The clouds hide the sun slightly, as the brown water rolls across the tidal flats. We have donned shoes, life jackets, and all the right gear for a trip down the muddy Shubenacadie River.
Walking gingerly, we mince down a muddy, rock-infested slope and then across the flats to our little red water chariots. (aka boats) Climbing aboard, we listened to our seasoned guide spew a list of instructions and facts about the tide and its habits, before heading down the river at a couple knots per hour. (Forgive me, but I'm not a sea captain; it may have been forty or ten.)
Arriving safely, we remove life jackets and shoes and wade swiftly to shore. The mud banks are awaiting us! Slithering and sliding, we slowly make our way to the top where the most adventurous people are already coating their bellies in brown. One by one, we smack down into the goopy, gluey, brown mud and fly down the slope. Some head first, some sitting down, and some at every other odd angle. After what seems like a short time, our guides call us back to the boats and we slither our way back to the shallow salty water to splash and rinse and wash the mud from our ears, skirts, shorts, and toes.
In a few minutes, we are all back in our boats with things securely fastened. Our guide directs the boat down the still shallow river and we head for the mouth where the tide will begin rolling in.
Landing at a decently large flat at the edge of the river, we are set lose to wander around and explore or swim until the tide arrives.
Some young men begin sinking themselves into the wet sand, feet first, in order to perform some ab-demanding stretches. Others, wander along the shore looking at the beautiful scenery, while the remaining folks chat quietly with their group members.
Shortly, the command comes to remove our feet from the mud in order to be ready when the tide comes in. Much to the guides' amusement, we misunderstand and all head back to our boats immediately! Since we are ahead of time, we wait in the shallows and watch for the edge of the water to curl.
Suddenly, we see a small white ridge rushing across the river. Our guides call us to board and into the boats we jump. Gunning the motor, we sail across the waves and enter the true rafting zone. For the next few hours, we fly through wave after salty wave and revel in the sheer excitement of water walls, speed, and the challenge of hanging on. Our guide spots the largest waves and heads straight into them. Of course, our boat has some female members aboard and so the ride gets much more exciting with some pitchy vocal additions added to it.
Since the two people at the front get the chance to white-knuckle it through the waves, we switch places off and on so that everyone gets a turn to experience the worst (or I should say best). Unfortunately, nobody flies off the boat (Wouldn't that have been hilarious?), thankfully nobody drowns, and we all happily survive tidal bore rafting.
Of course we are a little chilly at the end with some odd purple lips, goose-bumpy arms and shaking bodies.
As we dock, we thank our great drivers and head up the bank for a warm, reviving shower and some hot chocolate.
So the question comes, Should you go sometime? Well, let me lay out the options for you.
#1) You like adventure and fun and you have some great friends to do it with you. Go and have a splendid time.
#2) You kind of like fun and adventure but you're terrified to go by your lonesome. I would advise you to find a strong, level-headed friend who can sit beside you on the boat and speak soothing words of comfort into your ear while hauling you back up onto your seat when the waves rise over your head.
#3) You hate mud and slime and water is freaky. Plus as one individual put it, there are not enough soothing words in the English language to keep you calm in such a state. Maybe you should just stay home and knit in your rocking chair. Or maybe skydiving would be a better option.
Either way, we are all in this boat of life with different ways of living and moving and breathing.
In the end, pick the option that floats your boat. 🙂
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