legitimate fear
This weekend was the most exhilarating and terrifying experience of my life. Casey and I along with 7 other expats from Gulu travelled to the beautiful city of Jinja to do some extreme grade 5 rafting at the source of the Nile. Friday, we caught the Post Bus to Kampala and stayed over night in a guest house directly beside one of the most popular clubs in the area. Early the next morning the Nile River Explorer shuttle picked us up and took us to Jinja. Jinja is located East of Kampala and is best known for hosting the source of the Nile. Jinja also has the Nalubaale Hydroelectric Power Station, also known as the Owen Falls Dam. I’ll assume that Jinja gets far fewer power outages than poor Gulu. Even as I type this post our compound is running on a generator.
When we arrived at the Nile River Explorer camp the employees told us to grab a helmet, a life vest and some breakfast to eat on the road. There were about 25 of us in total and we all fit on 5 rafts (6 people max per raft). Our guide told us that during June and July they often bring over 20 rafts to accommodate everyone. I was glad that we had such a small group. It made for a more intimate experience. We drove through rural villages set up along the Nile in an open lorry type vehicle. Children ran along side the truck waving and smiling. Some others flipped us the bird or worse. I don’t blame them though, they probably get sick and tired of seeing us ugly mzungus drive through their village every day.
When we got to the launching site I loaded on the 60 SPF. It definitely didn’t last long. As I type I am nursing my lobster legs and face with cream. I was asked today if I was sick because my face was red. “No,” I replied, “That’s what happens when I am in the sun for too long.” “Oh! I am so sorry!” was her response. “You are just too delicate!” As I count the number of scrapes, bumps and bruises on my body from rafting, I guess I have to agree with her.
Once all 7 of us, including our guide, Peter, were out on the raft, we were drilled in what to do during certain situations that were bound to come up during our excursion. As he shouted commands and gave instructions on what to do when our boat flipped over or if you were thrown out of it, I remember thinking to myself, “Sarah, you may die today.” It didn’t help that Peter also told us that we may die.
The first rapid was a grade 4. That doesn’t sound all that scary but when you have a 5 foot lethal looking rapid flowing much faster than you care to imagine right above your head, it is the most horrifying millisecond of your life… made that more terrifying due to the fact that this was the very FIRST rapid within 5 minutes of paddling down the Nile. As you probably guessed, our raft tipped over and we all flew out. Me and Phillip, a friend from Germany, got the worst of it. We weren’t able to hang on to the rope on the raft and we tumbled like a washing machine under the current. I didn’t know which way was up or down. Luckily my life vest did. That first crash into the rapids was definitely the most life threatening experience I’ve ever had. Though it lasted less than 5 seconds, it felt like I was under the water trying to find my way for hours. Casey was also unable to hold onto the rope. Though he ended up on the other side of the river. One of the rescue kayaks got a hold of him before he crashed into the rocks and while the rest of us were able to get back on the raft for the remainder of that set of rapids, Casey had to hang onto the back of the kayak as it tried to maneuver the safest way possible so Casey didn’t get mushed to pieces by the rocks.
While the rest of our team was feeling an adrenaline rush from having been thrown off, I just felt dread. We still had 5 hours to go and 7 more rapids, some much larger than the one we just went through. All I could think about was losing my contacts and having to sit on the rescue raft the remainder of the trip. I forgot to bring an extra pair so if they were lost to the Nile, I am much too blind to try and finish without them. The next set of rapids occurred very similar to the first, except along with the sense of dread that was always at my core, I also felt an adrenalin rush and a sense of adventure. I was beginning to enjoy being thrown off. My contacts had a knack for sticking to my eyes, so I let that fear slide a bit.
The final rapid before our lunch break on the Nile was called “The Bad Place.” And for a good reason. Most of the rapids were grade 6 and therefore much too dangerous for us to manage. Going into them would mean certain death for those of us without any previous knowledge or skill at maneuvering rapids. Therefore we got off our raft and walked, to the amusement of the locals washing at the banks, around an island to a much safer but still potentially lethal grade 5. Peter told us that we would most definitely get thrown off these rapids so when he shouted “GET DOWN!” We’d have to throw our paddles away because there was no chance that we’d actually hang on to them during these rapids. When I saw what lay ahead I felt like throwing up. For 100 meters (or 328 feet) it was just gigantic, menacing, roaring rapids flowing extremely fast. Why else were we there if not to challenge these beasts? We jumped in the raft, paddled to just before The Bad Place swallowed us up, threw our paddles away and got down. Our raft miraculously made it over the first one and we surfed in between two rapids for 2 seconds, but our shouts of joy were cut short. We were overpowered and lost to The Bad Place. I tumbled left, right, up and down under the current and eventually bobbed to the surface. While everyone else travelled the remainder of The Bad Place without a raft, I was pushed to the right and headed straight for big rocks. I was fortunately snatched by the rescue raft. Unfortunately I had to sit there and wait until all 5 rafts were through. It was quite funny to watch the rest of the rafts get swallowed up and I laughed with the locals watching from the shore.
After The Bad Place we had only 4 sets of rapids to go. The worst of them was over though. We ate fresh pineapple and glucose biscuits and enjoyed the amazing view. The remainder of the day went very much like the first half. Falling off and getting back on. We WHERE able to make it through one grade 3 rapid without falling off. It was pretty exhilarating to see what goes on ABOVE the water for once. I felt like we were flying. Needless to say there were a few Titanic jokes thrown around that day.
After the very last rapid, which happened to be the last tumble out of the raft, we floated down the warm waters of the Nile relaxing as our life vests did most of the work. The day ended with a delicious BBQ beside the Nile of sausages, baked potatoes, garlic bread and not to mention free beer. I decided on a Nile Special, seeing as it was quite fitting.
Our group decided to stay in the Nile River Explorer’s hostel. While Casey and the boys went out in Jinja, the girls and I decided to stay in and get a good night’s rest. The next morning I was very, very sore. My muscles ached from paddling and getting thrown around on the Nile and my skin ached from the severe sun burn I couldn’t escape.
In the end it was both one of the best and worst experiences of my life. I say worst because I don’t know if legitimately fearing for your life is a necessarily “good” experience. Anyway, Casey and I both would suggest white water rafting to anyone and everyone.
-Sarah
