Whitewater rafting, Class 5 rapids, with my little brother, about 18 at the time. Guide, wetsuits (ick, getting into someone else’s wetsuit while wet at 5:00 in the morning was gross). He was 18, I was hosting him at my apartment 60 miles away and I was 26.
We suited up in separate rooms and everyone got together, 8 plus guide/tiller to the raft for a seminar on how to do this. Everyone got a paddle and the guide would tell us where to go.
These were heavy rapids. On one, I just popped out and was cool as a cucumber and sent my feet downstream with my paddle across my chest. I was rescued, we went into an eddy and almost died, then were rescued. It wasn’t until I got to land that I realized I’d almost died and taken nearly 10 people down with me.
I started shaking while drinking the best chicken broth to warm me up for the rest of my life. My brother was safe the entire time, I learned to appreciate life with a whole new meaning and that night, our steak and potato dinner was probably the best dinner I ever ate.
Do you notice how my answers skew to food? Hot broth was the kicker here. They saved me and almost sunk themselves, what can I say?
Thank you to the brave guides and to the fellow travelers on that day. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 