Images > 2004 Senior High Youth Whitewater Rafting Trip
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On June 1st, ten of us set out for adventure in the Rocky Mountains. The day's drive ended at Breckenridge where we found our comfy rooms for the night. We walked downtown and found some tasty supper. After that it was back to the hotel for some time in the pool and hot tubs. After devotions it was off to bed, morning would come all too soon.
We were all packed and ready to roll out of Breckenridge by 7:00 on Wednesday morning. We stopped in South Park City to pick up a variety of breakfast provisions. We were at the Acquired Taste Rafting office by 9:00 AM to meet our camp hosts and our river guides. We also met George at the office. He was out celebrating his 70th birthday with his son and son-in-law. Later in the day we watched as George became the newest member of the "Arkansas River Swim Team"…he said he got bored and decided to liven things up. We learned from George that you don't loosen your life jacket, they're tight for a reason. He was okay in the end.
We took on Brown's Canyon during our first day on the water. We enjoyed several splash wars between our two boats. The weather couldn't have been better for early June. We tried to surf the Toilet Bowl, but it kinda just flushed us out. We had seven big rapids that day including Canyon Doors, Zoom Flume, Big Drop, Sidel's Suckhole, and Twin Falls.
As our day on the water ended, we got out of the boats and were at our private camp site for the night. Andy and Mike had already put up the tents for us, and had snacks waiting. After everyone changed into dry clothes, we spread out for an hour of quiet time to reflect on the days events and the beauty all around us. While waiting for dinner, Jeff and Jim returned from taking the boats back to the shop and we had quite the volleyball match going.
Mike and Andy fixed a gourmet dinner for us…steak, potatoes, steamed veggies, salad, baked beans and desserts. Before long it was back to the volleyball game and some horseshoes. Later we had a wonderful campfire with s'mores galore. Everyone fell asleep with the peaceful sounds of the river in the background that night.
The next morning, Andy and Mike made breakfast burritos for us and the guides picked us up and took us to the next section of the river we would run. We started at Pinnacle Rock and took out for lunch at the Parkdale Recreation area. After a delicious lunch, we drove back up to Pinnacle to do it all over again. The rapids on the 2nd day were bigger and more intense, and tons of fun. We ran Three Rocks, Five Points, Spikebuck (Spikebuck ate one of the guide's paddles on the first run), Puppy's Tail, Double Dip and a few others. We had an awesome time surfing one rapid in the afternoon. Jeff said it was one of the best surfs he'd ever had in a raft. The afternoon was a bit rainy, but that didn't dampen our spirits at all.
After we got out at Parkdale the second time, we all ran for our warmer clothes and boarded the bus for the long but beautiful ride back up to the shop in Buena Vista. Once there we loaded up our gear and headed back towards Denver. After supper we settled down for the night in Longmont, making Friday's drive much quicker.
The trip was quite the adventure, and one we'll remember for a long time. Participants were: Sarah Benson, Sarah Gregory, Sarah Pillard, Alex Tatro, Andrea Steele, Tiffany Gregory, Bethany & Darlene Higgins, Natasha Tiff and Dana Rains.