Josi looked around, as the leader of this expedition to the North Fork of the Salmon River she wanted to make sure this trip went off perfectly. Her mom was driving the Ford Excursion to the dropoff point, and would pick them up on Wednesday night at the end of their two day camping and rafting trip.
They had worked with an outfitting company out of North Fork on this trip, they provided the raft and a guide plus transport back to North Fork at the end; the back of the truck was filled with their packs and food for the trip. It was all packed in waterproof bags or coolers so it could be tied to the center of the raft. Josi had done this trip once before and it was a blast, and with all the snow the past winter the river conditions were excellent. The river was wild, scenic and hit Class 5 in some places. She was athletic in build and was a tomboy; her shoulder length black hair was tied in a ponytail and pulled through the back of the Minnesota Vikings ballcap she was wearing. Her body was toned and tanned from a life spent outside fishing, hunting and hiking.
In the seats behind Josi and her mom, twins Britney and Bethany were texting each other despite being two feet apart. They looked like stereotypical California girls- long straight blonde hair, curvy bodies that couldn't hide behind the T-shirts and shorts they wore, and electric smiles. In the third row, Cheyenne and Willow were both sleeping, something they had proven they could do anytime and anywhere. Cheyenne was one quarter American Indian. She was the tallest of them all at five foot eleven, with the characteristic skin tone and glossy black hair that hung down to the middle of her back. She was quiet and shy, never one to lead but was loyal and hard working. Her best friend Willow was opposite in looks and personality; she was a Scandinavian blonde, who only came up to five foot one and barely a hundred pounds. She was one of those bubbly people who knew everyone by name and was invited to all the parties. They were a terror on the volleyball courts where they had bonded over countless seasons on school and summer teams.
The girls' conversations would center around college, sports, fashion and boys now. This weekend, it was about sun, waves and fun. Josi was practically bouncing in the seat as they got closer to the river.
Her Mom pulled into the parking lot of North Fork Excursions, and Josi made sure everyone was awake and ready to go. They unloaded all their gear and the hot college age guides secured them in a large raft while they were doing their safety brief.
Chip was going to be their main guide for this trip, which made the girls very happy. He was tall, tan and had a toned chest and abs that he liked to show off. A college senior, he had spent every summer on the river since he was 14 and knew every rock and eddy. The girls were whispering and sneaking glances at him, talking about how fun it would be to sneak him into the tent, until their other guide walked in. Rose was a buxom redhead who walked over and kissed Chip before she was introduced as his girlfriend as well. You could almost feel the mood deflating. "Oh well," Josi said, "At least we won't fight over him."
The brief was comprehensive, and Josi had to help keep the girls attention on it. Rafting was a dangerous activity and she was the only one who had experience at it. You go over the side once in Class 4 rapids, and you start to appreciate things like safety gear and throw lines. Finally, it was done and they were putting on their life jackets and helmets. Most of the girls chose to wear shorts and T-shirts over their swimsuits, but the "Killer B's" Britney and Bethany treated any time outside as a chance to work on their tans. Rose glared at them as they stripped down to their skimpy bikinis, making sure to bend over in Chip's direction as they put their clothes into a waterproof bag.
The girls double checked their bags were tied in, then they walked the raft out to the deep calm water of the landing and climbed in. Chip gave everyone lessons on how to paddle as a team and what commands he would be using. Working together was a must, as the guide picked a line down the rapids that they needed to hit in order to stay safe and hit the best waves.
The late summer sun beat down on their young bodies as they paddled hard to the first small set of rapids. Soon, the river dipped into a canyon and the rapids started to pick up. Josi was beaming as she looked around. The scenery was magnificent, her friends were all having a great time, and they had two days of camping and rafting ahead of them. She looked back upriver and caught a glimpse of her mom before the river dropped and she had to focus on shooting the rapids again.
Their first afternoon was a total blast. The water was raging through the canyons, and in between rapids they would talk and swim and generally find ways to annoy their guides with their antics.
In one calm stretch, Britney had teased Cheyenne about a boy who they both liked but hadn't asked either of them out yet. Willow took offense, and without warning she leaped across the raft and shoved Britney backwards. She fell backwards into the water, and got really mad when some of the girls started to paddle away. "Sorry, Brit, you looked like you were getting a little worked up." Willow started laughing at the edge of the raft, so Bethany grabbed the back of her life vest and lifted. She screamed as she flew out of the water to the Killer B's laughter. Cheyenne then jumped up and tackled Bethany, taking both of them into the cold river water.
Josi and the guides were the only ones left out, although Josi had taped the whole thing on her iPhone. The girls were splashing each other, then they were teaming up to see who could dunk the others the most. Their laughter echoed in the canyon until Chip's voice stopped it. "Girls... you might want to get back in the raft before this next set of rapids." The girls looked ahead, even in the deep waters of the pool the current had been moving them along. They could hear the pounding water and it lit a fire under them. As they swam back, Josi linked arms with them and pulled them up into the raft so they could take their places again.
Rose had their attention now while Chip focused on lining them up for the run. "Girls, this next run is Class 4 with some parts that approach Class 5. Remember, do EXACTLY what Chip says when he says it, and if you fall out, keep your feet downstream and your head above water. This is your adventure!" The girls screamed out as they hit the first hydraulic, a standing wave about five feet high that almost folded the raft in half. They bounced back up, Chip yelling "Strong right, right, PULL PULL PULL" as they worked to set up for the next big one. Their backs were pained and they didn't quite get there in time. The left side of the raft caught on a rock, causing the raft to spin and enter the rapids sideways.
It was the worst thing for Josi and Cheyenne, who were now on the lower edge. The side of the raft dropped quickly then stopped, but they didn't. Josi flew off into the water, her paddle clenched in her right hand as she reached for the raft with her left. It was inches away but it might as well have been a mile. The rolling current grabbed her and pulled her under, spinning her like she was in a washing machine. The paddle was lost and soon she was fighting to catch a breath.
Cheyenne had grabbed the rope on the outside of the raft and was being pulled in by Britney and Willow when Rose caught a glimpse of where Josi was caught. She yelled to Chip, who was frantically trying to turn the raft to point downstream again, then grabbed the rescue rope. With a strong throw, the rope made it. Josi popped above water and struggled to breathe; when her right arm touched the rope she grabbed it for dear life. Rose held on as the raft continued downstream, now pulling Josi clear of the standing wave.
Rose made sure she was following, then started to pull her in while Chip got everyone on the paddles again. Josi held on while keeping her feet in front, making sure that they would hit any of the huge rocks before the rest of her body. It was still way too wild to get all the way back, and so when the rope caught on a rock she let it go. The raft disappeared around a huge boulder as she was carried along, her arms working frantically to stay aligned.
Finally, the rapids ended and she was spit out into a deep and calm pool. The screams for her to be all right soon turned to shrieks of laughter as they saw that she was all right... and what the river had done to her.
The tanned globes of her ass were mooning them all as she swam to the boat. It wasn't until she was pulled up that she realized that the rapids had torn her bikini bottoms clean off. Mortified, she sank to the bottom of the raft and covered herself with her hands. Her face was beet red. Cheyenne opened up a gear bag and tossed her a pair of shorts. She quickly pulled them on as the rest of the group paddled closer to the shore.
"We're going to stop here and set up camp, it's the best spot around." Chip aimed them towards a sandbar, above which there was a raised sand and grass area against the base of the canyon wall. The girls jumped out and helped pull the raft clear of the water as Chip tied a line to a big log caught in the rocks. While the rest of the girls were getting their gear out, Rose was checking out Josi for injuries.
"I'm all right, just a little beat up." She looked at the bruises that now covered her thighs and hips, anything not protected by a helmet or lifejacket had gotten bounced around pretty good.
Rose checked her back and head, then used a flashlight to check her pupils. "No sign of concussion, you might be sore for a while. I'd recommend staying in the raft next time." They both laughed. "And no flashing my boyfriend." She walked away as Josi turned red as a beet again.
Twenty minutes later the girls had the tents set up and their guides were starting the fire to cook dinner. The Killer B's walked by, clearly not caring that Chip was having a tough time staying out of trouble for looking. "We're going to get some tanning time in, give us a yell when dinner is ready." They left the rest of them in the broken shadows of the canyon wall and walked into the bright sunlight closer to the river. The two set up their towels on a flat rock, and after applying more lotion they started to take advantage of the strong mountain sun.
