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A.) Really put your back into it and paddle full-speed ahead, ready to conquer this rapid and make it your b***h. As the water rages around you, you continue to paddle, focused on the prize - the clear water ahead of you.

Two for two bad calls but Dominic was still all smiles, completely soaked through and working to catch up to the group again as they approached, using Finn's words, "big water." The upcoming challenge presented itself to Dom as an all-or-nothing sort of deal, figuring that if he'd already gotten this far and screwed up the entire way but still managed to consider the experience fun, then why should he start backing out now?

He didn't have to think about that for too long.

With something of a hoot the blue-eyed youth paddled forward as fast as he could manage, occasionally having to pause to flip his wet and now-floppy hair out of his eyes. Only a small portion of his brain seemed to be registering how much trouble he could actually be in if he was making yet another bad call.

The rest of it was too busy riding the adrenaline high.

D.) Try really, really hard to keep paddling all the way through the rapid, but it’s just too chaotic! After the first big wave, you feel the current grab you, and you take that as a sign to stop paddling and hold on tight.

There was first a roaring sound in the distance and then the rapid came into view. Hafwen stared at the torrential water with eyes that were as large as saucers, taking in a deep breath and tightening her grip on her paddle when it was her turn to attempt the rapid. This was it. Time to put everything that had been imparted to her into practice.

Plunging her paddle repeatedly into the water, she paddled with as much strength as she could muster, trying to steer her raft towards the calm that was right ahead. For a moment, it seemed as if she was going to have her way with things like the many before her until a particularly large wave threw her momentum and balance monetarily off, forcing her to abort her current course of action entirely and hold on tight till her raft was safely out of the choppy waters.

If you chose…

A.) The rapid does its best to knock you around, but man, you are solid! Your hard work helps you make it through quickly and with minimum jostling, but it’s a hell of a ride! +2
B.) By the time you get back in the water, everyone else has already made it through the rapid. But hey, at least you didn’t fall out of your raft! -1
C.) The current takes you into the rapid at a completely terrible angle and you capsize. Quick! Keep your feet up and pointed downriver, and hope that Finn catches your raft… and you! -2
D.) What paddling you were able to do pays off. You’re a little rattled, but the rapid wasn’t able to chew you up and spit you out. +1


Fortunately, everyone seemed to be getting the hang of this. No one capsized, and Finn breathed a sigh of relief. Well, there hadn’t been a lot of ways to ******** this one up. “Rene!” he yelled. “Get back in the water!” Not running the rapid got you zero experience points. And anyway, they had bigger water coming up - and the banks up ahead were not so forgiving.



Up ahead, the riverbank grows steep, sweeping upwards towards the treeline. There will be no climbing out on this rapid. The river splits into two channels around a huge boulder, both equally rough and fast. It converges briefly, from what you can see, and then splits once more into two separate channels around a second set of boulders.

“Keep to the right!” hollers Finn, as his and Anabel’s boat crests the first set of falls.

You…
A) Keep right, then keep right again.
B) Keep right, then go left.
C) Go left, then go right.
D) Go left, then keep left.

A) Keep right, then keep right again.

More advice, and seeing as it seemed to work rather well the last time, Darren wasn't one to turn it down. He kept to the right, then right again, hoping to follow the leader of this little adventure through to the end.

So far things seemed to be going well though, so he really couldn't complain loudly.

A) Keep right, then keep right again.

Well, that hadn't been too bad. Hafwen supposed she could be thankful for small blessings like this that allowed her raft to stay upright despite the jostling it received from the rapid she had just traversed.

Steering her raft towards the next rapid, she nodded at Finn's instruction to head right and made sure that that was exactly what she did in the channels ahead.

B) Keep right, then go left.

Laney was relieved her hell-for-leather paddling hadn't led her astray this time. And she wasn't lagging as far behind! Of course, this meant she was closer to everyone else, so they could see if she screwed up.

Still. She did her best as the newest split in the river came into view. Finn led them all off to the right, so she did her best to follow -- but Laney was still paddling like death was at her heels, and she veered too hard to the right; by the time she fought to get back on course, she ended up overcorrecting herself and shooting back to the left, where no one else was going.

I'm going to die!, she thought. I'm going to die and no one will ever find my corpse because I couldn't stay to the right like a sane person.

B) Keep right, then go left.

Dominic was practically cheering himself on as he rode the rapids like the lucky amateur that he was, a big smile cracking his features as he paddled hard and worked his way through to the waters beyond. It was definitely one hell of a ride, and thankfully not another bad call on his part. He glanced around, thoroughly drenched but still completely psyched about what else was in store, his eyes soon landing on Finn as soon as their group's leader shouted something about keeping right.

He didn't need to think too hard, and he tried to paddle in the given direction at the first split, following after the lead boat. Of course, once the river converged again, the phrase "what the hell" resurfaced and he crossed over to the left side, following after a couple of other boats. Dom grinned and waved over at them, not sure whether they'd gone left on purpose or not but choosing to believe that they had.

"You guys are feelin' adventurous too, huh?" he tried to shout over the current.

If you chose…

A) The river is steady in its course through the narrow channel. You navigate the first set of waves with ease and carry on into a slightly faster, steeper set of drops - but nothing you can’t keep up with by now! +1
B) You navigate the first set of waves with ease, and then go left at the second fork. Too late, you realize your mistake - the river slows, and is blocked by low hanging branches! Luckily, you’re moving slowly enough to duck. -1
C) The water in the left channel turns out to move more swiftly than the water on the right. You come shooting out ahead of the rest of the group, and then cut ahead of them into the right channel at the second fork. Your momentum and your paddling carry you easily through the drops. +2
D) Your momentum from the swifter-moving left hand channel carries you quickly past the fork - too quickly to brake and duck for the low branch! Watch out for that tree! -2

Finn watched the last of the stragglers emerge from the left-hand channel. "Thought I told you guys to keep right," he said, laughing. None of them looked too roughed up, though, which was a relief. They'd realized their mistake and accounted for it. Good.

"Okay," he called, after the next section of nearly-flat river. The sound of rushing water roared from around the next bend. "Last rapid of the day! Make it count!"



You round the bend. Up ahead, the river twists over a five-foot drop off a rocky ledge. The water looks deeper towards the left, but the waves are higher and look more powerful. To the right, it looks like you can probably take a simpler drop, but it will be a much harsher fall, with fewer waves to carry you. If you ride it across the center, the drop is gradual, over a smooth stone ramp, but the water is shallow and you're not sure if it will carry your raft.

Finn paddles ahead, through the deepest, largest waves. He makes it look easy.

You...

A) Decide to tackle the big waves - if there's one thing you've learned today, it's to follow the deep water and the current.
B) Take the quick drop to the right - you'd rather deal with a fall than with waves.
C) Take a risk and try to ride the central shoal. It looks like a fair compromise between the big water and the big drop.

Post your selection in bold at the top of your response post!
You have until Saturday, May 31st at 9:30 AM PST to post your selections, at which point I will post final scores and open the thread up for some free interaction on the row to oars out!