This is part 2 of a 2 part post- say that 5 times fast! So, in our last post, we left off just as the boats pushed off the ramp. The sun had just come out to shine, the rest of the skies were blue and the day was quickly shaping up, offering the prospect of a great Hells Canyon Rafting trip!
Our fleet was a bit different on this trip- we had a demo boat from AIRE. Recently, Parker and I went to the AIRE factory in Meridian, ID. We got a tour of the facility, met the sales rep and they loaded up one of their boats for us to try out on the water- so this was our maiden voyage with the AIRE boat- more of that later, back to the Hells Canyon Rafting trip.
The weather was nice, the guests were given the tour of Barton’s Cabin, a stop on the Oregon side. While the guests were exploring, the guides got lunch ready. The group enjoyed a homemade sandwich spread, riverside. Back in the boats and down the river, the boats approached Wild Sheep Rapid and later Granite Creek Rapid. The guides skillfully maneuvered through the wild and roarin’ Class IV rapids. The air temperature was perfect for an occasional splash of Snake River Water. Shortly after Granite, the boats pulled up to the river bank, ready to make camp.
Off in the distance, a huge black cloud loomed high above the canyon and the guides knew that the race against the storm was on. They hurriedly grabbed tents and dry bags, huffed it up the hill and just as they pulled the tents out of their bags- the clouds let loose and rain began to pour! They got the tents up in the nick of time and went back to the boats to grab kitchen gear- midway they decided that the storm wasn’t letting up and in order to stay dry they would need the parachute. For this camp, the guides faced a huge challenge, mid way through dinner, they decided that the rain wasn’t backing down so they decided that was a job that only a parachute could handle! No, I don’t mean that they parachuted away from camp, or had anything parachuted in. In place of a rain fly, we use a parachute, it covers more ground than any rain fly could and it’s very diverse. However, setting up a a parachute on a clear, dry day is no easy feat, it was already raining and windy on this particular night. But, they got the job done and were able to enjoy the peace and quiet of cooking a gourmet dinner, out of the rain. Kudos to our guides for getting camp ready in record time, having dinner ready and a dry place to eat it!
The rest of the trip went off without a hitch, the next morning was clear and warm, the rapids were big, and the river was refreshing! Another Hells Canyon Rafting trip is in the books and despite a stormy camp for the first night, our guests still had a great time, but don’t let me try to convince you, check out this review from one of our past guests:
“We found the advertisement from America’s Rafting Company on the internet. We hadn’t been thinking of doing anything like that but once we saw it, we signed up. Our experience from beginning to end was excellent. We were treated royally. The cuisine was excellent, our guides were very personable and knowledgeable. The company was great. We really appreciated all of Becky’s extra touches. The trip exceeded our expectations.” -Chris (September, 2013)
See you on the river…
