It is cool but even as early as 8AM the warm sun on my skin promises a toasty day. We sign our wavers, pick up life jackets and helmets then join our fellow rafters at Noah’s Ark as we anxiously await put in.
We are in a paddle raft today with two other fellows and our guide, Brandon. There is a quick collective gasp as we step into the Arkansas River and come to realize that the air isn’t really all that cold, but the water certainly is!
Ok, we are in the raft and off we go. It is a fun ride with a few wild spots. The current is surprisingly swift even at a relatively low flow (670 cfs). There are lots of boulders to dodge, some class III rapids, and even a couple class IV. We do a few spins and back through some spots to make for a more exciting ride. We recognize Slidel Suckhole from the waterside. It is a fun spot.
We are in for a full day so it’s lunch break on the bank. It is almost too good. The life jackets feel tighter when we have to strap them back on.
The final leg of the trip is mostly choppy/bumpy going over and among lots of big and really big rocks. With little chance of leaving the boat unexpectedly, we get a chance to take in the beautiful scenery along the river.
We did it. We followed rule #1. All of us stayed in the boat. It was a great day.

To add to the flavor, Brandon was quite the story teller. There was the one about “Elk Bridge” but he was just pulling our leg. Then there was one something about it being “Illegal to wave a firearm in Kansas”. Trust me, they would only make you groan if you heard the whole story. We were his last ride down the river for the season and he seemed to be enjoying it nearly as much as the rest of us.