Feeling pretty good on the river at the starting line in Aquarena Springs: well hydrated, bowels evacuated, and a calm restful sleep the night before. It's as if my mind finally just gave up all the anxiety. I tried a Gestalt method of just riding the anxiety whenever I felt it the previous week, and it seemed to work. There was a lot of excitement on the river, and a record number of boats (136, I believe). This first day would include the most technical part of the course, and our first night-time paddling yet.
All went smoothly. We cruised by our checkpoints, stayed afloat in the rapids, and portaged like pros. Folks said we'd have trouble portaging such a large, heavy boat around the dams; we practiced this part of the river, though, and had a technique that actually jumped us ahead of a few other teams. Feeling pretty confident by dusk, we attached our bow light, donned our PFDs and headlamps, and decided not to sleep until after Gonzales (which we'd hit the next morning, if all went as planned).
We came to a few major obstacles this first night: Palmetto Bridge, Ottine Rapids, and Ottine Dam. We took them all slow and safe, and it paid off. Our movement in the water at night was swifter than had been anticipated, so the extra time spent being safe was more than compensated.
Lack of sleep and the almost pitch black played tricks on our eyes. One of our crew was convinced there were "murals on the walls". Fact is there were no murals... and no walls. Only trees. Other boats way ahead of us looked like lights from a spelunker exploring caves of trees in the distance. Another boat came up behind us, their bow light casting our shadows on the bluffs and banks. It was a surreal vision, but daybreak found us safe, dry, and in good spirits.
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