the 2006 rafting trip

22 of us in 4 rafts braved the extra strong flow of the Arkansas river in a 7 hour, high intensity, 16 mile, white water rafting trip today . The weather was drippy and overcast but each of us had donned a wet suit so we were all quite cozy and comfortable.

After lunch the members of our raft (named no name) shifted positions (I moved from front right to middle left) this act made our boat "unbalanced" and a ways down the river we learned of the implications of improper weight and balance on a raft as I was violently tossed from the boat.

Further down the we attempted a "surf" which is where you fight the water to rest the raft at the base of a mini waterfall or "hydraulic" and let the raft just surf. We were very unsuccessful and I was sucked out again and bounced right under the raft and was shot out the other side. Ellen and Geoff, two members of our rafting team, also were violently tossed from the boat.

All in all it was a great experience. We were the only boat to have passengers get ejected. Our guide Dave, whom I had the fortune of being with on last years trip, has 11 years of experience and is a bit of a risk taker which would account for our rafts turbulent and dramatic voyage . I will request him next year.

Thanks to Dave, our guide, and my fellow raft mates: Ellen Sarcone, Mindy Lee, Chris Young and Geoff Larson, we had a really great team and a lot of memories that will last a lifetime.