21st of April 2025. By Daniel Cros

After meeting at Horseshoe Falls Car Park, our starting point, we brought the cars to the Pavilion, our exit point.

We were six paddlers: Sarah Gille, Ian Gornall, Oscar Kelly, Anthony, Nick Price and I. The weather was wet and cloudy, and the rain hadn’t stopped falling since early in the morning, but it stopped as soon as we got into the river at Horseshoe Falls. It was 11 am. Water levels were moderate,e and I was privileged to join a group of paddlers much more experienced than I in white water.

We went down the river at a slow pace, enjoying eddies and ferry gliding here and there. The bad weather was forgotten, and we were all looking forward to the Serpents. We got there quickly and decided to jump in straight away. Sarah led the group, and we all followed. Water splashes, the feeling of being taken down by the strong current and that bit of adrenaline brought wide smiles to all of us. Some did better than others, but we all agreed: “Let’s do it again!” The second time it was even better, and for some there was a third go.