into eight different Class 4 and Class 5 rapids, aptly named with such titles as "Dead Dutchman's Drop," "Hair of a Dog," "The Grave," and "The Bad Place."
Words are truly not adequate to explain the day, but using the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," I hope my video will suffice in summing up the insanity of the day. Enjoy!
