May 2013
Beginner
288 pages
6h 13m
English
The Knowledge Principle—Do to Know
When I was first hired as a whitewater guide on the Colorado River, I was overwhelmed by the prospect of having to learn 288 miles of river—every rapid, rock bar, back eddy, sandbar, whirlpool, hydraulic, and any other obstacle that could do great harm. So I went out and bought a couple of Grand Canyon River maps and made a notebook detailing everything I thought I would need to know. The older guides even helped me draw pictures of each rapid, identifying all the major challenges and obstacles in the rapid.
I soon realized that I had some good knowledge—and great drawings—but absolutely no experience. My first time in the middle of a rapid, I couldn’t recognize anything ...