Rafting the Arkansas River – Buena Vista, Colorado

The start of the trip.  You can almost see all of us.

Progressing well

The white cap in the bottom of the boat is ME!!!!!  Must have been the Graveyard Rapid.

What we did:

Coming up with entertainment ideas for Bill’s daughters during their visit last summer was easy. Unfortunately, the short, four day duration required a limited exposure to all Colorado has to offer. In the summertime one of the major attractions is white water rafting, something they had never done, so it was first on the agenda.

She said:

I had been river rafting once in my life.  It was on the Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the raft was big with about ten people.  It did not prepare me for what I was about to encounter on the Arkansas River.  This was definitely white water rafting, whose rapids had names like Hemorrhoid Rock, Widowmaker, Pinball and The Graveyard.  I could not, for the life of me, stay “perched” on the side of the raft, much less paddle when told.  I kept sliding to the floor of the raft.  Of course, it didn’t help that Javier, our guide, told us the if we did happen to fall out of the raft, to make sure that we kept our feet up so as not to have them get stuck in a rock on the bottom of the river and be dragged to a drowning death!  Lovely thought……………

He said:

River Runners, in Buena Vista, Colorado, offers every level of rafting experience, from a level 1 float down a quiet stream to a level 5 screamer over Niagara Falls. Well, not actually Niagara Falls, but I’m sure it seems that way extrapolating from our class III-IV trip through Brown’s Canyon on the Arkansas River.

River Runners is a perfect location with property right on the river. Most other outfitters are off-river, requiring a hike of some sort to gain access to the water. And, did I mention, this requires carrying the raft and all your gear, after some sort of bus ride from who knows how far away, to the river to begin with? Not necessary at River Runners. As for the safety aspect, Javier, our guide, has 13 years of experience and his skill served to ease any concerns we had.

Upon returning from our “float”, we were delighted to find not only wonderful eats, but a great assortment of libations to settle our nerves. The River Rummer did the job deliciously.

Category: Buena Vista, Colorado, United States, West, what we didTags: Arkansas River Rafting, Buena Vista, Colorado, River Runner's |