Taking Rafting Vacations

An amazing aspect of multi-day white water rafting trips is the irony of the daily routine. On one hand you know precisely what you will be doing today and tomorrow, and the next day, which is, having fun, travelling downstream. You'll break camp each day, load the gear onto the boats, pull away from camp, out into the current, and enjoy those first few miles in the morning which are always a special time to be on the water. You'll stop to scout rapids, and stop for lunch, goof around, and explore the historical and natural features of the river corridor. And then in the afternoon you'll make camp, maybe hike or fish a bit, play games, eat dinner, and sit around the evening campfire until the embers die away.

But each day will be brand new in every other way, with its own unique sights and adventures. Maybe that's what makes casting off in the mornings so fun. Each morning, you know you won't see that camp again; everything today will be brand new. Not only is the sound of the flowing water invigorating, but the whole day is set out for you to encounter and enjoy. You live the life of a nomad, a wanderer. The river takes you away, and reveals to you the rare experiences that are together, a river rafting trip. You'll gradually learn about what is around each bend as you move downstream. You'll see it all, and experience the magic that is moving water, the excitement and adventure of the rapids, the solitude and silence of the calm stretches.

After a day or two of this wonderful ironic routine, you will undoubtedly slip into a mental state that we river runners call 'river time'. Your mind downshifts to a more primitive mode. The cares and stress of your life back in the 'real world' slip away. Here, on the river, there is no rush, except the rush of moving water. For you, nothing must happen urgently. You take it as it comes. You savor it. You relax.

Pick a rock or a nice place on the beach. Settle in. Take a nap, read a book. Chat with your friends. Indulge your hobbies of cooking or photography or knitting, or whatever it is. Read your maps; find the old homestead or mining claim up that gulch behind camp. Look for traces of Indian camps and art work. Soak in a crystal clear hot spring with a glass of wine, and the wilderness scenery all around you. Imagine life in the corridor thousands of years ago.

Chances are it looked to those folks as you see it today - except the wine glass, and the tent, and the camp kitchen, and the folding chairs, and all the other conveniences of a modern river rafting trip. If you're on a river, you are one lucky person. May you find your fair share of 'river time'.

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