One Weekend for the Guys

This last weekend was dominated by guys bonding before the loss of one of their best buds to holy matrimony. Yes – Stags! 
We  often get guys and gals out for stag and stagette rafting trips. They are always a lot of fun and the star of the show ends up realizing that they are truly loved by their pals. Whether it be thrown in the river a multitude of times, wearing a dress (not their usual attire for most but some you might wonder) or wearing the tie dye panties, what better way to send someone off to marital bliss.

I’ve also included some river pictures comparing the last weekend to the previous weekend. The river is up a bit but nothing compared to what is coming. For completeness sake I’ve included these pictures since there is so little change.

The river has been running at this level for a while so it has gone clear. A standing wave is forming with this little bit of extra water. Sorry, the pictures are not exciting but we want to be able to have something to compare against once it really starts to flow.
Here is a photo from the past,  May 29,2009 to compare these pictures to.

There should be some interesting pictures coming up with the good weather we are having this week.

The weekend on the River

It has been a busy weekend here with the guides out practicing their safety, river and paddling skills. The weather was pretty good for a May long weekend with hardly another soul on the river. It makes you feel like you own it.

Judging by the happy faces of our guides, everyone had a great day back on the water. Some brave souls even had to test the water to see if it was cold. A leap from jumping rock was quite convincing and insightful.

I’ve again included some comparative pictures of Coal Camp Ledge to give you an idea of how the river is coming alive with the onset of spring in the last week. On the right is this weeks pictures and on the left is from a week ago. We’ve had a few sunny warm days around the Otter Rafting Centre that have been quite pleasant for spring. But it isn’t warming up very fast at the higher elevations where the headwaters of the Red Deer River are. The river has come up very little but you can see the beginning of a wave train forming after the rapid. 

For another comparison, here is the same ledge from May 24/2009

You can see the river has washed away a gravel bar in the lower left. The water level in the river is at the same level for this date as other years. No early or late spring according to the river. The forecast is for a great year of paddling, especially with higher than average snows in the mountains. Expect high water one third of the way through June. This will be a season of rafting not to be missed.

Rafting season creeps closer

I have posted comparative photos for last weekend and the previous weekend. You can see there was little change in spite of some rather nice days weather wise.

We will start this coming long weekend with the guide training as there was not enough water as you can see. Checking the water monitoring station the nice weather Monday and Tuesday has made the river rise by 50%. Next weekends pictures should show a good difference.

Our first commercial trip is May 26. It will be great to get out on the river again. There is still plenty of space available for this coming June if you want a wild ride.

You can see less of the rocks and finally the ice is gone at this elevation. Upstream were we will be rafting there will still be a few straggling pieces left. The trees are greening up too!!

The River is Rising

We were just out checking on the Red Deer River this Sunday afternoon. Two pictures were taken that would compare with two pictures from last week. You can see that a lot of ice has melted and that the river has been rising although just a minor amount.

Next weekend we will start with our guide training. The weather forecast is for a warming trend so it should be a larger change in the water volume than this last weeks changes.

The guess now is the start of our rafting season is at least 2 weekends away. Today it is too difficult to say when. We are accepting bookings for the upcoming season now.

Looking at the pictures, today is a nicer day than last Sunday. There is less of the rocks showing in todays pictures than last weekend as well, (the pictures on the right).

If you’re looking to become a rafting guide and can make some commitment to it, now is the time to give me a call. It takes time to get the courses under your belt and gain the experience you need.

The River is Flowing

With the focus on safety, the pre-season training for our rafting guides begins soon. Every year it starts with scouting the river. We are looking for changes to the riverbed over the winter as well as refreshing our memories of where the rocks are located, what the bottom of the river  looks like and the possible hazards there. Scouting is done for  alternate routes should there be any newly downed trees due to the severity of the winter or the work of beavers.

Once that is done out comes the throwing ropes for target practice and then followed with a exhilarating rapid swim. Guide trainees add to the fun – they always introduce that unexpected element that is good for creating awareness on the river.  Scenarios are created that lead to a refreshing of paddling skills, safety and river rescue knowledge for everyone.

Being so soon after the river has started flowing there is ice pack on the river banks. Carrying the rafts up the banks, the tilted ice blocks create a perfect slide for the raft and paddlers to slide  into the river, just like all Otters do.

If you are interested in  working on the river with Otter Rafting Adventures now is the time to contact us. A trained guide needs First Aid/CPR and a river rescue course which can be acquired.

This last weekend photos were taken of the river. The water is very low and there is plenty of ice on the shore. Monday morning, April 30 at 12:15 AM, the water monitoring station started reading. It is a humble start at 10 cms but get ready for high water and a long season with all that snow in the mountains.

Here’s a few pictures up the river valley looking into the mountains. The river is quite low with ice on the shore. Soon we’ll be rafting!