In the summer, we launch a white water rafting trip in Hells Canyon about every 8 days. Our average length trip is 4-5 days. So, that gives us a bit of down time in between. During that down time, we unpack, wash coolers, life jackets, sleeping bags, tents- pretty much every single piece of equipment that goes down the river gets a thorough scrub-down once it’s back at the warehouse. Having those few days off the river allows plenty of time to wash, repair and repack for the next go around. We even have a bit of time to relax, catch up on office work and write a blog post or two! It gives a little order to the chaos that is summer. However, our fall trips this year ended up being a totally different scenario.
It just happened to work out this year that the guests we booked for our white water rafting trips had very specific dates they could get away from work, and with a short season, we didn’t have a ton of time to work with. In fact, we ended up having 3 back to back trips! We began on October 4th, launched that morning and ended on October 17th. Each and every day in between we were out on the river. And by we, I mean Parker and the guides. I, on the other hand kept the home fires burning, packing and unpacking gear, getting groceries and supplies prepped for the next go-round. It was a wild ride here at America’s Rafting Company. Most days, we didn’t know if we were coming or going! I would pick the guys and the gear up from Pittsburgh Landing, we’d stop in Riggins; refuel with diesel and propane, and get the local river gossip. Riggins is the white water capital so there are always good stories amongst river guides and sometimes- they almost sound true! Once we were back to the warehouse, we’d work for a couple more hours. The food and drinks were ready, so we would wash coolers, swap life jackets, tents, sleeping bag and gear and then throw it all back in the truck to take off a 5 am the next morning! It was crazy to say the least. Here are some photos from the launch:
So, we took a less than ideal (booking trips back to back) and made it work great! The trips went off without a hitch! We have since washed all of the boats and gear and stored everything away for the winter. More on that next week. In the meantime, click this link to get an idea of what to expect on a white water rafting trip with America’s Rafting Company…
See you on the river…
