idiots. I was a follower.

It was about 60 feet into a slow moving pool, but you had to swim quickly to the side, which I didn't realize.

They decided they were going to jump and asked me to hold onto their hats. I couldn't bear the thought of walking back to camp as the non-jumping witness, so with 3 hats in hand I jumped.

We laughed at the bottom that I had jumped but I took too long getting to the side and got caught in the swift water and could see a large square-faced rock approaching.

I frantically swam to avoid it, discarding the hats as I did so. Got my feet out in front of me and missed the rock by a foot or 2, and of course got sucked down into the hole behind it. Not sure if it made a difference, but I balled up like I had been taught and after what seemed like 10 seconds (friends said if was 1 or 2) I surfaced, got into an eddy and clung to the cliff face where I regained my composure and we slowly worked our way to the beach below.

Strangely I made the jump a few times with a larger group, including a couple idiot scout leaders the next day, quickly swimming hatless to the side each time.

But I had nightmares about it after that, and when we went back later that summer and the next year my buddies jumped and I did not.

Oh and Freddie Krueger nearly got me a few times as I ran home from my friend's house at midnight.