wow congratulations! 40 years is quite the accomplishment! thats nearly twice as many years as ive been alive.

this summer marks the 5th anniversary for my group. what i remember most about that first trip wasnt that big one that got away, but instead the terrible thunderstorm we had on the last day. i had never seen winds that strong or rain that heavy before in my life, but we paddled through it and made it safely out of the park. since that trip, whenever we see rain or winds up there i always just remember back to the first time and think 'we made it through the worst weather ive ever seen on the first trip, so we can handle anything now.'