How to make smarter financial (and life) decisions:
1. Determine the best outcome.
2. Determine the worst outcome.
3. Decide if you can live with the worst outcome.
If you can’t live with it, then the upside isn’t worth it…
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“HARD FORWARD!!!”, Andres screamed. “Go! Go! Go!”
“NOW HARD BACKWARD!!!”
But it was too late. We were barreling towards a boulder as big as an SUV. We froze in anticipation of impact.
As our 12-foot raft climbed up the front of the boulder, there was a glimmer of hope we’d just catch some air and slide right over.
The river had different plans.
We got halfway up the boulder when the current caught the bottom, flipping the raft head over heel.
I was the first one into the water. I watched Giancarlo fly over me as I got sucked into the rapids, choking on my first – but not last – gulp of the American River.
The next 2 minutes were a blur. When I could get my head above water I heard chaos.
“Don’t grab the kayak! Don’t put your feet down! Don’t swim towards shore.”
At least that’s what I assumed was being shouted. I could only catch a word or two as I gasped for air before the rapids pulled me back under.
I finally drifted close enough to the shore for the rapids to subside enough to keep my head above water.
But I was still moving at a high velocity towards another immovable object. This time without the safety of a giant rubber vessel.
Just before impact, I looked behind me to see another raft 10 feet away…
…thankfully, I watch a lot of Marvel movies.
So I pulled my knees towards my chest and as my feet hit the boulder, I leaped like a bullfrog fully extending, just catching the side of the raft with my fingertips.
(That’s 100% how it happened in my mind.)
The rest of my buddies were already on. The 6 of us had just completed the hardest, longest rapids in the North Fork of the American River without a raft.
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Applying our decision matrix…
1. The best-case scenario was tons of fun “before”
2. The worst-case scenario is drowning.
3. I can’t live with drowning.
Therefore, that was the first and last heavy Class 4 rapids I will ever raft.
