Road trips across the American West are practically built for adventure. For Utah-based creator Easton Gunn (@easton.gunn), a trip to capture the scenic West Coast began with a detour that quickly turned into a high-stakes survival test—not just for him, but for his gear.
On the long drive toward the coast, Easton and his friends made a pit stop at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. Famous for natural thermal waters feeding directly into a local river packed with fun, easy rapids, it’s a popular spot for travelers looking to break up a road trip with some river tubing.
Armed with his Insta360 X4 secured to a headband accessory, Easton hopped on a tube to capture the float.
High Waters and the Crux
Unknown to the group, they had arrived on a day when recent water levels were significantly higher than average. The rapids were bigger, faster, and far more aggressive than anything Easton had experienced before.
The real test came halfway down the run: the river's crux. More of a roaring mini-waterfall than a standard rapid, the high water turned it into a violent washing machine.
As they plunged over the edge, the current thrashed them mercilessly. Both Easton and his friend were violently flipped off their tubes. Worse still, the extreme impact ripped the Insta360 X4 right off his head, sending it tumbling into the churning, murky rapids below.
The Search and Rescue
Battered and scraped up from the sharp lava rock lining the riverbed, Easton’s adrenaline spiked—not from his own injuries, but from sheer terror over his camera.
Thoughts raced through his head: Would he even find it? If he did, would the body be destroyed? And what about the unbacked-up SD card filled with raw road trip footage?
Fighting against the powerful current, Easton waded downstream blindly, feeling along the rocky bottom with his hands. Suddenly, while lunging forward against the rushing water, he tripped over the uneven lava rock.
As his foot caught his fall, it jammed into a small pocket in the riverbed. And right there, beneath the water, he felt it.
Too anxious to risk the current sweeping it away while he bent down, Easton made a split-second, instinctual move: he grabbed the camera with his toes, hoisted it up through the water column, and caught it with his hands.
The Aftermath
Miraculously, the X4 survived the ordeal. Aside from a minor scuff on the replaceable lens guard, the camera was fully operational—and every single second of footage was safe.
While Easton admits he treats his equipment with a lot more caution now, the wild rapid rescue remains an unforgettable chapter of the West Coast road trip. When you mix high-flow river rapids, sharp lava rock, and a relentless current, sometimes capturing the ultimate action shot requires a little bit of luck, quick reflexes, and an improvised toe-grab.
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