The Wilderness Tours Lunch Spot

There it is, The Wilderness Tours lunch spot. Refuge!

After a long morning of throwing air screws on Corner Wave or massive air blunts on Baby Face, it's only natural to be famished and in need of sustenance. Though the lunch spot is a good 20-25 minute paddle away, the gold at the end of the lake is totally worth it. After running the Shia LaBoof or perhaps shredding Garb, features just above the lunch spot, burgers, sausages, soup, and hot chocolate are very near in your future. Just behind some rocks and a few trees lies a giant fire pit, fellow Keeners ready to serve you delicious vegetable and rice soup, and a giant pavilion atop a hill filled with burgers and sausages for the taking. After receiving a fresh off the grill burger or sausage (or both) you move on to the condiments: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc. These materials give you all the tools necessary for realizing the full potential of the Keener lunch. Once this beautiful work of art has been created and deliciously devoured it's time for trash pick up. Following Stephen Wright's enthusiastic exclamation, "Trash pick up time!!!" all the Keeners must find at least ten pieces of trash scattered around the lunch spot. Finally after all this is done, you're free to go shred.

Is this it.

Thump….Thump Thump…..Thump..THUMP THUMP. The sound of my heart overpowers the thunderous rage of the river. As I look over the horizon line of dragons tongue my throat dries up and my breath quickens. And I think is this it, is this it, is this…..

The day started out as a normal big water beat down day we (the keeners) ate bacon and pancakes to get ready for one of the three scariest days of our keener session. Everyone has to run a line or surf a hole that scares them, everyone. At first I thought I was going to just surf right side phils for the first time but after this day my kayaking career and my whole life is about to be changed.

After all of the carnage in Mccoy's Stephen Wright then asked who would want to run the main channel and get beat down hard, so I tentatively raised my hand but that hand quickly shot up when he asked who would want to run the middle channel and also garvin's chute.

Thinking back that little motion of raising my hand would alter the course of my destiny. We pulled up on shore to get out and scout this monster of a rapid, we went through all the possibilities, the good, the bad and the fatal. After looking at this for about and hour, seven of us decided to run this, this rapid. And of course after one of the instructors ran it I was up. My blood pumps faster and faster, my hands start shaking from pure terror. And I think is this it. As I approach the horizon line, I also approach the reckoning of my paddling career. Will I burn bright and fast like a firework or will I succeed and stay a constant flame. Over the edge I go, no time for any thoughts other than me succeeding in my line. One stroke two, now I am past the danger and BOOF! My boat hits the whitewater and I paddle hard to the sneak on the left of a sticky hole. I get through that and I flip and roll up. The exhilaration is pure and unhindered by defeat, but instead it is lifted high by success.

Ray Barbera