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| Mary and Matt - Lava Rapid hole. |
Need I say that Lava is always at the back of your mind when
you are on the canyon? Sure, you don’t think of it a lot, but as the miles go by
and you get closer, you think about it more.
So you are probably thinking that I must have really had an
ugly run the first time through. Not so. I rowed an 18 foot bucket boat, also with
Sawyer oars, and had an ok run down the right side with a little bit of contact
with the rock at the bottom. All was well...
Before you know it, it is the night before Lava. Everyone
seems to be looking at their boats and making adjustments to the load. I can’t
even think about that – I have butterflies in my stomach two years later just
remembering how it felt that night.
Everyone was subdued at breakfast. We set up a sandwich bar
and packed lunches since no one wanted to stop and eat before Lava. We were a
pretty quiet bunch during the 20 miles it took to get to the scout. We were
planning a layover so camp was just below Lower Lava.
First you see Vulcan’s Anvil. Ok, you can almost hear the
rapid from there. I am pretty sure I did. We stopped for the scout and it must
have been close to 100 degrees. The scout took forever. Once we were done looking
at our route, my husband, Chris, walked my youngest, Connor, to a vantage point
where he could take pictures and video of our runs.
We all put on wetsuits – just in case. My brother, Matt, was
the passenger in my boat. You want Matt in the front of your boat since he
weighs 200 lbs. and is willing to take one for the team if you need him to. I
had talked to him about punching the bow if it looks like we are going in the
hole and he was ready. Did I mention that Matt was the only one who did not put
on a wetsuit?
We were the last boat to run the rapid and my entry into the
V wave was fine except for the fact that I should have been pulling going into
it to work my way right. Oh no, I punched right through and once we came out of
the V my momentum was taking me left straight for the hole. There was no way I could start pulling
without disastrous results. I figured I was going to find out what it felt like
to flip in Lava real quick.
Nine seconds. That’s how much time I had to push far enough
to the left, turn the boat and hit the side of the hole with momentum. You are
probably wondering how I know that. Connor took video of everyone’s run. Of
course he was trying to take still pictures at the same time (Connor was 11) so
for the first three runs he caught the top of heads, tails of boats and the
opposite shore. For some reason, when mom came through, he videoed my entire
run – for the history books.
Anyway, nine seconds. Did I say I was freaking? Freaking
pushing! My boat had a downstream ferry angle that was not going to work well
if I didn’t straighten it out before the hole. Three pushes, that’s all I had
before I had to turn the boat. One more push straight into the wave as I
screamed, “punch it Matt!” He did. Did I mention he is my favorite brother? We
crested, the boat turned slightly but Matt was on the front. Then he wasn’t. He
was in the water but still holding on to the bowline and keeping us upright.
I climbed out of the cockpit and scrambled to the front of
the boat. We had rigged the boat with an extra boat box in the front so there
was not much room up there. I looked at Lower Lava and over at Tequila Beach
where the rest of our group had eddied out and knew I better get Matt in the
boat. Did I mention he weighs 200 lbs and I was trying to pull him up over the
bow? Somehow, between the two of us he was in the boat, I was on the oars and
we eddied out. We had reason to celebrate. Matt will forever be ‘Matt Canyon’
after Lava.
I firmly believe that my Sawyer oars made the difference.
Every stroke mattered and they delivered when I needed it the most. I love my
Sawyer oars and so does Matt Canyon…
Mary Wright
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