Terrifying stories like those are the norm in the outdoor recreation industry. Risk management is almost always nonexistent, and people coast on the principle o

Terrifying stories like those are the norm in the outdoor recreation industry. Risk management is almost always nonexistent, and people coast on the principle of "if it didn't go wrong before, if probably won't go wrong now". They made an excellent choice to take out at a random bend in the river, but one has to wonder how the company training them didn't tell them every feature for at least three miles past the takeout. As for the canyoneering drowning--that sounds awful. Fording a river seems like such a simple task, but it can be so dangerous. The first time I rafted, we were on the New River in West Virginia. We took a raft ourselves with a novice guide just for fun, and flipped in Class IV rapids. I've never been that scared before.