Kayaking in Costa Rica

That's what flashes through my mind just after a rapid on the Pejibaye River flips my kayak. The swift water turns me into a human dredge, my helmet churning up stones on the shallow river bottom. My right hand slams into a rock. My lungs are nearing empty.

I finally get my paddle extended and roll up. I have just enough time to think, that wasn't so bad, when my shoulder hits the boulder to my left, flipping me back into the froth.

A few more bumps and I roll up, gulping air. Blood runs down my fingers. My shoulder throbs.

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