River Tracing        2016.07.31 

      At 3:45 am, I woke up without enough sleep. My dear son and I set off at 4:45 am to宜蘭鹿皮溪for our first river tracing activity.

Let me introduce what is river tracing: “沿著溪谷逆流而上,視地形而進行技術性攀登,” And I have no idea before I joined this activity. 
        There were 33 people in our group. The leader named小鬍子. He is a very nice and experienced guide. And he is the only one who is older than me. It means I’m the oldest one in this group. My son is the youngest one.

Haha! Put on helmet, wet suit, life vest, river boots. I feel so hot to wear these. Then game started, it’s cool right away when we went into the stream. Mr. beard pointed to a strong current and said: “Go up through it!” Then I realized we had to learn the fish Mr.蔣中正 had seen when he was a child. We faced the strong current and traced up to the original source of the river. In short, to climb the river. The current was too strong that I couldn’t even stand firm. I was pulled and held up by team members completely.

For the 2nd current, it seemed I got the point and did smoothly though not success in every challenge. It’s a team work activity. I jumped into river from a little high rock, but didn’t try the higher one. We had a short chitchat with guide during lunch break. He decided to assign my son to be the pioneer for next challenge. My son was glad and did a good job. The final spot is jumping from a small waterfall. It’s an exciting and happy ending. I will cherish every unforgettable experience which belongs to my beloved son and me.

 
        At last, a reminder that all outdoor adventures do carry a measure of risk, so it’s important to make sure your guide is prepared to manage risks. Be safe and happy all the time.