How to get rid of a hornet from the thunder dome - Sasha Sachs 

At Keenerville we have multiple hornets nests and they can get pretty scary, especially when the black and yellow creatures appear next to you while you’re eating your dinner. To avoid this sticky situation follow this manual written by me.

Step one: Identify the insect

If its a wasp you are better off leaving it alone but if it is indeed a hornet continue with the process.

Step two: Decide on the solution and gather your supplies

There are two  possible ways to deal with a wild hornet, you can either trap it and bring it outside or you can kill it. If you are trapping the hornet you  will need a water bottle or container and a piece of paper. If  you are killing it you will  need emotional support and a shoe.

Step three (trap):  

If you are trapping it you have to be patient. Wait until it lands on a flat surface and only then trap it. Once the hornet is trapped, quickly slide the paper underneath the container making sure there is no way to escape.

Step three (kill):

If you decide to kill the hornet you will also need to be patient and very careful. Wait for it to land on a hard surface, take a deep breathe because it may be your last. Take a step forward and start  violently smacking the hornet until it is clearly deceased. 

Step four (trap): 

Once the insect is trapped take it outside and throw the container as far away from you as possible. Next I advise you to sprint back inside and close all the doors.

Step four (kill): Disposing of the body:

Once you see the corpse stop moving you will have to get rid of the body. Take a pair of tweezers and gently pick it up. Next put it outside and pay your respects.

With these tips I hope you will be prepared for your next encounter.

 How to properly surf Odyssey- Charlotte Iles 

Step 1: You must go in upside down. This sounds scary but it's absolutely necessary ;).

Step 2: wait until it flips you upright. It might rip your paddle or helmet away but that just makes the story so much cooler when you're bragging.

Step 3: Surf. Surf. Surf. 
It's even better when you Dont actually realize you're in the hole. It might spit you out, or make you do cartwheels or flip you around and around until you Dont know what planet you're on but at least you tried.

Step 4: Get rescued, brag and write a blog about it.

 

How to deal with being homesick- Joshua Mendes 

1. Call or video call your parents.
2. Talk to your keener mom about it, they’ll likely be able to comfort you.
3. Talk to your friends about it, they may also have some ways to deal with it.
4. Get a good nights sleep, sometimes when your tired you are more emotional. That may mean going to bed before curfew, which is fine. 
5. Continue routines from home such as reading before bed.
6. Bring something that comforts you from home, such as a stuffed animal
7. Give yourself a big hug, sometimes thats all you need.
8. And finally, don’t bottle up your emotions inside.

 Sunburns: Noah Koppens 

Sunburns, what can I say about them other than they suck. I’m choosing this topic for my blog because, the first day here at keeners I managed to get a bad sunburn. We were hanging out at McCoys for the morning and we went back to “keenerville” where our cabins are to eat. After that we ran the main channel. On the first day I remembered sunscreen during the morning , however in the afternoon I forgot. So here’s a couple things I do now so I don’t make my sunburn worse and if you’re prone to sunburns as well you should do this too. Step 1. Wear something that has long sleeves. This can be a long sleeve shirt, rash guard, dry top or whatever you have to block the sun from your skin. Step 2. WEAR SUNSCREEN! I can’t stress this enough, whatever you do wear sunscreen and bring some with you on the river. If you forget or don’t have something too bring it in. Ask the people you are with if they have some, and if so ask if you can borrow it. If you don’t have any and they don’t have any your face and hands might get burnt but at least most of your skin is covered by something long. Once you have followed these steps you should be good to go on the river and not get burnt so bad that you are glowing red.

 Ear infections: Cam Richardson 

Ear infections are caused by too much time in river water. This happens when you don’t empty out you ear when you have been swimming or rolling. Trust me they hurt. I have had multiple ear infections before but this one I got at keepers was the worst one. A few things that I found helpful when treating an ear infection were: 

1. Filling a hot water bottle up with hot water with a cloth and resting it on your ear can help I lot. It relives I lot of the pain/pressure.

2. The second thing that can work is a warm 
wet cloth this sorta does the same thing as the hot water bottle but it will get
your ear wet.

3. The last tip I have for treating ear infections is STAY OFF THE WATER until you ear infection is gone! This tip can suck. However if you don’t it’s better than getting you ear wet and the possibility of having an even worse ear infection and missing out on a lot of kayaking. 

I hope these tips helped and stay safe on the water!

How to swim in rapids: Deacon Therrien 

First thing to know about a rapid before swimming it is 

A) is the water deep

B) are there any rocks

C) where am I swimming to

And D) is there anything or anybody in the rapid. 

Once you have cleared all those and are ready to swim you want to know how to swim, there are two different ways you can swim a rapid.

1- aggressively, this is where you face the rapids and are on your stomach swimming to them and through them. (This one is great because you can see where your going and you have more control over where your going)

2- defensively, this is where you are laying on your back, then letting the current take you into the rapid while having your arms out on your side controlling where you are going. (This one is less fun but more safe)

Once you have chosen which form you are swimming the rapid you want to slowly walk into the water this is called wading. Once you can’t touch or once you have a clear line on where your going through rapid you start your swim. Later during the swim you will go into one of the swimming techniques and try to get to an eddy or shore. 

Have fun swimming rapids!

 The Tornado: Nahla McNair 

It was a stormy night at Keener ville when the Keeners were settling down at the dinner table. They watched the lightning strike the trees on the other side of the river. The thunder started getting louder and the wind picked up. As Luke opened the door to get his camera to take pictures of the lightning, it ripped the door off the hinges and flew away. They start to realize that maybe this isn’t just a storm. They sprint to Robertson’s and hide in the rooms because they thought a tree was falling on the Thunderdome. “Get under the beds!” Savannah exclaimed. They quickly crawled under the beds and waited out the swirling tornado. Luckily everyone was fine and it was a happy ending.