10.27.09

Just getting to the river had been a painful and arduous journey. The trip had taken well over two hours. The roads had been hazardous as the rainy season is in full swing. The pitfalls along the way were many as the slippery, muddy road had been washed out a couple of times and our Jeep, our lifeline to a return trip home, had very nearly crashed more than once.

At one point I was sure we were going broke as I pressed the accelerator in an attempt to roar across a small ravine. But, it was really only a ditch with some fast moving water, and not the trip ending torrent I believed. Another occasion, about a half an hour ago, a tree fell across the road in front of us. It was no problem though thanks to some thinking ahead by yours truly. I had brought a saw for just such a quandary.

Finally we had arrived at the river. The water was flooding the banks, and the bridge we had to use looked less than desirable. It was nothing but two large ropes tied between two very large trees as it stretched from bank to bank. Wooden planks held the two ropes together and were designed to be our roadway. The task appeared daunting and I was unsure of our success. The water was the color of light brown dirt and it appeared as though the river would swallow the bridge in very short manner. A decision needed to be made.

To fold now and try to turn back appeared to be senseless. We had already spent way too much time and effort in the trip just getting to this point. We must cross here, and we must cross now. I rated our chances at about 50-50. This was going to be risky.

As we started across it became rather obvious that 50-50 was rather optimistic. We were barely a third of the way over the bridge when the left hand rope snapped and the bridge tipped violently to the driver side of the Jeep. Our truck rolled off one side and started to float along with the current. We were moving rather quickly downstream, and as we came around the bend I could see the water just disappear in front of us. There was a waterfall, and our truck was going over it.

Our only hope was to jump into the river and swim for the trees lining the banks. It did not look good as the water rushed around me. I was the last one out of the truck and I watched as my entire party, one by one, went over the falls in front of me. I swam for the edge harder and harder as I listened to the screams of my friends as they went over the edge. Their screams began as they crested the falls and the sound slowly died away as they fell father and farther.

I swam harder.

It was no use. I was going over the edge. As I reached the top of the falls I could see to the bottom. It was at least 100 feet tall, this mighty falls created by nature millions of years ago. I quickly realized why my friends were screaming as they went. I could see the rocks below, and I could even make out a couple of the crumpled bodies of my party motionless on the jagged rocks below.

As I fell, as the end approached, there was peace. It would be over, the struggle complete. It was not the end I had envisioned, bu it was an end still the same. After that, blackness....


Codsey out.