It was early on a Sunday morning. My Mother was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for my sister and me. We were getting ready for our day on the Delaware River. My Mom and Sister were going skidder tubing with some of their friends. I was going canoe fishing on the River with a close friend of the family. Little did I know at the time, what would lie ahead in the way of danger.
I was really excited about the day ahead as I had never been on the Delaware before. The swiftness and height of the river made it seem even more adventurous. I felt like a real outdoorsman! As we packed up the last of our gear in the little white pick up truck, my heart pounded with excitement at the thought of pulling one of those walleye out of the river. I had been fishing once at an old man’s house that lived on the Pennsylvania side of the river. Ever since I saw him pull that walleye out of the river, I couldn’t wait to do it myself, but today was going to be even better than when I watched from the side of the river. I would be on the River right there with the fish.
Once we got to Long Eddy, we unpacked the truck. My mother and the other people went their way and we went the other. My mom yelled back one last time, ” Be careful Joey… don’t take off that life jacket and steer clear of the rapids. The river is high today because the gates are open”. My mom had a friend who did river runs with tourists for trout fishing and had called them that morning to find out if there was anything else we needed to know regarding safety on the river.
The Term Paper on Dams And Fun A Look At The Social Impact Dams Have On Whitewater Raftingfly fishing
Dams and Fun: a Look at the Social Impact Dams Have on Whitewater Rafting/Fly-Fishing Introduction Since ancient times people were constructing dams to protect themselves from floods, to generate electricity, for agricultural, industrial and other needs. More than 4,500 dams were built during the last fifty years to provide population with increasing demands in water and energy. Almost ? of world ...
I felt confident the day would go well. My Mom’s friend that took me fishing that day had a lot of experience on the river. My mother was still really worried about me going because I was inexperienced and nieve to the real dangers of the river. She would have preferred, I went with her and the younger children, but as usual, I got my way. Finally, there I was floating down the Delaware, fishing pole in hand. We had enough bait to feed an army. It was a dream come true soon to become a nightmare.
As we headed around the bend in the river down towards Hankins, the river picked up speed. All seemed safe and easy to handle. As we got to the other side of Hankins there was another bend in the river. The water became swifter and louder as we continued down towards the bend. My partner said that we needed to divert from the large pockets of white foamy water. I observed that he was becoming a little nervous.
When I asked Jim what was wrong he said not to worry just to make sure my life jacket was on correctly and to hold on and to listen to his instruction exactly. Being young and always anxious for an opportunity for excitement, I saw the chance to have a thrill without seeing beyond the nose on my face. I thought it would be quite adventurous to steer a little closer to the white-foaming water rapids. The roar of the white foamy water hitting the rocks was enough to get me excited to the point where my heart was pounding and beads of sweat were running down my forehead. I paddled towards the white water without realizing that my partner was already struggling. The canoe pounded onto a rock and propelled me out of the boat.
My partner yelled, “Keep swimming Joe…keep swimming to shore and don’t look back…just keep swimming…”. This time I listened. I never swam so fast in my entire life. When I reached the river’s edge, I was exhausted and out of breath. I looked towards where the canoe capsized. My partner was being ripped under by the canoe, which was spinning uncontrollably in the white water.
The Essay on The Nile River in Shaping Egyptians Life
“Egypt is the gift of the Nile!” Herodotus The Nile, the World’s longest river, extends for 6400 km. It starts in the heart of Africa (the Lake Victoria) to pass Uganda Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt to finally flow into the Mediterranean Sea. The Great Nile consists of several tributaries. The two main of them: the White and the Blue Nile meet in the Sudan capital of Khartoum to create a magnificent ...
I was later to find out that his life jacket had snapped and got wrapped around the bench in the canoe and with each turn of the boat, it tightened around his neck. Miraculously he broke free. I still cannot explain how that that felt watching a grown man being tossed around like a ragdoll. I really believe, as does my partner, that it was a miracle of God. There were a couple of other fishermen who saw the whole thing and could not believe that either one of us made it. I am very fortunate to be able to tell you this experience today.
