Last week I went white water rafting for two days on the Lower Kern River with my great friend Randy. We had an exceptional time. If any of you get a chance to do this sometime, I highly recommend it. We were fortunate in that for the two days we were on the river a lot of water was being released from Lake Isabella making the Class III and IV rapids fun and exciting to run! The entire time we were rafting we never saw another boat or group on the river other than our own. The food was also exceptional. Somehow I managed to paddle, swim, portage a boat, and still gain weight? We were guided by a company called The Kern River Outfitters.
Back when I knew it all (20 years ago), Sandy and I took the same trip with our dear friends the Busch's. Instead of the large raft you see above, which is a safer way to go, I decided to go down the Kern in a two man inflatable kayak with Mike Busch. They call them "Slash Yaks" now for obvious reasons. I remember two very important lessons that have stayed with me over the years from that first trip. First, as the guides were giving instructions before we took off, Mike and I were goofing off, splashing each other, and otherwise not paying attention. Sure enough, on the very first easy Class II rapid, one minute I was paddling, and the next minute I was underwater with the raft on top of me. After banging against a few rocks and scrambling out from under the kayak I vowed that I would pay much better attention to the guides. I was scared, and it dawned on me that this was very dangerous, and that I needed to follow instruction. You would think that the sign on the way into the Kern Valley than says "242 people have lost their lives on the Kern since 1968" would have gotten my attention, but again, I thought I knew it all. How many of us are not really listening to the greatest guide of all? Are we reading the instruction manual regularly, or are we just splashing around?
The other lesson I learned on that trip was that during the course of our journey down the river we were going to face rapids and slam into rocks. It wasn't a matter of if, but when. We needed to know exactly how to respond. Our natural inclination was to move in the opposite direction of the rocks we went up on or hit. It makes sense. Your raft or kayak lifts up on the right side as you go over a rock, and you move to the left side to avoid it. The problem is that you make matters worse, and flip the boat over on top of you. Our guides on that trip were constantly screaming at us to "lean into the rocks". The lesson is obvious. Sometimes when you are in the middle of the rapids and you are hitting rocks, you just simply have to lean into them and ride it out. It's not easy. It doesn't feel comfortable. You have to do it anyway. The Bible doesn't always promise smooth water. In fact, it says that we can expect the rapids. It also says that God will provide several guides to help us on our way. On this year's trip, I noticed that the guides called it "High Siding". They wanted us to jump to the high side of the boat that was rising because of the contact with rocks. Same concept, interesting terminology.........
I know a lot of you out there are in rough water right now. You are getting tossed around and swallowing a lot of water. You don't see an end to the rapids, and all you want is calm water and a chance to float a little in your life jacket. I understand completely, as it's only been lately that Sandy and I have regained any kind of paddling rhythm ourselves on this river of life. All I can tell you is to listen to the guides. Pay attention to the instruction manual. Keep leaning into the rocks until the current smooths out. I pray that you will jump to the high side every chance you can..............
Jon
