Friday, June 22, 2012

Knife, Fork and PADDLE!!!White water raft trip on the Snake River!!

 Upon arriving at the Boat House for Mad River Boat trips...we were told due to the temps of the water, WET SUITS were required.....ok, I was told we MIGHT get wet.....but really?????I was told by the staff....do NOT bring your good camera on this white water raft trip......it WILL get wet and perhaps dumped in the river.....OH MY...what have I gotten us into!!!!
 Once inside the raft...our guide Jim Stackhouse(just throwing that name out in case you do this raft trip....he has Never in 16 years flipped a boat over)Went over all the rules and the What ifs........so the first 5 miles, I sat with my butt UP on the side of the raft...if you sit inside the raft they call that the ejection seat....so I followed all the rules.....the first 5 miles, we encountered one #3 rapid, several #2's and of course alot of slow moving water....well the day we did it the water was moving at about 9,500 CFS or cubic feet per second.....the guide said every second 60,000 gallons of water flow one foot.....that is alot of moving water!!!It was fun and interesting, you paddle as fast as you can to get you through the rapids...then you sit back and rest......so the paddling really was kind of fun!!!
 Here comes a #2 rapid.......
 After 5 miles we stopped at the rivers edge for a BBQ dinner....the chef......we had Steak, Grilled trout, potato salad, pasta salad, corn on the cob, garlic bread and the best part.....Peach Cobbler!!!!Made in a big giant cast iron skillet!!
 So I needed a fork-knife and a Paddle for this trip!!!
 it's about time to get back in the raft for the final 3 miles.......I not only wore a wet suit, I chose to wear a rain jacket over my wet suit to help keep it dry....it was COOL out...maybe in the upper 60's......we also had to wear a PDF(Personal flotation device) ONCE inside the raft...our guide WENT over the rules again...Stating that the next 3 miles are the WORSE part and the BIGGEST 2 in a row #3 rapids on the SNAKE RIVER...it is called Lunch Counter Rapids....you may google the Lunch Counter Rapids on the Snake River for a video of what we experienced........I chose to Give up paddling and sit in the middle....as JIM said IF THE BOAT is going to FLIP this is when and where.......sitting in the middle might be a safer spot......
 We got in and I dug my feet under the seat in front of me and I hung on for dear life!!!And I was Praying.....HERE WE GO.....
 The last pic I snapped before hanging on.....
This is a PIC I bought from the Raft Company.....I may try and post the series of pics of US going through the Lunch Counter Rapids.....In two of the pics...NO ONE is Visible as the Entire BOAT is covered in a GIANT WAVE of Water!!!      After making it through the first rapid.....the boat tilted to the right......MY HUBBY got flipped out.....I remember looking back at him and HE WAS NOT THERE...I was Scared to death....I looked in the water and there he was floating on his back...he is a GOOD swimmer and he did exactly as the guide told him, flip on your back and wait for the boat to rescue you...the LOOK on his face was of SHEER terror.....HIS fear....that he was to big for someone to pull him back in...he also said that 50 degree WATER hitting you in the face was COLD!!!!I was so relieved when the two young guys behind me pulled him in....I would HAVE died right then if it had been me......he said if I had not moved I would have fallen in as well.........After getting in the boat....everyone was cheering and told him.....YOU HAD AN OUT OF BOAT EXPERIENCE!!!!

12 comments:

hi-d said...

Oh my goodness! YOU are so brave! I was waiting for "something" to happen as I was reading this...I was thinking that the boat was going to be flipped, but instead it was your husband! How frighening indeed! Whew!!! I'm so glad that he is okay. So...would you do it AGAIN? Would he? :)

Have a great weekend. I see you are now following me. Yay and thanks!

Heidi

hi-d said...

I was reading your comment on my post about Maximus and his new chair.

Oh my goodness...So, you can understand the whole obsession with the swing, huh? But, I cannot imagine having to wind it up!! haha...thank goodness I didn't have to deal with that.

Maximus is 16 months old. And he's actually very small for his age, so I would imagine if Liam would like it. We found it online. Here's the place: http://www.akidschair.com/product-10740-Contemporary-Hot-Chocolate-Child-Rocker-Recliner-Chair.aspx It's also available from Amazon through another company, Wayfair, I believe and it's cheaper but we didn't want to possibly have to wait longer for it to be shipped.

Yes...we get lots of rain here. We live in Oregon. Yesterday was beautiful though. :)

Take care,
Heidi

It's me said...

O my....that is rough !!...love from me...xxx..

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh my word, I can't believe that you went on a rafting trip. You are unreal. Well definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Your pics are fabulous. Hugs, Marty

Mevely317 said...

OH, this looks like so much fun!!! Isn't it crazy that they fed you all that great-sounding food right BEFORE the roughest part of the trip, tho?

Not sure if I wouldn't have PANICKED, had my hubby or I experienced an "out-of-boat" experience.

Anonymous said...

Oh, my Lord! I would have surely pooped my pants! :) You're a brave soul, dear to do this!
Thanks for popping in to see me.
be a sweetie,
shelia ;)

Barbara said...

Very exciting, Mimi! Those guys are so experienced, as long as you do what they say, they've got you covered. Still, I'd have been scared out of my wits!
Fun post!

just call me jo said...

I love me Idaho! It looks kinda cold, but fun! Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Mimi, this looks SPECTACULAR!! What a memorable experience. Talk about "vivere!" That's an Italian word I ran across at a blogging neighbor's yesterday. Means TO LIVE! And this you are most certainly doing, my friend. Enjoy!

Much love,
Marcia

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Jamie,
Oh my, oh my girl!
You are one brave soul!
I give you a lot of credit there for trying I am not sure I would be that brave.
Your pics too are fabulous I am sure glad hubby was ok.
I bet that scared the living daylights out of you when he went in.
Your brave!
Went to Galena, Illinois this weekend and met up with Jane(Blondie's Journal) and her hubby Al. They are such a great couple and this was our 4th get together!
Blogging friends do become real life friends as we both know!
Hugs dearie,
Cindy

tracy said...

OMG!!! Jamie, you've got to be the bravest Grandma out there!!!
I was so engrossed in the re-accounting of your story, that I hung onto my chair for dear life! Thank God Chuck is okay.
Is that you in the middle of the boat, were it looks like the boat has disappeared?
Great adventures!
Tracy

The Martin Family said...

Oh my goodness! I think I would have had a heart attack if Dewayne flipped in. It sure looks beautiful though, Glad you can knock it off your list.

Hugs