Lessons on the River

DESOLATION CANYON, Green River — Her tiny voice can barely be heard over the roar of the Green River.

Jessica shares a story about playing with empty shotgun shells and gasoline that somehow ignited into a ball of fire. There is no embellishment. The terrifying story is told as simply as recalling yesterday's events.

Sixteen other adolescent burn survivors sit in a circle with her under the full moon and give their full attention. There is no sign of pity, just understanding and curiosity.

On the edge of the circle are six river guides who have been rowing all day, taking the youngsters through rapids that could be disastrous if negotiated by someone less capable. There are quiet gasps and streams of tears as the guides struggle to contain their emotions.

Jorel tells about looking for something to do with his friend and finding cans of gas in an old building. "We tried to put out the fire but couldn't. I remember being paranoid and then being home and seeing my mother faint, then my grandmother fainted. The next thing I knew, I woke up a month later in the hospital with something stuck in my throat."

"My burns were the best thing that ever happened to me," relates one survivor. He continues to tell a Kafkaesque story of sniffing gas and someone throwing a match on him . . . at the age of 12. He fervently believes being burned caused him to change the course of his life from a dead end to one with a bright future.

"I've got a question. How many of you remembered to stop, drop and roll?" he asks. About half raise their hand, and a discussion follows about what goes through your mind when you are engulfed in flames.

Two years ago, Andy was with his family in Yellowstone National Park when they found an elk lying on the ground. No one realized the animal was electrocuted by a downed power line until Andy touched the line. He survived but lost his right arm and part of his foot. This is Andy's second year on the river, and his wisdom reaches far beyond his 12 years of age.

"I just stare back at people who stare at me and say, 'Do you want to keep staring, or do you want to hear my story?' " he tells the others during a discussion about what to do when people stare.

'I can do anything'

The river has special meaning for Andy. Last year he read the diaries of one of his heroes, John Wesley Powell, whose right arm was blown off by a cannonball while raising it in retreat during the Civil War. Andy read Powell's account of captaining the boats during the first navigation of the Green and Colorado rivers.