Deke and I man the paddles, but we don’t have to do much except steer now and then. The water remains calm, carrying us smoothly downriver at a mile or two an hour. The sun is out, the sky is clear, and we’re passing through some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.

As we come around a long slow curve, a moose clomps out of the forest and lowers her head into the water, drinking deeply. I recognize the animal because we have them in New Hampshire. Believe me, you don’t want to get in a car wreck with a moose! They can weigh over a thousand pounds. This one is female—no antlers—and as we pass by, her two calves join her at the water’s edge. Mom and kids.

“That’s so cute,” Mia says.

“That’s the first big creature we’ve seen that hasn’t wanted to kill us,” Deke points out.

Imani laughs. “Don’t say that too loud. Moose can swim.”

Momma moose watches us drift by. We’re not the first rafters she’s ever seen, and she knows we’re no threat. A little while later, a huge bald eagle swoops over the water, reaches down with its talons, and snags a fish. Amazing. It’s like Montana is showing off. Look at me, I am magnificent!

We’re distracted from the scenery by Cindi trying to speak. Or is she choking? Imani holds Cindi’s head up and pours a little water over her cracked lips. That’s what she wanted, something to drink.

“That’s a good sign, isn’t it?” I ask. “She hasn’t given up.”

Imani looks so serious it gives me the chills. “Hope we get there soon. I’m starting to think it doesn’t exist, this pickup location connected to a road.”

“Has to be real,” says Mia fiercely. “Sky told us, remember? We’d put in by the dam, and there would be another van waiting at the end of the adventure.”

“I wasn’t really paying attention,” I admit. “Funny how you don’t pay attention, and later it turns out to be a matter of life and death.”

“We’ll find it. There will be a road, and we’ll flag down the first vehicle we see. They’ll help us. They have to!”

We’re starting to feel panicky, me most of all, because it was my idea to go downriver, rather than wait to be rescued. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe we should have stayed where we were, waiting for the rain to stop and the sky to clear.

Suddenly, Deke perks up, lifting his head. “Hear that? Get ready.”

I grip the paddle with all my might. The river picks up speed, and the familiar sound gets louder and louder.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Soon it will be roaring. The big hush of white water.

45. The Most Beautiful Sound on Earth