...and why you should always row Cataracts!!

Getting my scanner to work is like the constant wildcard in my life. I was cleaning up this evening and I came across this picture so I decided to see if my scanner would work tonight and that it did (now I've got lots of pictures to scan).

Anyways, about 4 years back, I took a multi-day float trip down the Gulkana River in Alaska (a trib to the mighty Copper). I went with my mother's fiance at the time and some of his freinds.

A couple years prior, they had purchased a second raft and never bothered to purchase a spare set of oars as they had never broken an oar in 25+ years of rowing the river.

Anyways, we had two days left in our float and just finished rowing the rafts through a section known as the 'Canyon.' My mom's fiance was on the sticks in one raft and I was with a buddy of his in another raft.

We were rounding a pretty routine corner and going through some heavy water but nothing dangerous when I heard *SNAP*!! And looked up and heard everyone yelling at me to "GRAB THE OAR!!!" Which I managed to do, barely, thank God!

Without a spare oar and some pretty heavy water and large rocks and two days to go in the trip, we needed to come up with something.

It involved, sawing apart part of the frame on the raft and lots and lots and lots of duct tape.

See for yourself.

Always carry a spare oar and ALWAYS row Cataracts!!!