The River Wild....and stupid

I neglected to recount the most memorable moment from last weekend's trip to Bozeman. It definitely deserves a mention.

Beth invited me river rafting with the wedding party last Friday. There were more than a dozen of us crammed into two rafts. It was without a doubt the best raft trip I've been on in terms of conditions. I was there right as the Gallatin River was near it's highest level of the year. But in terms of overall experience, it was one of my least favorite outdoor experiences.

Our two raft guides seemed pretty cool. They were your typical young, funny, care-free river guides. They did the things tour guides aren't supposed to do (like stopping at a local bridge so we could do backflips off it). I was having a good time with them and the rest of the group.

At one point, we were about ready to cross under a bridge. The other raft was in front of us but we were close behind. The guide in the first raft, Raleigh, decided to grab onto the bridge as they went beneath it. Keep in mind that the water was moving pretty swiftly. I literally had no time to react. I see him grab a hold of the bridge, swing out of his own raft and BAM!!!...we slam into him as he's hanging from the steel beam. His lower back knocks my head back. My helmet slammed into Aaron's (the groom that weekend) face. It's over in a second. Aaron has a bloody lip. And my eyeglasses are mangled. One lens is gone...and the rims are seriously bent.

Pissed....me.....off.

Those who know me know how blind I am. It was awful. I couldn't see for the rest of raft trip. By some miracle of God, I had an extra pair of glasses in my car.

Raleigh felt like an idiot. My raft guide was too dumbfounded to even know what to say. I was wondering what to do about my expensive glasses. I told the manager about it. He asked me how much they cost. I said $200. I think I lowballed him. But he was gracious enough to give me a check for that amount and I didn't pay for the rafting trip.

The End.