Fear, Skill, and Discernment

Fear is an incredibly useful thing. Imagine you are paddling toward a horizon line on a river that you are unfamiliar with. From your point of view, you can see nothing below. It could be a simple rock slide that you could run without ever taking a paddle stroke, or it could be a 90 foot drop onto a pile of boulders. Even if you are following someone who knows the lines, and who has assured you that it is only a short drop into a deep pool, you will still probably feel that knot start to build up in your stomach as you paddle toward the ledge. If you decide to go for it, you find that your friend was right: It was a simple and painless drop, but you still experienced fear as you approached the edge. Why?

The purpose of fear is self-preservation. In any given situation, you are constantly assessing your surroundings and actions whether you are aware of it or not. If your brain processes a sensory input that seems dangerous, it often responds with fear. It raises a little red flag that says, "Wait! That could hurt me!" In many cases, that little red flag is what saves us from injury or even death. It keeps us from walking too close to the edge of a cliff, from touching a poisonous snake, or, in the context of paddling, from going over that 90 foot drop onto boulders.

There are, however, many circumstances in which we are afraid of things that can cause us little or no harm. To a brand new paddler, floating down a class I river can be terrifying. It is something they have not experienced, so the little red flag pops up. As they progress in their paddling skill, that class I becomes easy and class II is the new frontier. Again, the flag pops up and they are afraid. When class II becomes easy, they move on to class III. This pattern continues on for as long as they live. As they become accustomed to something, it becomes familiar and less scary. Conversely, as they push ourselves and try new things, their fearfulness is there reminding them of the consequences. 

As we continue to grow as paddlers and push ourselves to perform at higher levels and run more difficult rapids, we must be able to discern three things: 

1) The level of our skills: We must be aware of what we can handle. If you have only ever run class II, you probably do not have the skills necessary to safely run class IV. It would be foolish to try to make that jump too quickly.

2) The difficulty of what we are considering trying: Does the rapid have any must-make moves? Is there a significant drop? Are there many dangerous spots to avoid? Are there a wide range of lines to choose from?

3) Whether the benefits outweigh the consequences: What do you gain? How fun will it be? What are the risks? Who are you with? Are you likely to be hurt? 

Bottom line: Is it worth it to run the rapid? (hopefully the answer is YES!)

If you still feel excessively fearful after asking all those questions, do not be afraid to portage. There is never any shame in walking a rapid; it will be there later. But when the timing is right, taking the next step can be an incredible experience.

 Remember, fear is there to protect you, not to control you. Use your discernment to make a wise and thoughtful decision.

Noah Stewart