"Trust the current."

As she got stuck in the branches yet again, a Salt river expert persistently reminded her to "trust the current." When this failed to unleash her from the danger, Emily paddled out against the two-faced current that provided both fun and peril.

On Saturday, four Reynolds institute attendees and one teacher mentor decided to brave the waters of the Salt river in Phoenix, AZ. At 9:30am the group met excitedly to begin their adventure. All donned bathing suits and sunscreen, but they were missing the most important item on a tubing trip, the cooler.

Emily, Jessica, Kat, John and Alan caught the rail to the airport and then took the shuttle to the car rental. Once getting the car, the group headed towards Target to retrieve the must have item. Target provided not only the cooler, but many additional items to make the river more enjoyable. Finally, the care pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the river rental site.

The parking lot was full of people looking forward to a day of leisure. The groups squeezed onto the buses and held on as the questionable bus driver screamed down the winding roads. The river came into sight and the anxious tension on the bus built.

As the Reynolds members stepped into the water, a shiver ran up their bodies. The water was frigid. No one expected the water to be so cool when the temperature outside was reaching 102. Everyone eased in and the water trip began!

The waters were slow and smooth and a false sense of security filled the nervous tubers. Alan talked about trips past and Kat basked in the joy of her white cheddar crackers. All was well and everyone was relaxing after the intense week.

Unexpectedly, the tubes slowly started to move towards to shore that was covered in reeds and brush. The danger crept up on the group that had become too complacent to pay attention to the surroundings. Emily looked back and a branch caught her as that group frantically tried to pull her out.

It was too late and Alan calmly pointed out, "this is how people die, this right here." Emily struggled against the branch, but she could not escape getting scraped by the rough reeds. Once the group had finally pulled her out, all laughed and calmed again.

This event repeated numerous times, with all members getting stuck at one point or another. However, at the end of the day the only casualty was John's shoe. Something must be given in sacrifice to the river.