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(81 votes) Published: Sep 12, 2005 1:44 p.m. In 1 Favorites Lists Viewed 326 times
This egg will explain how easy (and cheap) it is to plan a rafting trip in your area. This is a re-make egg from an older one that I had made, but I am adding alot of pictures and internet resources needed to plan a trip.
Finding a creek
first off: Most creeks aren’t always running enough water to be able to raft all the time. you may need to wait for a hard rain to flood the creek, or wait for wet-season near the end of fall.
To know when a creek is raftable check one of these sites. Just click the state you live in or near and it lists all of the rafting creeks and the current waterflow for each one. Some creeks automatically show whether they are running with highlighting.
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/ http://www.thetent.com/index.htm
before you raft! research the creek in which you are considering going on. Even though rafts can endure most rapids More safely then a kayak can, there are certain rapids that a rafter Would Not want to go on, that a professional kayaker would. These rapids would include any type of water falls over a couple feet high, or large surf waves. (google definitions of rapid types for more information)
equipment
get your raft You can buy a coleman 1-man raft from wal-mart for 10$. You could also buy the 2-man raft for 20$ for a little extra added comfort.
add strength by duct taping the bottom of your raft to prevent tearing on rocks, sticks ect. (we popped the bottoms of 2 rafts already)
paddles Make sure you buy the paddle pack where you can screw both paddles together and make a kayak paddle. (one stick with a paddle on each end) just open the pack in walmart and see if it can be done. Trying to raft in a 1 person boat with anything other than a kayak paddle won’t work well.
other -water shoes! !
-life jackets (if the creek is ruff)
-water proof bag
-food
-water, drinks
-paper towels
-plastic bags for ciggaretts, cell phones or w/e
-cell phone (safety purposes)
-towels in the pickup car
finalize the plan
you will need to think about parking, the pickup and put in spots, directions ect. Again; try, http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/ because they have articles written on alot of the good and popular creeks, they should tell exactly what to do.
If your doing a random creek thats not on file; you will need to be careful and scope out the creek before going down. Sometimes you will encounter Strainers(obstructions in the water like trees or low bridges), you will need to avoid them because they are dangerous.
there ya go, not more then 30$ for the equipment and you can go rafting whenever you want during this fall’s wet season.
for questions just ask me, or google it.
some pictures of my latest rafting trip the clifs by the gorge and me going off a rope swing
me and my brother just cruising one of the more clam sections
hitting a fun little stretch of rapids
Sep 12, 2005 7:24 pm - none too close to me but thanks for the site
Sep 28, 2005 11:01 pm - Cool. Rafting is a big business in Colorado, there are a lot of companies along every stretch of raftable water competing fiercely for your business-- so that makes it a lot easier. Depending on the season you can rent all the stuff-- state of the art rafts and safety gear, a guide, food, etc., for super cheap. All you have to bring is your clothes and camera, basically.
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