On Saturday, October 7th, I got to join Adventure Outing’s American River Rafting Trip as a guest since I am an Assistant Leader and boy oh boy, what fun!
I woke up and made myself a filling meal, which was an everything bagel with vegan cream cheese and avocado! Yum! Then, we met at the Wrec at 8 a.m. and shortly got on the road. The ride ahead of us was just over 2 hours, which flies by with some good company! Before we knew it, we arrived at Camp Lotus in Coloma and began pumping up rafts, which is an awesome arm workout if you’re looking for a new routine. Once we were all river ready, meaning PFDs and helmets on and safety talks done, we brought the rafts to put-in and hopped on in to give participants some practice paddling. I got to start the trip by guiding the boat, which was VERY exciting, especially since it was my first time guiding on the American River.
We eventually came upon a rapid where you’re able to jump right off the side of the raft and float down the wave train of whitewater. Last time I rafted the American River, I took the opportunity, however, I got out of the current and stuck in an eddy. So this year, I was determined to not repeat my mistakes…. It went GREAT! I made it down this year with no issues and stayed in the wave train! WOOO HOOOO! After that, I switched boats where we had lots of laughs, splashes, & took turns guiding!
I felt so grateful to be on the water and in such a gorgeous area. I loved looking up at all the different rocks, trees, and birds flying around. One of my favorite parts of being on a river is seeing all of the moss on rocks. On one hand, there is nothing like the serenity on the river, but on the other hand, going through a tough rapid, water in your face, perhaps some shouting, and coming out of it without anything going wrong is just an unbeatable sense of accomplishment. There are so many aspects to rafting that make it one of the best experiences. I HIGHLY recommended joining AO for some good times on the river:)
