"Downriver" by Will Hobbs: Summary And Main Themes

In this paper "Downriver Will Hobbs Summary" we will talk about the plot, summary, and main themes of this story. At a summer camp for troubled teens, Jessie is going on a long hiking/rock climbing trip. She has been sent here by her father. Jessie had been getting in trouble and been very sad ever since her mom died when she as five. She thinks her dad wants to get rid of her and go spend time with his girlfriend by signing her up for this camp. Her group keeps hiking, and Jessie is tired as ever, stumbling on her aching legs. Then the group comes upon cliff they must climb. Jessie gets her harness on and begins climbing with her climbing partner, Freddy. “Don’t look down, ” says Freddy, but Jessie is already looking down at the thousand-foot drop beneath her. She slips, but Freddy grabs on, holding with all of his strength. They finally pull Jessie to safety. That concluded their climbing for the day, and they hiked back down the mountain.

The next day they went rafting. Heather, a member of their group, fell overboard, but was okay. Everyone in the group was surprised and happy that rafting was so fun. The day after that was day two of rafting. The group got in a van with the rafts in a trailer in the back. Al, their camp counselor drove them to a stop were he went to get rafting permits for the day. When he got out, the group started discussing a devilish idea. Without Al supervising them, they could drive anywhere. Then, from the back seat, Freddy suggests they raft the Grand Canyon. They weren't too far away from the Grand, and the group liked the idea. Al could be coming out at any minute now. Finally, the decision is final. They will “borrow” the rafting gear and raft the grand canyon. Troy, another member of the group, hops up front and starts the engine. They begin driving away, leaving Al behind. It is night when they reach the Grand Canyon. Almost nobody is there, because it is mid-October. They Silently rig the boats, but soon realize that Heather has split from the group. The group hopes she doesn’t tell anyone about what they’re doing. Then their journey begins, as they paddle down the river.

The first rapid looks treacherous, rocks jutting out and white water. They manage it very well, and have hardly any water to bail. The next rapid though, after carefully planning how to run it, Jessie is flung out of the boat, but Star, Jessie’s friend and cabin mate at camp pulls her back in the boat. The rapid after that, The boat with Star in it flips. She is okay. The group then sets up camp and goes to sleep. The next day they decide to explore a cave. Afterwords, as they climb down a ledge back to the boats, Adam, a member of their group accidently kicks a rock onto Rita, another member of the crew. The rock splits her head open and blood steadily trickles out. They have a first aid kit with them, and Freddy stitches Rita’s head up. Then, the day after, they see someone coming down the canyon. It is Al, their counselor. He is mad, but says he hasn’t told anyone about what they’re doing. Al says that there is a burger place near the top of the canyon where they are. They head up, but emergency services are already there. It was a trap! The group rushes down the canyon to the boats, leaving Al behind. As they go down more rapids they begin to be pursued by helicopters. A big rapid comes up. A helicopter is parked on a bank. They will have to go up on this bank to scout the rapid, or else they won’t know how to go down it. They end up taking a huge risk, and just avoiding the helicopter and going down the rapid. It ends up working. They set up camp, but awaken to a big storm. Fortunately, they get out okay.

They go down more rapids and then set up camp to end the day. In the night Freddy wakes up and alerts the others that something is wrong. It turns out he was bitten by a poisonous scorpion. They do the best they can to keep him alright. Then, they come across more of the helicopters, and decide to turn themselves in, for Freddy’s sake. They needed to get him to a hospital. This concludes their epic journey down the Grand Canyon. Star ends up living with Jessie, her dad, and Dad’s girlfriend, and they live happily together in their new home that is on the Grand Canyon.