Rapid drifin' and boat flippin'
“We hit a rock,” said first-year Hunter. “We all messed up.”
“What do you mean ‘we’ all messed up?” asked sixth-year Ethan.
“I don’t think I did anything either. It was all completely Hunter’s fault,” added third-year Ben.
The three Pine Mt. boys all laughed as they tossed the blame around, trying to figure out who flipped the boat the first time. Hunter, who sat in the front, said he called out to the others, informing them of the large rock they were rushing towards while going down some rapids.
“One second before we hit it,” replied Ethan with a smile as wide as the river.
“That just sounds like excuses to me,” Hunter replied, an equally wide smile across his face as he threw his hands up and shrugged.
While no one could pinpoint who was “at fault” for the canoe flipping the first time, the three seemed to agree on who was the cause of the second flip.
“I tried to move around, me, Ben,” said Ethan, as he pretended to be Ben. “It was very embarrassing. I cried my eyes out, I wanted my mom, I couldn’t find my teddy bear, it was just very embarrassing.”
Ethan continued to play the role of Ben, adding that it was Ethan who picked the rock up and singlehandedly saved the boat and got them through the rapids. The three of them howled with laughter before Ben, the real Ben, began playing the role of Ethan.
“I kind of feel like it was my fault the boat flipped over,” Ben, who was pretending to be Ethan, said.
“I know you’re just being humble, but it’s my, Ben’s, fault,” said Ethan, who tried his best to hold back his laughter.
Hunter took “Ben’s” (Ethan’s) side, saying it was Ben (the real Ben) who was rocking the boat, which ultimately led to them flipping over the second time. As the laughter died down some, Hunter added that the trip was a “ten out of ten.”
“Eleven out of ten. I had a lot of fun with my friends,” said the real Ben. “I still don’t feel like the second flip was my fault though.”
Hunter and Ethan nodded, agreeing with the first part of what Ben said, but the second part was met with stifled laughter.
The real Ethan continued to joke while giving advice on how not to flip a canoe on the river.
“Yeah, don’t be in a boat with anyone named Ben,” he said as his two friends began cracking up.
The three of them got serious for a breif moment and agreed that the best thing to do if you do flip is to remain calm and collected, and to keep your nose and toes facing downstream.
And the best way to not flip is to not rock the boat, the three said, still laughing.
- Authored by Orion Griffin