WOLF RIVER – I watched from shore as the canoe capsized midway through the stretch of rapids we had been scouting just minutes ago. Ben was standing 50 feet upriver from me. He landed a perfect toss of the throw rope to the swimming paddler who continued clinging to one gunwale of the plastic boat being pulled toward the next hydraulic swirl. I dropped to the ground behind Ben, holding the back of his life jacket to act as an anchor, preventing him from joining those already in the water. Having just completed his swift water rescue training, Ben yelled a command over the roar of the river.

“Pendulum!” he declared, signaling to another paddler-turned-rescuer to assist in bringing the submerged boat and paddler to shore.

Soon enough, we all stood on the banks of the Wolf River in our post-exhilaration glow. The bright sun, steady breeze, and 70-degree temperatures made for a pleasant debrief on this May afternoon in the dairy state.