would close my eyes for minutes at a
time, and just paddle on. At about 1pm
we rounded a bend and saw the Don
Jose beached ahead. Our tired arms
paddled with renewed vigor, the energy
coming from somewhere unknown, we
knew, for today, the end was in sight.
The next morning the teams busied
themselves tinkering with their rafts,
making small adjustments. We checked
to ensure the wire holding everything
together was still tight, had breakfast,
and then waited for the start.
No overcast today; the sun was
already intense by 7 AM. We were
off by 7:15, and settled into our easy
rhythm of the day before. Every half
hour or so, we would pour river water
over our heads and clothes, in order
to keep from over heating in the hot
Amazon sun. Most of the day was a
dull blur. Paddle, paddle, paddle…
soak your self with water… look for
currents, and paddle some more.
At one point in the afternoon, we
were midstream (now about a mile
wide) in one of the few straight sections
of the river. We saw a raft on the left
bank going much faster than we were.
As we debated whether we should
head for the left bank, a river dolphin
surfaced near us. First one dolphin
came, and then another, then several
more, until we were surrounded by a
large school of river dolphins. Some
were black, some grey, and others were
many different shades of pink. They
jumped and swam all around the raft.
We started paddling again at a slow
pace, and watched as the raft on the left
bank quickly pulled ahead, aided by the
current.
We weren’t going anywhere.
We were staying with the dolphins...
and they stayed with us, for about 45
minutes.
Shortly after the dolphins left, we
spied the Don Jose on the horizon.
Amazon Continued...
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Summer 2014
26
