Amy vs Wild: Rafting. Take 1. Action.

I survived my first rafting adventure!

2 guides from Omega Tours took 5 of us out on the Cangrejal on perhaps the ugliest day I've seen yet. Clouds were looming, Tropical Storm Matthew was threatening, and the river was brown. Apparently, a perfect day for rafting and the right amount of light for pictures. I still prefer full-on sun but that wasn't in the cards.

The A-Team was me and Austin, guided by Sam. (Amy and Austin = A...) Sandra, Chiara, and Kashka were Team 2, guided by Ryan. Not that there was any competition, but the A-Team would later raft oars ahead of the other boat.

We had a 15 minute practice session, which eased my mind a bit about what to do when I fall out of the raft since it would be inevitable.

Editor's Note: I didn't actually fall out of the raft except for when pushed out for the purposes of safety demonstrations and teasing.

Ryan and Sam got us ready to go with the proper safety equipment.

We also had a fun drill of following commands: Forward! Back paddle! Get down! Hold on, lean back! I was good at that game.

Then, we set off.

We hit mainly Class 2 and 3 rapids, and were able to enjoy the gentle flow of the river.

There was one Class 4 - "The Ziploc." It wasn't textbook but was a success nonetheless.

I was told that the nose of the boat hit a rock on my side and flung me into the raft, which is where I found myself after completion. Oh yes, there is a video but unfortunately, my internet isn't good enough to post. I'll let you know when it's up!

Rafting was one thing. Then there was rock jumping. We started off easy:

And then we jumped off of this:

I was terrified but Sam said that before you step out to the edge, you have to commit. Easy for him to say. I committed, stepped out to the edge, held my nose, peed my pants (no, not really), and then jumped!