“Thank you, brother,” he replied. “I can’t tell you what an honor it is to be here with you. It means the world to me!”

30

That night at Matkat Hotel Camp, most of the team had gone to bed early, but Lonnie, Timmy, Harlan, and I stayed up late trading stories.

“Upset’s got me pretty nervous,” I said. “I think we hit it tomorrow.” Upset was one of the top-five rapids with many adversity stories to its name. I’d been fretting over it for the last few days.

“On one of my trips down here,” Timmy said, “I went through Upset and got the bright idea of trying to punch the big center hole. I was instantly flipped and subbed.”

“Subbed” was kayaker talk for being sucked way down and usually held there.

“I felt my boat being pulled down,” Timmy went on, “and I was getting pummeled. It seemed like an eternity, but it was probably just ten seconds or so. Then I bobbed to the surface, but before I could roll up, I sensed my boat going down deep again for another beating. I thought seriously about pulling my skirt and swimming, but just when I thought I couldn’t hold on a second longer, it released me. I emerged on the other side and rolled up. I was probably under there for twenty-five seconds.”

“I know that hole intimately,” Lonnie said excitedly. “On my first trip here with Team River Runner, my guide said, ‘Lonnie, whatever you do, don’t get squirrely and drop into the big hole in the center.’ So what do I do? Get squirrelly and drop right into the big hole center. Took my first swim right there in Upset. Boys, I was plenty upset in Upset!”

We all laughed at his joke, corny or not. “But tomorrow’s a new day!” he exclaimed. “And you know what I like to say: ‘Don’t bleed before you’re cut.’”

I thought about how to achieve that state. For some people, I thought, it just came naturally. For others, it wasn’t so easy. Then Timmy got up to help Lonnie find his tent, and it was just Harlan and me.