Kadunce River Interpretive Trail

If you haven’t been reading the stories about our Kadunce River experience then this blog won’t make too much sense. Either skip reading it or go back and read the other three blogs first.

The overwhelming feeling of embarassment I first felt is slowly being replaced by a sense of pride. I’m especially proud of Abby and Chloe and how amazing they were in that situation. If I ever have to be stranded anywhere again I hope it’s with the two of them. Why be embarassed at all? People have perceptions that aren’t necessarily accurate. I know that isn’t my problem but it does affect me. I don’t claim to be a wilderness wonder woman yet I think there are people who think I do. Those people are probably laughing at me and thinking, “Ha, Ha, she had to be rescued.”

Why be embarassed at all? People have perceptions that aren’t necessarily accurate. I know that isn’t my problem but it does affect me. I don’t claim to be a wilderness wonder woman yet I think there are people who think I do. Those people are probably laughing at me and thinking, “Ha, Ha, she had to be rescued.”

You know how sometimes it’s easier to make fun of people who you think are confident or cocky?  Well, just so you know I’m not a very confident person and I make a ton of mistakes in all aspects of my life. Although I recently read there is no such thing as a mistake if you learned something from it.  Is that true? I don’t know.

I do know I learned a lot along the way and I’m glad for the experience.  Am I still embarrassed? Sure, but I’m also proud.

I am not one to ask other people for help. I hate to inconvenience people. I like to do things on my own and for myself. For me to sit back and be rescued was a BIG DEAL! I think what makes the entire experience better is knowing we all learned something that day.

The first thing I hope the girls learned is that I had just as much confidence in their ability to hike and climb the waterfalls as I did with the boys. I didn’t doubt they could make it all of the way up and out of the river. The fact the water level prevented us from doing so was beyond our control. Them knowing it was “OK” to turn back and me not pressuring them to continue in order to “save face” or prove something was never on the table. There was no shaming or ridicule involved and no one was made to feel inadequate or not capable.

At one point I asked them what they would have done if I hadn’t been there. Abby said, “I probably wouldn’t have even made it past the 2^nd waterfalls without you to help me up so I wouldn’t be stuck.” I think Abby would have made it up on her own and I’m not sure if they would have attempted to climb the last waterfalls up and out or if they would have attempted to climb the waterfall back down where we were at. Whether or not that is true I think we all learned to evaluate situations and make good decisions.

We didn’t risk falling at the last waterfall, we didn’t attempt to scale the canyon walls, we stayed in one place and we stayed together.

We knew we needed to get outside help so we immediately began yelling for help. We didn’t wait for someone else to just happen upon us but we actively screamed until we secured help. We waited patiently, remained calm and kept a positive attitude the entire time. We didn’t blame each other or get mad or have a breakdown.

I’m sure the girls have learned as I have, how much the community we live in cares about all of us. In a small town news travels fast and with teens involved and Social Media I think everyone knew about our adventure before we even made it home. So many people have texted or told me how they prayed for us and were worried for our safety and how happy they were to know we were all fine. It’s nice to know how caring our community is and even though you may not have direct relationships with some people it doesn’t mean they don’t care about you. It was surprising to me that people cared that much.

I know I make fun of people on my blog and I will continue to make fun of people on my blog. I criticize folks for getting into dangerous situations and for putting rescuers in danger. I am sorry I had to inconvenience everyone and I am grateful no one got hurt. I put myself in risky situations every time I solo hike, paddle or camp and I’ll continue to do those activities. Accidents and mishaps can happen anywhere, anytime and not having too much pride to call for help when you need it is a good thing.

As a number of people have said, “What a great story to tell.” It is a great adventure story with two great girls. I was able to go hiking with them and spend quality time together in the woods. We learned a lot of things along the way and best of all it was a story with a happy ending.