River of Rage takes place on the Nine Mile River that begins in Tantallon, Nova Scotia and weaves its way through approximately fifteen miles of wilderness to empty in Shag Bay near the world renowned location of Peggy's Cove.
I have travelled this river alone, with my aunt and uncle, and/or accompanied by friends. It's a wondrous river that includes the peacefulness of lakes combined with the roaring, heart-pounding experiences of white water whose character changes nearly every season. The route is painted with gorgeous, year-round scenery and I have often stopped to marvel at the splendor of a drifting eagle, grazing deer, dripping old man's beard, or the diamond exquisiteness of an early morning dew.
The story begins after the character's high school graduation year. Don (six feet, one hundred eighty pounds) and his best friend Jay (five ten, slightly overweight) are avid hikers, campers and canoers. Don has developed his significant amount of knowledge about the woods, not only from his personal experience, but from his father who was also an amateur herbalist. Their girlfriends, Colleen (five-five, blonde hair) and Jackie (five eight, brunette), have joined them on several occasions although they are not as knowledgeable as the boys are concerning the wilderness. Jackie is a photography nut and a little 'ditsy' while Colleen is the rational thinker and natural leader of the group, who keeps Don and Jay firmly in their place. The four of these characters have been friends for many years.
During a school trip to New Brunswick the four friends watched a beach volleyball tournament and were asked by two of the participants if they would care to scrimmage in between bouts. It was during these 'practice' games that they had the chance to get to know their new 'hosts', Amy and Stan, whose athletic prowess amazed them. Stan was a big African Canadian man, standing well over six feet tall with the build of a defensive linebacker, which he happened to be. Amy was a tri-athlete; herself being tall and extremely muscular and fit. She too was of African descent.
The graduates were all continuing on in other directions with their lives and this weekend trip would most likely be the last time that they would get to spend together for quite some time.
The six of them worked full time while trying to save some money for their education. They were off to college or university in a couple of weeks and they knew that they were going to be extremely busy for the next few years. The hours they worked varied and often their free time away from work conflicted with each other's. This weekend was the only time they could arrange in their busy schedules, and would most likely be their last chance for them to spend some time together before books and lectures were to become their only known world.
Unfortunately, they weren't all going to the same school for their post-secondary education. Don and Jay were though. They had decided to attend Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They weren't really keen on going away from their hometown of Truro but in order to follow their respective careers in medical school and business they had to at least leave the small town behind. Halifax was only one hundred kilometers away so that wasn't that difficult to commute back and forth when they had the chance. Jackie was even more of a home body than the boys and had decided to go to the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, which had recently been taken over by Dalhousie University and was now called the Dalhousie Agricultural College, in the little village of Bible Hill, only a stone's throw from downtown Truro. She wanted to become a veterinarian so she needed to do three years at the DAC then another four years at the University of Prince Edward Island.
