On FEARLESSNESS

Do you remember when you stopped being Fearless? We are absolutely fearless when we are younger, as no adventure ever seems too dangerous, no stunt ever seems too stupid, and no decision ever seem like a really bad idea. I can recall doing all kinds of crazy things that would require a large sum of money for a repeat performance now. Things like:

Not wearing a Helmet, Knee pads, wrist guards, life vest, sun block, sweatbands, shin guards, the proper footwear, cell phone, gortex, sunglasses, bug repellent, and water-resistant clothing, WHEN; riding my bike, roller skating which later became roller blading, playing any kind of sport, skiing octagonal black diamonds*, riding pegs on a friend’s bicycle, sitting on the handlebars of a friend’s bicycle, walking in New York city, wading in a brook, hiking through the woods** of my Northern Jersey suburb, and all the other adventures you seem to find when you’re younger.
*I’m not really sure if octagonal diamonds even exist, but that’s what I would rank the trails now
**The woods I grew up seem very wimpy in comparison to the rainforests and jungles of Dominica since I could go through the entire woods and get to my friend’s house on the other side in under twenty minutes

But anyway, I’ve recently been thinking of when I lost my Fearlessness because a group of the world’s best kayakers are staying with us at Jungle Bay as they set out to kayak the rivers of Dominica for an article in the December issue of Outside Magazine. With 365 rivers in Dominica, or “one for every day of the year” as the locals will proudly tell you, the guys have a lot of terrain to cover. But if the fact that they were studying the “topo” map on their first night here by lantern light like the Goonies trying the find the route to One Eyed Willy’s hidden treasure was any indication of anything, I think it’s safe to say that they are up for the challenge.


You see this group of modern day Goonies, are not among your typical “let’s go for a leisurely float down the river kind of kayakers,” but rather among the not so typical "let’s go be the first one’s to ever kayak this river” kind of kayakers. Or make a "first descent" as they say in the kayaking world. Collectively, they have over a hundred fist descents in rivers all over the world from India, to China, to Africa, to South America, and now to Dominica. As if being the first to kayak a river in remote locations all over the globe isn’t enough of an adrenaline rush by itself for these guys, another past time they enjoy is running waterfalls. What is a running waterfall you ask? Well instead of getting out of the river, or “taking out,” upon reaching a waterfall like most people would probably do, these guys actually go over “run” the waterfall.

Click here to check out Josh Bechtel's blog on the paddling trip...PS he's the guy in the kayak going over the waterfall

When Sam (the owner and GM of Jungle Bay) first told me he had to scope out the waterfalls of Dominica for a potential Outside Magazine story, I thought to myself that these guys must be fearless, hence the intrigue, but absolutely nuts. Who in their right mind kayaks an 80 foot waterfall for “ships and giggles?” THE BAFFLEMENT.

But as I’ve been listening to their stories, and learning more about the sport this week, I’ve definitely come to admire their ability to overcome fear, which brings to mind a favorite part in Zoolander when Hansel (Owen Wilson) is describing his heroes for the awards show montage:

"Sting. Sting would be another person who's a hero of mine. The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that."

So in conclusion, I don’t really want to kayak over a waterfall, but the fact that these guys are out there doing it, I respect that.

Thanks for reading, and take care until the next adventure.

Voula

P.S. “Topo” is short for topographical for all you non-nature, non waterfall running people out there ☺
P.P.S. I had no idea what it was the first time I heard it either ☺☺