My First Kayaking Trip

by Sue Tyner

It was a warm, lazy Sunday afternoon when my son and I decided to go kayaking in our new Kayaks we had purchased recently. Now, my son was an experienced kayaker and rafting guide on the Nolichucky River and I had been on several rafting trips with him so I thought kayaking would be a piece of cake. We packed up our gear and our new kayaks in the truck and began driving to another river that was good for rafting and kayaking, the Ocoee. When we arrived several old school buses were parked in the parking lot so I knew the rafters and kayakers who were on the bus would already be down the river. We were delighted to have the river to ourselves.

After putting on our wet suits and helmets we put our kayaks in the water, got in and zipped ourselves in. The water was glistening and calm at the put in so I thought this really is a piece of cake. We paddled around in the calm water to get acclimated to the new kayaks and paddles and then set off down the river. A few feet away we came to our first rapid. I thought since it was the first one it would be a Class I or II. Was I ever wrong. It must have been at least a class IV or V. My son got through with the greatest of ease so I thought I could do the same even though I wasn’t experienced. Well, I started through and looked in front of me and behold there was a drop off of at least three feet. I was trying to get through the rapid without turning over but alas, that wasn’t to be. My kayak flipped over and there I was, upside down in the water. I worked frantically to right myself without any luck. So, I pulled the release that would extract me from the kayak and I was able to right myself, come to the top and get a breath of air. When I looked for my kayak it was floating away from me down the river. I began to swim to retrieve it but it was going faster than me. After swimming as hard as I ever had in my life I finally reached the kayak and got hold of the side. I looked down the river and would you believe it, there was another waterfall that was at least four feet high or higher and if I didn’t do something immediately both my kayak and I would go over the falls. I began swimming against the current holding onto my kayak to keep from losing it. The longer I swam the closer I got to the waterfall. The current was pushing me faster downstream than I was able to swim upstream holding onto the kayak.

Suddenly I heard someone yell, “for Gods sake man, turn loose”. I looked and standing on the shore was a rafting guide. Sure, I thought, that’s easy for him to tell me what to do, he’s not trying to save this expensive kayak. I had already lost my paddle. It was gone forever. So, I just kept holding on and swimming, trying to beat the current and save my kayak. Again, I heard, “for Gods sake man, turn loose” save yourself. He finally got through my thick skull and I decided he was right. If I wanted to live to see another day I must turn loose. I turned loose of the kayak and watched it float back down the river and over the falls. What a disappointment. My expensive kayak gone and I only got to shoot one rapid before disaster struck. When my son returned and saw what had happened he was disappointed in himself for not paying closer attention to his old Dad and helping him when disaster struck. I guess he thought the old man could take care of himself and went happily on down the river thinking Dad would catch up eventually.

Needless to say, my kayaking days started and ended in one day. From now on I will only raft with a guide and others who are more experienced than me. I still love the water and go rafting whenever I have an opportunity but deliver me from kayaking without some extensive training.

Click here to see the photograph which inspired this story.