Glacier National Park: The Slide Show

                                                                

Rocky Mountain High

Date of events depicted: 14 August 2011

Two Crazy Chicks Productions, in association with WorldWild PhotoGraphics and What Am I Going to Tell Your Mother? Productions, is proud to present episode 2 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Glacier National Park…  

“Is there some sort of medication you need to bring with you on the raft?” Ross eyes Eden closely as she attempts to buckle her life vest with shaking hands.

“Nope,” Eden assures the guide. “Just had a bit too much caffeine.” She bounces on her toes. “Yup, yup. A bit too much caffeine.”

Ross looks doubtful. “You’re sure you don’t need medication?” he asks, tightening the vest. “You’re as jumpy as I’ve ever seen anyone.”

“Okaaay, I’ve had waaaay too much caffeine. But no worries.  No worries. It should wear off soon.”

It has been hours since our intrepid heroines, up since before dawn in search of owls, stopped at a small, crowded café near Glacier National Park’s east entrance for a much-needed cup of coffee and breakfast.

But Eden did not limit herself to one cup – in a disturbing demonstration of lack of common sense, she imbibed three – and for someone of her temperament and constitution that has serious and long-lasting consequences. Among them, apparently, is giving strangers the impression that she has some sort of grave medical condition.

As Yumiko, Eden, and their fellow adventurers negotiate the rapids of the wild and scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River, the icy water washes away the lingering effects of Eden’s excess consumption.

On the stretches of flat water, conversation flows easily among the rafters, who swap advice and suggestions regarding what to see and do in the area.

Yumiko and Eden enthusiastically endorse hiking the Hidden Overlook Trail. Still partially snow-covered even this late in the season, it boasts stunning views of the glacier-carved landscape and opportunities for close encounters with wildlife. Just the day before, our fearless females came within feet of mountain goats, marmots, and ground squirrels while bighorn sheep grazed in the valley below.

Ross guides the raft to the pull out and points to a short blue bus. “Hop on.”

The ride back is not a long one, but there is time enough for the group to serenade Eden with a rousing round of “Happy Birthday” and for a one-question trivia contest, which Eden wins. Food allergies, unfortunately, mean she can only watch enviously as Yumiko collects and eats the prize: a double scoop of delicious locally-made huckleberry ice cream in a waffle cone.

In the golden light of afternoon, our dynamic duo drives the rough roads of the remote and uncrowded North Fork Valley to the tiny community of Polebridge, where, according to Ross, they will find some of the best food around at the town’s only bar.

The Northern Lights Saloon, with its five tables and six barstools and frontier feel, doesn’t disappoint. The food is outstanding and, Eden discovers, the drinks strong. Yumiko, on antibiotics, can only watch enviously as Eden downs a celebratory Jack & Coke.

“Yup, yup,” Eden says, finishing her elk burger (no bun) and handing over the car keys. “I’ve had bit too much to drink. But no worries. It should wear off soon.”

The memories of her 40^th birthday weekend, however, will stay with her for a very long time.

© Eden Feuer

A Class IV Act

Date of events depicted: 2 February 2011

Two Crazy Chicks Productions, in association with WorldWild PhotoGraphics and What Am I Going to Tell Your Mother? Productions, is proud to present episode 1 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Costa Rica…

[Warning: the following contains profanity.]

“Oh, shit!” Cristián shouts.

Our intrepid heroines and their four fellow adventurers immediately scramble to comply with the Costa Rican river guide equivalent of “Get down in the raft now!”

They are about halfway through their run of the Pacuare, ranked among the world’s top rafting rivers. Nearly continuous rapids (most of them Class III) pass through lush jungle and between hundred-foot-tall canyon walls.

“Back in position!”

On this, their first full day of a two-week trip eleven years in the making, Yumiko and Eden soak in the sight of waterfalls cascading into the river and magnificent blue morpho butterflies fluttering along its banks.

We finally managed to get here, Eden thinks as she once more checks to make sure that Yumiko is in no danger of falling out of the boat. Twice before they had made plans to come to Costa Rica and both times ended up visiting another Central American country.

“Forward hard!”

The raft enters the Class IV Lower Huacas and Eden and Yumiko dig deep with their paddles. From their position in front, they can see the water churning and swirling.

There’s a sudden drop. The raft tilts forward steeply. And Yumiko watches in helpless horror as Eden is knocked halfway out of the bucking boat and slips relentlessly toward the roiling rapids.

Oh, shit!

Instinctively, Eden grabs the “chicken line” with one hand. She manages to stop her descent, but is unable to pull herself back into the raft.

A thought flashes through Yumiko’s mind: What am I going to tell her mother? As much as she wants to be able to come to Eden’s aid, Yumiko knows that she must continue to paddle through the rapids lest everyone end up taking an unwelcome and dangerous swim.

Thus, it is long moments before Eden’s fellow rafters can haul her to safety.

Our intrepid heroines are grateful that Eden has escaped her latest misadventure with nothing more than a spectacular bruise on her thigh. They breathe a sigh of relief, but the Pacuare gives them only a moment of respite.

“Oh, shit!”

text © Eden Feuer
photos courtesy of Rios Tropicales

A Leap of Faith

Date of events depicted: 4 July – 5 July 2010

Two Crazy Chicks Productions, in association with WorldWildPhotoGraphics and What Am I Going to Tell Your Mother? Productions, is proud to present episode 2 of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Japan III...

“5…”

Are you insane?!

“4…”

Look down! It’s 42 meters from up here to the Tone River below.

“3…”

This is you. You who can’t even do a basic “trust fall” into a friend’s arms!

“2…”

But you’re about to launch yourself headfirst off a bridge, trusting that an oversized rubber band is going to prevent you from crashing to your death?

“1…”

You’re the first jumper of the day. What if those guys made a mistake with the ropes, huh?

“Bungy!” the onlookers roar.

And despite the vociferous protests of her survival instincts (which sound suspiciously like her mother-in-law), Eden dives off the Great Bridge of Suwa.

And then she is falling plummeting hurtling down and the adrenaline is surging through her veins and she hears nothing but the wind rushing in her ears and sees nothing but the rocks rapidly approaching and she is terrified and panicked and helpless and just as she is thinking maybe she is going to die she feels a jolt.

The bungy cord pulls her up in a giant bounce and she is flying, soaring, and actually having fun now and she flexes for the camera and gives a war whoop of pure joy.

She is grinning wildly when she is no longer dangling by her ankles. Standing upright on the riverbank, she waves triumphantly at Cathy before bounding up the stairs to Miko, who greets her with a huge smile, gives her a high five, and says, “The photographers were laughing at your antics.”

Honor, however, was not laughing when Eden initially expressed an interest in bungy jumping. Her response at the time was, “No! Absolutely not!”

Bungy jumping hadn’t even been on the agenda when Eden and Miko suggested to Cathy and Honor that they head to Minakami following the interment.  Traditionally an onsen (hot spring) resort town, Minakami has evolved in recent years into a 4-season outdoor adventure destination offering skiing, snowboarding, canyoning, hiking… and some of Japan’s best whitewater rafting.

Honor voiced no objections to that particular activity, so the previous day, Cathy, Yumiko, and Eden donned wetsuits, lifejackets, and helmets and piled into a raft with a playful Kiwi guide named Damon. Our intrepid heroines ran rapids, started splash fights with the two other boats, and foiled Damon’s attempts to knock them overboard.

Until Eden had uncovered it during her pre-trip research, she and Miko had no idea that this kind of excitement could be found a mere 70 minutes from Tokyo. 

And as they head back to the capital, Eden, still pumped from her jump, recalls her last visit to Japan and thinks, Bungy jumping dangerous? Try the Tokyo subway!

© Eden Feuer

Going with the Flow

Original airdate: Saturday, July 15, 2006

First, congratulations to Tiffany, who has won our Reader Challenge!

Now, the final episode of The Adventures of Yumiko and Eden in Oregon...

Our intrepid heroes make their way from Grants Pass to the banks of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. Over the course of the next four days, they run challenging rapids, spot a bald eagle and a black bear, and bond with their 4 guides, a rubber chicken named Walter, and 11 fellow rafters (yes, even the 4 kids and 17 year old boy). Miko executes a picture-perfect rescue when one of the inflatable kayaks flips. Eden swigs Chivas from the bottle with the guides, jumps off 15-20 foot high rocks (see photo), swims rapids, and sunburns her feet in a sexy zebra pattern. At trip's end, it is with heavy hearts and serious heat rash that Miko and Eden change into dry clothes and speed south toward home.

© Eden Feuer

Related link: ECHO River Trips