Editor Pick
Wild River Adventures
- March 22, 2006
- Rated 5 of 5 by
callen60 from Ozarks, Missouri
This was our big splurge in Glacier, a half-day whitewater trip with riverside dinner to follow. We booked it in April (complete with dinner selections), and met up at Wild River Adventures shortly before 2pm on a July afternoon for our trip.
It's clear that one source of river guides is young, irrepressible males. The two leading our trip sat facing us atop the backs of the seats of the old school bus as we entered Flathead National Forest, headed for the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, despite the bus bouncing 3 feet high or more on the roughly roads. As we learned later, there was more than just testosterone to these guys, who were responsible for their own rafts, plus three kayakers paddling along with us.
Our raft held eight: our guide, our family of five, and a pair of area newlyweds on their honeymoon trip. My youngest daughter was more than a little nervous about the whitewater, and our guide did a nice job from start to finish helping her feel comfortable.
The weather was gorgeous; a simply perfect day. We put in at 2:30pm, with the sun shining above, making the river sparkle everywhere. Along the way, we passed a number of breathtaking scenes, with Glacier National Park to our right and National Forest to our left. We encountered one other group on the river, a family outing of two rafts with a pair of dogs who just loved to plunge into the river, swim ahead, and wait panting on the rocks or shore for their owners to catch up.
The rapids on this trip were class II and III. It was a nice level of challenge for a bunch of neophytes. My girls had a blast (even my youngest), and really reveled in the sense that they had helped accomplish something. The first 30 minutes of the trip were given to 'training," where the guide taught us how to paddle, when to paddle, and what to do in all the circumstances we were likely to encounter.
There were about half a dozen patches of whitewater. It was exhilarating to paddle through them, but none were so threatening that my parental instincts overwhelmed my attention to paddling (I'm not sure my wife would agree). We all loved the whitewater, and my kids have asked several times since if we'll go rafting again.
Eventually, we pulled the rafts ashore and dinner began. The passengers basically relaxed and chatted with each other and the guides while they prepared dinner. We learned that our guide worked during the year as a counselor at a live-in camp for urban kids recovering from drug addiction, and we thought he'd be a great person to have in that position.
From the first phone call to the last goodbye, these folks were friendly, entertaining, and gracious. As I picked up our "action photo" of our crew in the rapids, I thanked the owner for a great time, and complimented him on his staff.
From journal Alpine America: Glacier National Park