by Lynsey Brewer

Created on: October 23, 2008   Last Updated: December 19, 2009

One summer my friend and I went to bible camp, a place called Dickey Lake in Montana. Every year my friend's church went camping there, and since I was visiting from Washington I got invited to tag along.

I was a fairly large campground which consisted of some cabins, a chapel, two bathrooms and a Snack Shack. The campground was surrounded by some forest with a few small trails for walking. Unfortunately, these trails were off-limits because of occasional bear or cougar sightings. During the day, whether you preferred sports or lounging in the sun, there was always something to do. If you were to look for me I would most likely be found on the lake in a boat or hanging with my friends in the cabin that we shared.

It was on the third day of camp that we decided to go inner tubing. We talked some of the guys into driving the boat and settled down for the ride. When the boat reached the middle of the lake the guys put the inner tubes in the water and helped us to get in. My friend Melody and her two sisters got the biggest tube, and I got the small one all to myself. As I climbed into the tube I felt a sense of excitement; feelings of 'what happens if I flip over?' began racing through my head. Slowly, the boat began to move forward, gradually picking up speed. Water sprayed in my face and an occasional wave would dislodge me from my seat; the boat would then stop, allowing me to reclaim my place on the tube.

After about ten minutes of this, an unusually large wave swept behind the boat and hit me with such force that it sent my tube flying about a foot above the water. In the split second that I was in the air my tube did a complete flip and hit the water so hard that all my weight was knocked of the flotation device and into the water. When I fell into the water I made the mistake of holding onto the handle of the inner tube instead of letting go. The effect of my body weight dragging against the current of the water caused my bikini bottoms to slip down and become entwined around my left ankle. Noticing my dangerous predicament I let go of my tube with a scream and just barely managed to grab them before the descended to the bottom of the lake. Fortunately, I managed to tug them on before any of the guys on the boat noticed. I then boarded the boat and we headed back to shore.

I enjoyed the rest of my trip. It was probably the last time I will ever see my friend Melody. Although that was nearly two years ago, my friends and I still cannot help but laugh at my story, and thank goodness that none of the guys saw anything that would have led to further embarrassment.

Learn more about this author, Lynsey Brewer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.