Seeing The Wild Horses of Alberta

On a rafting trip a couple weeks ago we spotted some wild horses. Wild horses in this area are not unusual but to see two separate herds in one day was a surprise.

As we were riding the shuttle bus to the put in point for the rafts we spotted the herds of wild horses alongside the road. Each group was made up of a stallion, several mares and foals. It’s easy to pick out the stallion – he’s the one stamping his foot, throwing his head up and down with his ears back and directing the herd into the bush.

We saw some foals running for their mom’s protection or just snoozing in the grass until we came along.

We see a variety of wildlife in the Red Deer River valley. It spills over from Banff National Park which borders the valley on the west side and holds the source of the Red Deer River. With limited development and unpaved roads only the venturous head out into these hills for a back to nature experience, aside from the logging and oilfield related vehicles. We hope further development takes a long time in coming here.

Can you imagine a better day?

Yesterday, Saturday June 20, was a wonderful day. The combination of events and situations made for a memorable time.

There were five rafts on the river with a bunch of fun loving people. Most of these people were guests from previous years. The six different groups in the five rafts made for a great combination and they were all eager to battle the river!

Late Friday night, Brayden’s (a great guide by the way) son was rushed into intensive care and Brayden had to head home. Luckily good-hearted Randy stepped in at the very last moment - taking Brayden’s place and making sure his crew had a fun day. (the little guys ok btw)

It was an exceptional day too - bright sunshine and challenging water - who could ask for more?!

The water level is a little lower than average for this time of year because of our cooler weather, but it made it so that we could play with the river and not just run with it. We stayed and played at two different locations - Diagonal ledge and the Haystack. They both showed a different characteristic of moving water and the power of it. Some people set new records for the number of times they leapt off Jumping Rock, repeating it several times before the cold water told them - enough! - as they stood there shivering and happy.

All the rafts got into the water fights at some time or other during the day – there was no clear winner to the fight, everyone got wet, but then the rapids made sure we all got wet anyway so maybe the river won!

Truly - a wonderful day for all. As the bus pulled into the parking lot, the round of applause for the staff showed how thrilled and satisfied everyone was with their day.

Can I imagine a better day than this? Never! Great guests - great staff - great water! Wow! I love having fun!

DIG !!

Dig is a word that I've heard a lot of in the last half of my life. It's not like I work for a construction company or a cemetery or do a lot of gardening. Dig is the word used to describe the act of paddling your raft forward. And that is significant because I've operated a rafting company for 30 years. It's called Otter Rafting Adventures and has a site http://www.otterrafting.com/ to promote it.

For nearly every weekend of our short summers, I have spent it outdoors showing people how much fun they can have playing on the whitewater of the Red Deer River. I've spent a lot of that time playing with them too - a lot of time. There are also the other tasks such as driving the tour bus full of laughing, nervous people or later preparing lunches for the ravenous happy people, to watching the same tired people try not to nod off on the bus ride back to Sundre. Sundre is the small town in central Alberta where Otter Rafting Adventures is located.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful job being around people enjoying themselves. The buoyant affect of this enjoyment raises the spirits of everyone around. A rising tide lifts all rafts! I know that that's why I have been working at building up this business, for all the pleasure everyone gets as well as myself.

It seems that there is always something different happening. The crowd's dynamics changes with each group as well. It's great to meet so many different people and get an inkling of how they spend their time. Venturing off into the foothills for a day of rafting one never knows what one can encounter. I've seen plenty of wildlife over the years. Deer, elk, moose - babies for all plus coyotes, foxes, pack rats, mink, wolves , bears, beavers, wild horses and cougars - almost everything except otters.

With so many different forces affecting how the day will evolve there is a constant excitement felt. The action on the river, the tremendous exhilaration of rising up to challenge one's fears, the people trying to contain their nervousness and the discovery of something new on the drive up into the foothills. The rising crescendo of effects that leaves one with a sense of - what a wonderful day! Can you dig it?

So check out http://www.otterrafting.com/ and see what the ground work for this adventure is like.

Watch this space!

Otters holding hands - YouTube