Running the Arkansas River
My
daughter and I won tickets at a church fundraising auction to go river rafting.
(Price as of 2008 is usually $60 plus tax and tip.) I’d always wanted to take
her rafting, and I thought that in honor of her 13th birthday, it was time.
So we drove the 1.5 hours from Colorado Springs to just outside Canon City,
where there are many rafting outfits running the Royal Gorge and the Arkansas
River.
With record level snowfall the winter before, the rivers were still running
high at the beginning of July—typically, it tapers off by around July 4. (Still
good river running, just with rapids that don’t run with such velocity.) It
was the highest level of water they’d seen for 10 years, so high that they
weren’t even taking people down the Royal Gorge. We went with
Royal Gorge Rafting, a terrific company (#719-275-RAFT). I like them because
they send a kayaker down with you—he takes photos, but is also there to get
to anyone who gets “dumped.”
And out of three boats, it was my daughter who got dumped through a Class
IV rapid (much to her chagrin). It was very scary, as a mom, to see her, out
behind us, and then heading into another huge rapid and knowing she’d be swimming
it (what the guides call “the economy tour.”) It was so rough, she went under
the boat and popped out in front of us! The kayaker got to her and made sure
she was okay, but couldn’t help her in the middle of a Class IV.
She
was quite shaken, of course, as was I! I hauled her back into the boat and
tried to make light of it, but she had a hard time getting into it after that.
She is a girl who has grown up swimming in lakes and is a strong swimmer.
If your child is not, I’d wait until they are 16 or older if you’re going
on a river with anything more than a Class III rapid. Still, we made it through
the rest of the trip without falling out of the boat. It’s definitely thrilling,
taking on the waves in a raft—a great experience for everyone--at least once.
If
I was to do this trip again, I’d go in the morning. In the afternoon in Colorado,
we often get thunderstorms; one came over us during our trip. The lightning
was a little scary and the rain pelted us like bullets—you’re already wet,
but you’re not paying to get pelted! This company offers wet suits, helmets
and life vests (not all do as part of the ticket price, and you definitely
want a wet suit, so check on that). Their guides are terrific, strong and
calm in the crisis, with a retinue of silly jokes. And they take you higher
up the road on the Arkansas, giving you a longer run for your money. When
you get back, they show a slide show, so you can take home a photo souvenir
($35) or a whole CD ($80). They also have a great restaurant where you could
grab lunch after the morning run or an early dinner after the afternoon run.
I think it’d be a terrific family event in normal water-level years. Don’t
let my story scare you away! There were 16 others who were not affected!