Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ Down the River
Monday - 6/30
The kids did not even wake up this morning until 10:00. I had already been into town to pick up the rental car and picked up coffee for Wendy.
We called about the rafting trip, but the class 2-3 half day trip is now running a class 3-4 and they will not allow anyone under 14 on it. They suggested the scenic float trip which is usually a class 1-2. It will be mostly a class 2 with a very short section of class 3 rapids at the end.
For an explanation of the types of rapids, follow this link:
http://www.raftmontana.com/water_basics.php
I have done class 4 rapids when I was in college and in Colorado. This would be no place for young kids. They require a lot of work from everyone in the boat or you can easily get hung up or capsize.
We decided to do the afternoon trip and needed to get there at 12:30. This meant a full on press to get everyone going as it is an hour drive up north on the way to Bozeman.
The river we will be rafting is the Gallatin. It is still running at near flood stage due to the very heavy snows last winter. We got there on time, and paid, got wet suits for the kids (the water is in the low 40’s) and boots for Wendy and me.
They also supplied a splash jacket, PFD (personal flotation device) and helmet. Very different from when I used to raft years ago. We just strapped on a life vest and jumped into a boat.
It was a short bus ride to the put-in spot. Our guide was Bob (yes, another Bob) and he is one of the most experienced guides with the outfit. He is in his late 50’s and spends summers guiding on the Gallatin, and winters in Costa Rico, New Zealand or Chile. He is currently trying to work out a deal to guide in Africa next winter. He has a lot of good information about rafting, the local wildlife, how the river runs, etc. We talked about fishing, things to do in the area. He told a lot of stories about his adventures on other rivers and teaching guides on the Gallatin.
The first splashes were very cold, and although the river was pretty smooth, it moved very fast. Bob made sure that we hit each wave so that the kids got the most out of the adventure.
We saw an eagle’s nest, but they could not be seen. Also tried to spot some black bear and elk – but again, nothing in eyesight.
When we got near the end, Bob pulled into an eddy as we were to be the last (or sweep) boat. We were the first to start and will be the last out.
We hit every pocket and wave in the stream during this last bit of the run and the kids were having a blast. It would have been nice to have some more class 3 rapids, but you can’t control the river.
When we got to the pullout, there was a nasty smell. The honey sucker was cleaning out the outhouse pit and we couldn’t get out of there fast enough. We all decided that that would be one of the worst jobs to have.
When we got back to the office, we checked out the pictures that they took along the way. A little too expensive for our blood ($39 for one 5x7 or $129 for a disk with all the pictures), so we tipped Bob and headed on our way (after grabbing a free hot chocolate).
We had talked about stopping for dinner on the way back, but we were all cold and wet and decided to head back to the RV for dinner. I grilled again, and then we all watched a movie and headed down for an ice cream before an early bedtime.
The kids did not even wake up this morning until 10:00. I had already been into town to pick up the rental car and picked up coffee for Wendy.
We called about the rafting trip, but the class 2-3 half day trip is now running a class 3-4 and they will not allow anyone under 14 on it. They suggested the scenic float trip which is usually a class 1-2. It will be mostly a class 2 with a very short section of class 3 rapids at the end.
For an explanation of the types of rapids, follow this link:
http://www.raftmontana.com/water_basics.php
I have done class 4 rapids when I was in college and in Colorado. This would be no place for young kids. They require a lot of work from everyone in the boat or you can easily get hung up or capsize.
We decided to do the afternoon trip and needed to get there at 12:30. This meant a full on press to get everyone going as it is an hour drive up north on the way to Bozeman.
The river we will be rafting is the Gallatin. It is still running at near flood stage due to the very heavy snows last winter. We got there on time, and paid, got wet suits for the kids (the water is in the low 40’s) and boots for Wendy and me.
They also supplied a splash jacket, PFD (personal flotation device) and helmet. Very different from when I used to raft years ago. We just strapped on a life vest and jumped into a boat.
It was a short bus ride to the put-in spot. Our guide was Bob (yes, another Bob) and he is one of the most experienced guides with the outfit. He is in his late 50’s and spends summers guiding on the Gallatin, and winters in Costa Rico, New Zealand or Chile. He is currently trying to work out a deal to guide in Africa next winter. He has a lot of good information about rafting, the local wildlife, how the river runs, etc. We talked about fishing, things to do in the area. He told a lot of stories about his adventures on other rivers and teaching guides on the Gallatin.
The first splashes were very cold, and although the river was pretty smooth, it moved very fast. Bob made sure that we hit each wave so that the kids got the most out of the adventure.
We saw an eagle’s nest, but they could not be seen. Also tried to spot some black bear and elk – but again, nothing in eyesight.
When we got near the end, Bob pulled into an eddy as we were to be the last (or sweep) boat. We were the first to start and will be the last out.
We hit every pocket and wave in the stream during this last bit of the run and the kids were having a blast. It would have been nice to have some more class 3 rapids, but you can’t control the river.
When we got to the pullout, there was a nasty smell. The honey sucker was cleaning out the outhouse pit and we couldn’t get out of there fast enough. We all decided that that would be one of the worst jobs to have.
When we got back to the office, we checked out the pictures that they took along the way. A little too expensive for our blood ($39 for one 5x7 or $129 for a disk with all the pictures), so we tipped Bob and headed on our way (after grabbing a free hot chocolate).
We had talked about stopping for dinner on the way back, but we were all cold and wet and decided to head back to the RV for dinner. I grilled again, and then we all watched a movie and headed down for an ice cream before an early bedtime.