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Several years ago my wife had a bike accident involving a dog on a leash….. but that is another adventure story for another day.  As a result of that accident she has had circulation problems and issues with her lymph glands in her left leg and an artificial knee installed.  Yep, she’s my Million Dollar Woman but doesn’t have a TV show yet.

Since all of the above events it is hard for my wife to walk on uneven ground, (like any kind of hiking trails so I thought it would be a good idea to get a canoe.

One afternoon I decided it would be a good idea to take the canoe down to the Bitterroot River and float a 6 mile section of it.  Now if you are not familiar with most rivers in western states they are not your slow-moving placid rivers that are found in the Midwest.  Along with the mountains come rapid changes in elevation and the water moves accordingly.   I should make note here that we have floated this section of river multiple times in inner tubes and Ardee had taken a canoe with a friend before so are not unfamiliar with the river and its dangers.

On this particular sunny afternoon the water had receded from its springtime and early summer highs.

We loaded the canoe, myself in the back and pushed off into the quickly moving water.  Getting used to the feel of being on the water and discussing the balance in a canoe we were quickly 300 yards down the river.  About 400 yards downstream from our launch point the first bend took the river hard left followed by a sharp right bend.  Directly ahead near the bank was a large tree pushed against the bank by the winter and spring runoff.  Now anyone who has run rivers at all know that you don’t want to be anywhere near trees lying in the water.  It was at this point that I realized that I had not been paying close enough attention in maneuvering the canoe. Read the rest of this entry →