Yep, we are doing it. We are setting off on a full day river ride with Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting out of Buena Vista. They took us out and brought us back safely last time, about 6 years ago. We are suited up: Life jacket-check. Helmet-check. Sunscreen-check. We climb into the back of the raft while our boatmates Jason and LJ take places up front and our guide, Kayla the center position with the oars. Flow rate is moderate they say, about 1200 cfs. Reports are the trip will include some class III and a couple class IV but starts out nice and easy with a little bouncing and a few splashes to get us set for the bigger stuff. We are just getting started when we ride high on a rock in the middle of the river and there we are, stuck. Really stuck! Kent and I crawl up to the front, boy was that not a graceful maneuver, trying to transfer weight and get us moving. We bounce up and down to free us. We push with paddles. Ultimately Kayla has to put a foot out and push us off…we twist wildly for a few then settle back into heading downstream. It ought to be a fun ride.
We enter Browns Canyon with its great riverside views. We tuck in our toes and hang fast to our paddles as we do our best to follow paddling orders. Go 1. Go 2. Back 2. Pretty simple, at least until one gets distracted by trying to stay in the boast. The guys up front get the biggest splashes but Kent and I get the bouncy ride in the back of the boat. We each land down in the bottom of the boat several times over the course of the trip. We manage to adhere to the first river rafting rule, “Stay in the boat”.
The sun is hot but the water in the 60s with lots of splashing going on. Shore lunch is delicious. The blondies are a particular hit. Not long after lunch stop, we hit the roughest section of the river including Seidel’s Suck Hole….it’s a fun wild ride for us and we make it through without mishap. Not everyone though. There is a ‘swimmer’ off a raft just behind us and she’s caught in the roiling waters at the base of the rock ledge. Her head is above water and she’s trying to swim but having trouble getting free. A loud whistle tweets and all boats move to help. She pops free of the swirl and is plucked to safety. It seems long even for those of us not in the water but the whole thing is probably a minute maybe two. She is a bit shaken but able to carry on.
Just a couple more swirly sections and another grounding on a mid-river rock, less spectacular than the first, then we float out the rest of the trip in relative calm. There is an uneventful bus ride back to the outfitter base where we drop off gear and bid our adventure companions farewell. We spot a food truck in the parking lot offering up homemade poptarts. I find that irresistible and we go for a raspberry one. It looks very poptart-like and the raspberry filling is actually real raspberries. It is delicious. We head home.
It has been a great trip.