The moment when I realized that it might be a good idea to stop was when the Big Dog paddler we looked up to at the time said at put in "if you flip either roll or die in your boat cause you'll die for sure if you swim" and he didn't smile. That was the first time I remember making a concious decision to take a risk with my life. There were plenty of other hair brained paddling adventures before  this, but that was the first time I sat in my boat and weighed the pros and cons of risking my life on a run I knew might be beyond my skill level. Hell, i just got the chills thinking about paddling out into that freight train current in the flatwater above Bull Falls. There was a solid band of debris in the middle of the river composed of everything from plastic bottles to countless full grown trees tumbling in the current. Dat waz big wata fo sho.