I wish I could say we were done for the day, but no. We still had the Butter-Churn rapids and the Get-Out-Now rapids to go. Both were easy to maneuver compared to our adventure down the Tube Chute. There was only one catch to the Get-Out-Now rapids. They flowed over an eight-foot waterfall, and right after that was the Thrill-and-Kill. The Thrill-and-Kill was a Class Six rapid that was considered impossible to run.
“Some of the more experienced guides go through and make it,” Matt said, “but it’s a fifteen-foot waterfall with more than a few rocks at the bottom, so we’ll be getting out. There’s a nice eddy at the bottom of Get-Out-Now.”
“Matt, what if I fall out of the raft on the rapids and can’t get to the eddy?”
“You won’t fall out, Miss Pancake. And if you do, you will be able to get to the eddy. Just swim as hard as you can.”
“DON’T miss the eddy.” Mom’s stern glare sent fearful chills up my spine. Worse than river-water chills.
It turned out not to be a problem. The rapids were actually fun. The water slapped me in the face a couple of times, but I really enjoyed the falls. I found myself wishing we could go back and do Get-Out-Now again. The water current and the curve of the river directed our raft to the eddy without any effort on our part.
“That was awesome,” I said later, after Flip and Rusty had caught up with us on the side of the river.
“Then why didn’t you smile?” Flip scrolled through the digital pictures on his camera. “I got so many good shots, but you’re frowning in every one.”
“It’s a little hard to smile when water is slapping you in the mouth.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to practice that later with the water hose.” Flip grinned. “Gotta have some smiles by Friday.”
I turned to Matt. “We’re doing the shoot in two days?”
“I don’t see why not. I like how the water is running now. If we wait too long, the levels might change, which makes it a whole new river.”
“I wish I wasn’t flying out on Friday.” Rusty frowned and sat down next to me on the side of the raft.
What Rusty didn’t know yet, but all the rest of us did, was that Rusty’s dad was actually the one flying out on Friday. He was flying out of Fresno — to come and surprise Rusty in Montana.