It's A Nice Day For A Snorkel

I come home, body racked, aching as if I had been in a roll-over car accident (Scott said later his body felt like he had played a game of football, but I don't know that experience to compare to). I had a nice red slash across my stomach, a bruised knee, a very bruised tailbone and several other small cuts to commemorate the day. And it was a GREAT day!

With mask and snorkel strapped to our faces, we set out as a motley crew of underwater bandits, menacing our way down the North Fork of the American River. Well, ok, we weren't quite menacing (how menacing can you be with a fat mask smashing your face and a tube of plastic for breathing sticking out of your mouth?). But we were quite the crew. Brent, Cole, Keegan, Scott and I journeyed over two hours starting from the Clementine Dam riding down to the Confluence. Some spots on the river were lush and beautiful, popping with skiddish fish; some were dark and dense, suffocating with mystery; and some were rough and tumbly, throwing us over swift moving rapids.

I found an interesting dynamic of group camaraderie and solitude in the water. You can see your snorkel partners and share some sights, but the thickness of the water and the way you can hear only yourself breathing makes it a very unique, alone experience at the same time.

And although we were shivering, hungry and heavily pruned from spending two and a half hours in river water, we were definitely satisfied to the core at the finish.