The Trip

When I was about ten or eleven years old, my family and I went up to Flaming Forge on a rafting trip. We had to rent the equipment from a little shop, since we didn't own any (in fact, this was the first time the entire family was going rafting together). As the man was getting our stuff together, my parents asked him if the river was safe for children. As a small child I didn't hear or understand a lot of what he said, but what I did overhear scared me. He told my dad that most of the river was safe, there was just one part you had to be careful for. Then, being easily distracted, I walked away to look at something else.
As we walked down to the river I had nervous and excited butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't wait to get out on the river. As we started down the river, I couldn't seem to sit still. i turned this way and that, looking at the beautiful scenery. As the sun got brighter and hotter in a matter of minutes, I wished the trees would bend over the river and provide us shade, instead of providing shade for the empty shore.
As we neared the first set of rapids, I remember being scared and excited (though more scared than excited). As I bounced over the rapids with the raft, I got a face full of spray. I wiped my face as the raft settled back down onto the now smooth river. I was having a lot of fun. But then it happened.
As we neared one set of rapids my parents quickly surveyed the situation. On the side the flowed in to, there was a rock wall with an indentation making a very shallow cave. The rock looked bumpy, and I remember thinking that if we hit that wall the raft would pop. On the other side was the shore where the water was shallower and flowed much slower. In the middle was a gigantic rock, forcing all rafters to choose one side or another. My dad decided to head toward the shallow shore side and my mom wanted to follow the flow of the river. As we got closer my little sister and I tightly grabbed onto the rope at the front of the raft, something we had done through every rapid, while my brother moved back between my parents.
With my mom going one way and my dad going the other we ended up turning around. My dad quickly changed his mind about going toward the shore and started paddling toward the rock wall with my mom, desperate to get us turned around. We almost got straitened out but it was too late. We hit the rock. The boat got caught somehow and my sister and I fell out of the raft. I was able to hold onto the rope, but my sister, being four or five at the time, lost her grip and started floating down the river, aided by her life jacket. My dad leapt out of the raft after my sister and my mom got out and helped me. The only person who remained in the raft (and consequentially, dry) was my younger brother. My mom and I stood in the river, watching my dad struggling with my little sister, trying to keep both their heads above water with little help from his life jacket.
Luckily, three guys on a fishing trip, in a real boat, had seen what had happened. They had quickly paddled down the river to help my dad. They called out to my dad to hand up my little sister and he, reluctantly, handed up my terrified, screaming little sister. Another man then helped my dad into the boat. Once we knew they were safe, my mom and I started walking toward the shore, leaving my brother in the raft. We took about four steps when we heard my brother yell, in a somewhat terrified voice, "Wait for me mommy" and started to climb out of the raft. My mom immediately turned around and said, "Stay there, do not get out of the raft. I'll be right back for you." She got me to shore then went back for my brother and the raft.
The three men pulled the boat up onto the shore with us, and handed my little sister down to my mom. They offered up a ride to the take-out point which my mom and us kids gladly took. My dad and one of the men took the raft, since we were a little apprehensive about getting back in the raft. The ride in the boat was much more enjoyable, and much less scary. The men gave us towels to help us dry off, and even gave us each a soda to help us feel better. It was one trip I will never forget.