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!