Heidi Obermeyer takes the swim of her life in Horn Creek Rapids in Grand Canyon, as described in her essay “Into the Guts of the Earth, or, The Day I Fell Out of the Boat“:
“We enter and the roar is deafening, Cricket’s shouted paddle commands faint against the noise of the water. Our little boat slips in like a dwarf among giants, completely insignificant. We crash through one wave that nearly unseats me, the first time on the trip that I actually feel like I might leave the boat. Then we slide down the other side at a slightly wrong angle, and, irresistibly, with no other choice, we go crashing directly into another enormous wave, one that lifts my entire body up and out of the boat like it’s no trouble at all. I am disappeared from my seat and thrust into the water, and suddenly I understand how power works…
“A crashing wave thwarts my first attempt to grab Cricket’s outstretched paddle. As I reach out for a second attempt, I suddenly see my yellow hat in the water. Not thinking, I grab it and then grab Cricket’s paddle handle. Plucking me from the water has been Cricket’s only focus, and for every second she has spent reaching for me, another second has passed with the boat un-captained and at the mercy of the rushing current. As Cricket pulls me towards the boat I see that we are in line for a direct hit with the hard, black schist of the canyon wall, and I make a split-second decision to let go of the boat so I won’t get sandwiched between it and the wall. I suddenly feel strong hydraulics from the eddy to my left…”
Heidi’s essay appears in the 2025 issue of Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry, the home for creative work inspired by journeys to places where there are no roads. To learn more, or to order a copy, visit deepwildjournal.com
Deep Wild Journal 
That moment when Heidi is unexpectedly lifted out of the boat by the crashing wave — completely losing control and being thrust into the rushing water — perfectly captures the raw vulnerability adventurers face in the wild. It’s a powerful reminder that no matter how prepared you are, nature’s force can surprise you in an instant.
This feeling of sudden vulnerability is something I vividly recall during the Ghorepani–Poon Hill trek in Nepal. After hours of climbing slippery, uneven steps under monsoon rains, you long for rest, but often only find hard benches that offer little comfort. Just as Heidi needed a sturdy hand and quick decisions to stay safe, on the trek you need reliable gear — like a supportive, packable chair — to regain your strength and feel secure amid challenging conditions.
Both experiences highlight how important it is to have dependable support, whether it’s a steady hand pulling you back into a boat or a comfortable chair that lets you truly rest after pushing your limits in nature’s unpredictable embrace.
https://www.himalayaheart.com/trip/10-days-ghorepani-poon-hill-trek
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