I always try to think of some interesting way to start a blog
post. Today I’m not feeling
incredibly creative so I’ll throw up a headline of sorts:
Hypothermia Strikes Young Woman While Training to be a Raft Guide!
Actually, I only experienced a minor case of hypothermia and it
was only for a few hours. But now I bet you want to know more about my life the
past few weeks. :)
My elbow healed up.
I think what happened was I tore some of the tendons in my elbow. Not rowing for awhile allowed it to
heal up and I’ve been able to function normally. I have an elbow brace now which makes me look pretty darn
hard core if I do say so myself.
Most days around here are the same. Wake up around 6:15am; eat breakfast and get ready for the
day; get on the river by 8:00am; lunch; more river time; dinner; wash dishes;
play games/watch a movie; bedtime around 10:00pm. We’ve had several groups every week that we take down the
river with us, but for the most part we’re doing a lot of training. And the only way to train to be a raft
guide is to do it. In order to
guide a boat down a river smoothly you have to know what to avoid, when to turn
you’re boat, and what to tell your paddlers. It’s kind of like a big remote control car, but not really…
Either way, the more you do it the more you remember what to do.
The other exciting thing we’ve done is Swiftwater Rescue
Training. Last Wednesday-Friday
the new guides from VFH and some guides from other companies in the area took
this course. On Wednesday we spent
the day watching videos of what we’d be doing and going over some rope systems
we’d be using in the coming days.
Thursday was hypothermia day!
We spent the morning swimming through class 3 rapids in the headwaters
of the Arkansas (aka: really, REALLY cold snowmelt). Even with a wetsuit on, a person can get quite chilly. When we took a break for lunch I found
it hard to eat my chicken salad sandwich because my hands were shaking so
terribly. It was quite comical but
also frustrating. That afternoon
we spent some more time in the water and by 5:00pm I was never so happy to see
my dry, cotton underwear! Friday
was also spent in the water but mostly working on scenarios such as foot
entrapment, rescuing swimmers, and boat flips. Because of that we didn’t spend as much time in the water
and I didn’t get that cold.
Yesterday I guided a boat of 4 of my fellow guides from Pinnacle
to Parkdale on the Arkansas River.
It’s about a 9 mile stretch that we will use for ½ day trips. It went really smoothly and I’m feeling
really confident about guiding groups down in the near future! Despite the fact that I’ve never been a
huge fan of water, I’m really enjoying my summer job so far!
 |
| View of the Royal Gorge Bridge and the Royal Gorge Train while rafting through none other than the Royal Gorge |
 |
| An exciting run through Five Points |
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| Getting ready to hit the water |
I think that’s about all that’s new and exciting to tell you
about. I still don’t have a
picture of me guiding a boat… hopefully in the near future! Until then enjoy the other photos and
feel free to ask me any questions (I try to explain things clearly but that
doesn’t always work).
One last update: The Anderson’s are still looking for a house. Right now they’re camping out with the
rest of us but I know they’d love a more permanent spot to live.
Until next time, have a good one!
ps... the title of this blog entry was inspired by some of the rapids I pass through every day on the Arkansas River.
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