Once we’re all out, Sky claps his hands together. “We’ll hike down from here. Cindi and I will portage the raft. Everybody else, take a pack. And while you’re strapping up, we’ll give the sat phone another try.”

Sky and Cindi bend over the satellite phone, punching buttons and shaking their heads in frustration. After a brief discussion, they nod in agreement.

Sky strides back to us, clearing his throat. “Listen up, people! We had to make a decision. Base was duly notified about abandoning our first destination. But the phone is still down—looks like the battery croaked—so we can’t contact them to let them know the Crazy is our final choice, understood? It’s not as if we’ll be alone on the river. Bound to cross paths with other tour groups, who are likely to have a working sat phone. In light of that, we have decided to proceed with our plan to raft the Crazy, and make contact later.”

We all cheer, even Deke. Crazy River, here we come.

2. Why They Call It Crazy

The hike down to the riverbed would be tough even without the packs. The trail is steep and twisty and the big pack feels like I’m top-heavy, and if I’m not careful, I’ll tip over backward. I’m not the only one. Imani really does fall over, and when Deke laughs and makes fun of her, Sky makes him take her pack, too.

“This is a team effort,” he says, very firm. “One of us falls, we pick our teammate up. Do whatever is necessary to preserve the team. Understood?”

Deke smirks but agrees. Sky is really nice and everything, but you get the idea it wouldn’t be smart to make him mad. I’m worried that if Deke doesn’t stop being such a jerk, he’s going to ruin it for the rest of us.

When we finally get down to river level, there’s a lot of work to do. Sky inflates the bright red raft and prepares it for launch. When it’s ready, Cindi helps us stow and secure the packs, which contain all the food and gear we’ll need for the three-day journey. Then she takes charge of making sure our bulky life jackets are adjusted and the chin straps on our helmets are fastened. I make sure the elastic strap on my glasses is tight.