Down the Rabbit Hole - Holly Wilson

     One of the few on going jokes here at keeners between me and a few others has been "Welcome to the Rabbit Hole".
   
      Now before I begin explaining this, this is my first year at keeners. I have always seen and admired kayakers from afar for a long time. I have been coming to Wilderness Tours since I was approximately ten years old but only for rafting and every trip I would see these people in small boats chatting with any rafter or other boater that came across like they were best friends. Looking back I'm not sure if I was more interested in the lifestyle or the kayaking, but overall it lead me to want to kayak for years. Finally, last year, after years of begging, I was enrolled in the Teen Resident Camp here at WT and fell in love with kayaking.

     This is essentially where the "Rabbit Hole" joke begins. As I begun kayaking I quickly learned that almost everyone in this sport is crazy in their own beautiful way. Most of the people in Teen Camp were strange insane weirdos who knew how to have a good time and make a good time out of a situation that wasn't too happy. Those who knew how to have a good time though made the best of camp and made it that much more enjoyable and crazy. Now take all of those who knew how to have a good time put them all in one camp. Except instead of about six crazy teens you now have twenty-one who all get along and are insane in their own special way and you have the session 2 of 2015 keeners.

     This is where the "Rabbit Hole" joke truly began. Already on the first day I realized what a crazy bunch we truly were and made the joke that "we're going down the rabbit hole" as a reference towards the Alice in Wonderland  book. One keener, named Hunter Gibson turns to me ad says "No welcome to the rabbit hole". I have realized over the past week that this statement is extremely true. Not only do you have "to be off your rocker to want to white water kayak", as once said by fellow keener Charlie Barbera, but the wonderful adventures and memories Alice makes while in Wonderland also apply to this program. It may only be week one but I have already found friends who accept me for my odd traits and have their own and also friends who will last more than just this session.

     Overall, although it may seem slightly inappropriate to use the "Welcome to the Rabbit Hole" reference when talking about keeners at first, when thought is put into the joke it is actually a wonderful testament to the adventures and insane (meant in both ways) people working and living here with us this session at keeeners.

~ Holly Wilson

The Scariest Moment of Keeners – Hunter

Well this my scariest moment so far. I did not know what to do. I was stuck in an eddy that jetted me straight into a sketchy hole which flipped me and I returned to the eddy, repeat cycle.

I was trying to do a line called the pipeline. This is a line in the Lorne where you go to the far right and punch through a curler and continue down the rapid. Well for me this did not work. I punched through the curler but in the process I was thrown to the right. This sent me straight into a rock wall. Which I found had an eddy right at the base. Well at this point I was relieved. I thought sweet an eddy i can sit here for a second and figure out how to get back on line. Well as I was thinking I didn't realize that I was thrown into a viscous cycle. I went backwards into a very flushy hole and was flipped I thought ok, alright just roll up and when I did I was back in this eddy well this sucked me right back into that hole. I flipped and rolled up again. 

Well by this point I had had quite enough of being thrown around. I tried to peel out but I was facing down stream in a very boily eddy right against an almost sheer rock face  that was less wide than my boat. I tried to turn around to face up stream and caught an edge. This threw me into the hole. Roll up again this time I notice Claire, an instructor.  I yell “what do I do?”I assume she responds with wonderful words of wisdom but I don't hear them for I am in the hole again.

 Well this time I am really determined I yell again but at the same time I also try to peel out backwards. This did not work I am back in the hole. Well I decide that this is a lost cause and pull skirt. This was a bad idea. I end up going through this process again but this time without my boat. When i am thrown back into the eddy the rock wall hugs my face. Without a boat or paddle I am powerless in the water. When you pull skirt it is generally a please god let this swim be a way out of this hole or up for air i do not want to be recirculated any more. Well this did neither of these things for me. A boat is like a giant life jacket that you can do fun things in well when you jettison from that life jacket you no longer have that buoyancy. I was getting  recirculated without my boat in something I couldn't deal with in my boat this was not a good time. I was scraping my fingertips across the rocks when I floated by to try to slow my descent into that horrible hole. About the third time around without my massive orange Jackson life jacket, my fingers stuck. It was a wonderful experience my fingers were painfully wedged in a small crack in the other wise smooth wall. 

I started to climb, it was hard there were almost no footholds only slightly less steep sections of rock but i quickly made it to the top. At the top I found Clara throw rope in hand. I knew that the next time around I would of had a rope to grab onto. Standing at the top she checked me out made sure I was okay while she was doing I proceeded to almost fall right back in. Well she grabbed be and I sat on the edge of the rock regaining my breath. When all was well I walked down the island and watched as my boat was saved and brought back to my slightly shaky hands. 

There was no paddle. We went down stream to the push button eddy which is a big comfortable sluggish eddy where we asked if anyone had seen my paddle everyone said no and told me to walk back up pushey and look for it there in the big pool except the last person in line who had the brilliant idea of asking me if my paddle was the one saved a minute before and placed on shore. I was finally reunited with all my gear and the story telling began.

How to Not Enjoy Keeners : Hunter Gibson

Keeners is a Fabulous Place. I am a first time Keener and have only been here for two days. I am terrified by the rapids, but am still having a blast. Everyone here is amazing and no-one will put you down ever! Its pretty easy to have fun here, but if you don't want to enjoy your stay, just follow these simple steps.

1. Be Anti-Social. By this, I mean don't talk to anyone. Do not even make eye contact with your fellow Keeners. It they try to make contact with you, angrily lash out at them "Why are you looking at me?"This will discourage any future contact and ensure that all the wonderful, funny, pleasant people you are at Keeners with will not ruin your dark unhappiness.

2. Do the Absolute Minimum on the River.
This will ensure minimum improvement in your kayaking. When many people try to convince you to do or try things, you should sit at the back of the eddies. Refuse all requests and never ever join conversations on the water.

3. Avoid All Chores. This will make other Keeners and coaches angry with you. These people will now try to make your life harder and will help with step one.

4. Never Use Sunscreen. This will ensure maximum pain at all times. As Sunscreen is very valuable, do not let anyone else use yours ether. Ignore the sunscreen Keeners has at the Thunderdome and the Lunch site. The redder and more tender your skin, the harder it will be to enjoy yourself.

5. Do not let your feet dry, ever! This will almost guarantee that you get foot rot, AKA Athletes foot, AKA Trench Foot. This is very painful and if it gets bad, you will have to stay off the river. This infection will bleed and hurt and really a few days in not treated right away.

Having a bad time is hard, even when following these steps. The people around you only want you to have fun, and it is infectious! To have a bad time you really need to focus and work on it. So instead, relax, and enjoy your time at Keeners!

Signing out, Hunter Gibson.