On Thursday night I told JR that I wanted an epic adventure over Labor Day weekend. With finding out the results of my PET scan just a few days earlier and being one week from starting aggressive chemotherapy again I just really needed to get outside of my head. At around noon on Friday he texted me and said "Lets go to Jam's," those four words were all I needed to see. I texted Jam, a fabulous friend who I met as the amazing photographer on my First Descents FD1 adventure in July. This put everything into motion. Jam immediately said we could head over to Pennsylvania for a holiday weekend of adventure. He presented a multitude of options for what we could do. Each option sounded absolutely amazing to me so I kept telling him to just pick. He eventually said I was going to have to decide so...
I said, "I have incurable cancer and I don't know when I can be back on the water, I want to do the big rapids!" This meant that our Saturday would be spent in Maryland on the beautiful Upper Yough on the Youghiogheny River. Jam worked miracles and found a paddler who would be crazy enough to man the raft and another friend to add an additional safety kayak on the side. We started out in our raft on some calm water on the Upper Yough and worked on paddling. JR had never even been on white water and I had only kayaked with the FD group on the New. I had never been inside a raft before. It was a great start the the epic adventure I was seeking. I will tell you that I swam the first "named rapid" on the Upper Yough, Bastard. I am not even 100% sure how I ended up out of the boat but I swam a pretty intense class IV rapid from top to bottom. I will say that our amazing guide said that I was smiling more than any person he'd ever seen swim like that and that it was the longest swim he'd ever seen. I can assure you that he took some pretty epic adventure stories from our day on the river. That was the last rapid I fell out on, although JR did take a few spills into the Yough himself.
Saturday night we had an amazing dinner and everyone headed off to bed early. JR said that the day was the most physically demanding day he thinks he had ever had. He had no idea how much work it would take for a day rafting on the river. I was equally (or more) sore and tired but I was also energized and empowered. It is hard to think about cancer when you are focusing so hard on getting through the river! Jam out did himself with the amazing Saturday adventure he put together for us.
I said, "I have incurable cancer and I don't know when I can be back on the water, I want to do the big rapids!" This meant that our Saturday would be spent in Maryland on the beautiful Upper Yough on the Youghiogheny River. Jam worked miracles and found a paddler who would be crazy enough to man the raft and another friend to add an additional safety kayak on the side. We started out in our raft on some calm water on the Upper Yough and worked on paddling. JR had never even been on white water and I had only kayaked with the FD group on the New. I had never been inside a raft before. It was a great start the the epic adventure I was seeking. I will tell you that I swam the first "named rapid" on the Upper Yough, Bastard. I am not even 100% sure how I ended up out of the boat but I swam a pretty intense class IV rapid from top to bottom. I will say that our amazing guide said that I was smiling more than any person he'd ever seen swim like that and that it was the longest swim he'd ever seen. I can assure you that he took some pretty epic adventure stories from our day on the river. That was the last rapid I fell out on, although JR did take a few spills into the Yough himself.
Saturday night we had an amazing dinner and everyone headed off to bed early. JR said that the day was the most physically demanding day he thinks he had ever had. He had no idea how much work it would take for a day rafting on the river. I was equally (or more) sore and tired but I was also energized and empowered. It is hard to think about cancer when you are focusing so hard on getting through the river! Jam out did himself with the amazing Saturday adventure he put together for us.
Bastard (before I fell out) We are the blue raft.
Cheeseburger Falls - JR actually stayed in this rapid, thought it may not look like it!
Sunday we woke up without a specific plan and chatted with Brittany until she had to head off to work. At around 11 o'clock I said "if we leave now we can be at Hugo's by dinner." Hugo is another FD Staffer who I am now happy to call one of my best friends. We compromised with meeting Hugo half way and Jam, JR, and I headed off to Erie, PA for the afternoon. The four of us grabbed a quick late lunch and then to the beach. Something happens when you travel with a photographer, pictures. Beautiful, stunning, amazing pictures (you really haven't lived until you've seen my husband and Jam setting up for a mermaid style photoshoot in the middle of a crowded Labor Day weekend beach). Jam did such an amazing job capturing our day out on the beach, capturing the #FDFamilyLove, capturing the magic. An even more amazing magic happens when you travel with friends.
Hugo & Left Eye - Laughter is the Best Medicine
Hugo, Jam, & Left Eye
It is always sad to leave friends. It was hard when it was time for us to head back away from Erie and for Hugo to head home. It was hard after brunch when it was time for us to leave and head back home. However, I cannot think of a better way to have spent my holiday weekend. I had such an amazing time introducing my husband to just a peek into the #FDFamilyLove on this trip. It was the epic weekend I'd hoped for and more. In the end we had traveled through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Kentucky from Friday night to Monday. I am blessed to have a husband and friends who are willing to go with the flow and make my life amazing.
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