Stop 19: White-Water Rafting in Canon City, CO

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We awoke at 5:30 in the morning to head off towards Canyon City, Colorado for our whitewater rafting trip. On the way, we stopped for a McDonalds breakfast (which was sweet cause I’m never awake early enough to get it) and arrived there six hours later. We got there in time to grab some lunch before our adventure down the river. After checking in, renting a splash jacket (good move by us, definitely helped repel the 63 degree water), and hearing the safety tips, we hopped on a bus for the short ride down to the Royal Gorge section of the Arkansas River.

Down at the river we met our raft guide, Tim, who gave us detailed instructions on everything to know and expect from the river. We were told exactly when and how to paddle, stay in the raft, and what to do if we fall out. Needless to say, it all sounded a little more dangerous than we had anticipated, adding to our senses of fear, excitement, and anticipation. There isn’t much you can do if you fall out of the raft. They give you a couple of tips, but basically you got to just get back to the raft, swim to shore, or ride out the rapids on your back (ouch!).

We hopped in the raft with five other people (3 girls, 2 guys), Tim, and took our seats. I was put in the front spot (where they need the strongest paddlers, of course) and Allison was placed across the small boat two rows back. When you get in the raft you don’t sit in the middle, you sit on the very edge so you can reach the water best with your oar. The way you stay in the raft is by shoving your front foot under the seat in front of you and your back foot in the seat behind. Though a bit painful, the better you squeeze your foot in their, the better chance you have of staying in the boat.

The first part of the river was smooth and quiet. We glided along slowly, practicing the different paddling orders from Tim, and hearing true/horror stories. Apparently, falling out of a raft, or rafts tipping, is a very common occurrence, which added to the suspense of the rapids ahead. Once settled and prepared (as much as we could anyway), we began hitting some rapids. Rapids are based on a scale from 1-6, one being a peaceful creek, six being going over a waterfall. The first couple of rapids were Class 2’s, easy enough, just getting us ready for the good stuff.

The rest of the ride was through numerous Class 3 and 4 rapids. As you come upon them all you can think of is “Oh Crap” and “Why did we decide to do this?” Using good teamwork and great leadership from Tim, we managed to navigate the rapids successfully. We hit some giant waves and rough patches, and it always felt like you were two inches away from falling out of the raft. We survived all the major rapids the river threw at us including the worst one, Wallslammer. With the river pushing us where it wanted us to go, we flew down a steep incline, hurtling towards a cliff wall. Lucky for me, my side got spun away at the last moment, sending us backwards away from the cliff. Unluckily for Allison, her side was sent crashing into the wall. Like a veteran (or some survival instinct), Allison ducked her head and body into the raft, narrowly avoiding the wall, and kept paddling with the rest of the group. With a thunderous CRASH we hit the wall, bounced off and continued down the river. That was the most danger we faced, but there was plenty of more thrills and excitement on the other rapids too.

The river quieted down at the end, and we glided along, thankful for keeping everyone in the raft, and such a successful trip. We had time to enjoy the scenery, rest, and talk a bit with the other people on the raft. Extremely exhausted, but thoroughly enjoying the experience, we made our way for the final couple hours to Boulder, CO.

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Comments

[Mom]

What no pictures??
So where are all the pictures? I wanted to see this.