Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/952842
D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 32 Whoosh.... they were swept into the first white water. Tom remembered to swing his feet downstream to protect himself from the rocks. Maggie flailed with her forepaws to keep her head above water as they glided down a first spill and into a chute. A knifelike rock parted the current dead ahead. Tom pulled with his right arm to steer them to the right of the rock. He sailed by and was plunged into a tumble of white froth. When he made it back to the surface, the current rushed him toward a fallen log, angling out of the riverbank. He gulped a fresh breath and ducked below the surface to avoid being knocked out. He lost his grip on Maggie in the maneuver, and when he popped up downstream of the log he was separated from her. He could see her flailing away in the churn of rapids that stretched from bank to bank, but he couldn't reach her. He was too busy eyeing the deeper, calmer water now only forty feet away. Safe harbor. Maggie was first to be propelled over the mossy ledge and into the deeper water. She popped up safely ten feet downstream and immediately began paddling in circles, barking. Looking for Tom. Tom sailed over the ledge and plunged into the pool below. He hit the uneven river bottom with considerable force—jamming one foot between the rocks. e strength of the current pushed him forward, wedging the foot even tighter between the rocks. Tom looked down in panic. His foot was lodged in a way that made it almost impossible to free up without moving upstream against the powerful current. He stroked with all his might, but he couldn't pull free. Maggie circled just downriver, looking for him; Tom could see her paws pushing against the water. He looked down once more; he was running out of air. Desperate, he planted his free foot on the rock beside the lodged foot for better leverage. He pushed as hard as he could, simultaneously wrenching his body. His trapped foot popped free, minus ear-sized flaps of skin on either side of his ankle. e clear water turned crimson. e pain was searing. Tom let out a scream that was muffled by the din of the rapids and turned into a rush of bubbles. e bubbles flew upward, toward Maggie and the blue beyond.