IGX

Won't be out and in Internet range until December 23. You'll be hearing from me.

Or not. Either way, consider it my Christmas present to you.

You Only Live Twice

Try to do something risky & thrilling this time, Tim.

I am seriously jealous.

What doesn't kill you sometimes gets a second chance to kill you.

Godspeed.

And don't forget your toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear.

Thud wrote:Godspeed.

And don't forget your toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear.

...and a scuba tank.

and maybe a defibrillator

Whatever you do, don't wear a wet suit.

Pinky wrote:Whatever you do, don't wear a wet suit.

You got that right. I'm wearing a dry suit.

Enjoy your birthday trip, my friend!

Back, safe, didn't swim once. Wore a dry suit all the way.

But man, winter camping for three weeks. Sometimes in the low 20s at night. Maybe 65 for half an hour a day when we got sun between the canyon rims. Or it wasn't raining on us.

It was all: Pull into a beach...

Secure boats.Pitch camp, set up kitchen, groover, wash stations. Cook and eat in the dark.

Get up before dawn, take down the kitchen, tents, wash stations, groover. Reload the boats. Strap everything in so it's bomb proof and rigged to flip. Row for five hours. Pull into another beach and do it again. Finger tips bleeding from the combination of wet hands, dry air, rough webbing. Superglue helps.

The day before Lava Falls, and immense thunder storm rolled down the canyon. It was an astounding sound and light show that felt as if it was ours alone. But it it was also ominous because that happened the night before we did Lava Falls where I died 2 years and 10 days before. We stressed about the rapid a little and I had some nasty flashbacks of being underwater and fighting forces entirely beyond human control.

But my captain ran a clean line and we busted through the rapid in 20 seconds flat. Camped on the very beach where I died and where we all over indulged in our various favored intoxicants.

Big horn sheep all over. Condors. Herons. Bald Eagles. Ringtailed cats raiding the camp at night. Great hikes.

Even so, and with all this good luck, it occurred to me, as I was trying to keep up with the 20 and 30 year olds that I am definitely getting too old for this shit.

So that trip might be my last multi-week life and death expedition.

Maybe.

Kudos. Hell of a trip

Three weeks in the wild, living on the land, struggling to survive, fighting for resources, separated from civilization, jacking off quietly in a three-man tent, a man becomes mean.

seeahill wrote:The day before Lava Falls, and immense thunder storm rolled down the canyon. It was an astounding sound and light show that felt as if it was ours alone. But it it was also ominous because that happened the night before we did Lava Falls where I died 2 years and 10 days before. We stressed about the rapid a little and I had some nasty flashbacks of being underwater and fighting forces entirely beyond human control.

That could be the beginning of a good novel.

Welcome back alive.

DrDonkeyLove wrote:

seeahill wrote:The day before Lava Falls, and immense thunder storm rolled down the canyon. It was an astounding sound and light show that felt as if it was ours alone. But it it was also ominous because that happened the night before we did Lava Falls where I died 2 years and 10 days before. We stressed about the rapid a little and I had some nasty flashbacks of being underwater and fighting forces entirely beyond human control.

That could be the beginning of a good novel.

Welcome back alive.

More like a hallmark movie, but i'd watch it

Welcome back. You didn't miss a thing.

Dammit