whitewater rafting horseshoe canyon

If you recall, Burns turned 25 back on July 1st. I got him a few little gifts, but the big adventure this year was a whitewater rafting trip. Since it would expire on September 9th, we figured the only possible time for us to go would be the day after we got back from house boating. I extended my time off work to Tuesday, August 28, to accommodate our adventure needs. We had to be at Nakoda Lodge (close to Canmore) by 8:00am so we had to get up pretty early to make it on time. The rafting trip is Horseshoe Canyon with Chinook Rafting.

It was a gorgeous morning with no wind. Burns and I were one of the first couple of people to arrive. Slowly more and more trickled in and orientation began. We then received our freakin' awesome wet suits and booties. We had the option of taking a splash jacket, but Burns and I were HC and didn't wear one. The only other person out of the 40 people there who didn't wear a splash jacket was a giant of a man. I felt like a true Canadian.

We then took a crazy bus ride up the river to the starting point which was a little bit past Seebe. We had to hike down from the bus to the river.

Aren't we so cute?

Oops....I mean...

Aren't we so cute?

Burns and I ended up being in a raft with two or three Japanese people who didn't understand very much English. Rafting terms were not included in their limited vocabulary. Oh and our guide was from Peru with a thick accent. Plus he talked very quietly and I intentionally sat at the back with Burns just so I could hear our guide's instructions. Other than those little setbacks, we had a lot of fun!

We even got to go cliff jumping with the group!

I would have refused to jump if I hadn't been in line. It was like a cattle drive. "1, 2, 3, jump! Next! 1, 2, 3 go! Next! 1, 2, 3 alright! Next!" If I had had the chance to stand there for even a second longer I would have out thought myself and not jumped. Not thinking is a good way to do things that you're scared to do. I think it was the highest cliff I have ever jumped off of. It was really nice having a wet suit and boots, especially in the Bow River.

Burns

Me!

This is how intense it got sometimes:

The highest class of rapid is Class 5. Our trip had class 4's.

This is our raft. Burns is in the back with no splash jacket. I'm beside him but you can't see me.

We got stuck in a rapid for what seemed like a very long time (it was probably about 30 seconds long). That was the funnest part of the trip haha.

Look, you can actually see me in this one:

There was a rapid that the guides were "surfing" in, but we got knocked out of the rapid by another boat so we didn't really get to experience it. Oh well, I think it would have been the most fun for the guide anyways.

At the very end coming up to the shore, Burns and I jumped in. It was pretty cold.

We portaged our rafts up a steep hill, and then we headed back to the Lodge for some cookies and hot chocolate. Because I bought the rafting trip from WagJag, I got all the sideline pictures for free. It would have cost $30 to get it.

Super fun trip and I can't wait to go on another Boonie Birthday Adventure next year!

enchanted forest

 If you go house boating at Shuswap...or even if you're just passing through on your way to Victoria or something, MAKE A STOP AT THE ENCHANTED FOREST!! Especially if you have little kids with you. It's in between Revelstoke and Sicamous. PS if you have a chance to drive around Revelstoke, do it. It's absolutely gorgeous there! We stopped by on our way hom

The Enchanted Forest

We so excited!

Three frogs in a pond:

 Horse races with Nitty:

I think Burns told me not to post this one...but he didn't specify where he didn't want me to post it. I think he meant Facebook ;)

Cute lil fam in a cute lil house:

 There was an old lady that lived in a shoe. She had lots of kids and a wicked slide too:

I guess Burns is Prince Charming:

Okay I love Burns' expression here:

 Follow the yellow brick road!

In the world's tallest treehouse:

Burns, Joe, and Navy are down there.

The best part of the whole forest? The row-boat pond. No one to tell you what to do, where to go, how to do it, no line up. Just a sign with instructions and "use at your own risk" written. Grab a life jacket, choose a boat, and go!

We were the only ones there which made it extra amazing.

 The scenery was absolutely gorgeous!

 Rowing through the lilly pads was pretty tough.

Isn't this family the cutest?

Alex, thanks so much for the idea! Burns and I would have never gone if it wasn't for you! I would definitely go again and I highly recommend it to all!

family houseboat trip: day three

The last day came all to quickly. We got an early start because we figured it would take a very long time to get the houseboat docked. We were ready to drive back home by 10 or 11.

Goodbye cliffs!

We're cute sometimes.

 We passed Burns' family's cabin, so I got his binos out to creep on Howard. We saw him raking the beach.

We got a little creative as to how to pass the time on the way back to the dock. We had a taste test guess. Pepsi vs Coke. They tasted very similar but I guessed right.

Goodbye Shuswap!

Navy Bean with Uncle Brad:

Burns and I had a picnic when we got back to shore while everyone else drove home right away. Okay, well not everyone left for home right away. Arianne and Daryn had more adventuring to do in Moab, and Alex and Joe had to go all the way back to Vernon to pick up her phone that she had left by accident.

Our picnic was finished right when Kutarnas got back from Vernon, so we decided we should go to the Enchanted Forest together. Every year I have passed it going to Shuswap, and I have always wanted to go there! I was pretty excited, especially because we got to experience it with Nitty. I'm going to do a separate post on that because there are a lot of great pics and I want to fit them all on one post. On our way home after the Enchanted Forest, we saw a forest fire in the works! It was scary stuff.

 It was sooo far away. Thank goodness for astronomy binoculars!

In conclusion of this fantastic houseboat trip, I'd just like to express how great of a weekend I had. Seriously, if you are wondering if it would be worth it to rent a houseboat, do it! It was so, so great.