“Since the beginning of the world as we know it, all the water on Earth has been the same.”
First Taste
The wall of roaring white water was easily above my head.
What are the chances of me dying tonight?
The first place we stopped at was at first eerily inviting. Jet black, water rounded stones littered the shoreline as we walked from the parked car to the edge of the ocean before us. With headlamps scanning the shore to reveal the path ahead, all I could see was the faint white froth of water in the distance and hear the muffled hum of crashing waves.
Our guide told us we will walk over just to check on conditions, and I noted the naked absence of a life-jacket that grew all the more pressing as we neared the shoreline.
Angry or violent would be too gentle for the state of the water here.
Imagine the very center of an epic whirlpool traveling down a stretch of land in a deafening roar of water and seaweed and you are perched precariously on the edge of it. The water coming onto shore lessens out and teases your feet into walking closer to a deadly trap. I was struck with a terrible realization that a life jacket would probably do little to rescue me from getting trapped in such a situation. I was stuck once more with another thought, “I’m scared.”
This fear was wild, primal, horrible, it was realizing just how small I am in comparison to the ocean and the moon and the stars and the great expanse of the world around me.
I realized, quite honestly in an instant, that this is the true meaning of the feeling of awe. I was struck by the most intense sensation of awe I have ever felt.
Our guide decided it was too violent and not worth it to fish so we wandered back to the relative safety of the car where I sat in shock and my mind wandered about aimlessly, trying to rectify my passion for fishing with my very real fear of the situation.
“Do I even want to do this?”
TheOutLife 