MINDLESS MUSINGS

On another visit to the National park, daytime this time, we were rowing a boat around the river. You often found ropes tied to trees all along these rivers. It was great fun to climb up to them and swing into the water.

We found one such rope, so we tied our boat to a tree. We climbed up the rock to get access to the rope. The way this rope was tied it was beneficial to climb a tree and launch from a greater height to get a better swing and some extra speed as a bonus. Doing this meant that you swung out into the river in a kind of C like curve. You could let go whenever you wanted, but it was best to let the swing get right out on the river before letting go, and this is what we all did.

I am not sure how many turns we had each had before someone spotted it… Holy fuck!

There was a fallen tree in the river with branches sitting just beneath the water waiting to impale anyone who let go of the rope to early. It was by sheer coincidence that we had all agreed that hanging on until getting out as far as possible was the best option. Had anyone let go that little bit early, or slipped, they were heading straight for the underwater impaling monster tree.

We all just stood and stared shaking our heads. How lucky can you be? We all admitted that none of us had seen this potential killer. We all agreed that we were a very lucky bunch of swingers and hopped back in our boat to move on. I can still envision that tree lurking under the water like a giant claw waiting for a victim.

Always check for potential dangers before diving into unknown waters. That is a common message, but this story demonstrates how easy it is to forget such a warning; and just how dangerous things that look like a bit of fun can be.

I am glad I can tell this story without having a friend or myself impaled on a tree branch.