The hike in was brutal. Going mostly uphill for 6.5 hours with a kayak and gear tied to my back was excruciating.  I knew that I was worked when I started hallucinating, seeing a kayak being carried up the trail by a friend who is on the East Coast right now.

The first waterfall hurt. The rest were amazing. Frustration Falls, the motivating reason for all the work involved, was everything I expected it to be. I botched the entrance, then laid it out from 40 feet up. I hit the water so hard if felt like water slammed into the back of my eyeballs. I looked up, saw the place I was in, and felt unadulterated happiness.

After I rappelled 80 feet into the pool next to Final Falls, I felt utterly helpless. I couldn’t untie myself from the rope and I couldn’t swim. Buffeted by the wind, blinded by the raging mist I grew steadily colder in as the sun was well below the rim of the gorge.

Ryan Scott is the man. His knowledge of the SRG and leadership on the water saved us countless hours on our mission of exiting the gorge before night fell. Sometime during the day Mark said. “This group is all business.” I just nodded. We had to be. We finished at 9:45 pm.

I woke up today with aches and pains and a huge smile.