boaty boats

[ilanarama]

On Saturday we de-cobwebbed our raft frames, unrolled the tubes and inflated them, and put our little raftlets together for the first time this season. Then we went rafting!



We took a short run down the Animas (the river that Runs Through It here in Durango) from 32nd St. to 9th St. late afternoon Saturday, and a longer run from Santa Rita park to Dallabetta park on Sunday. After our Sunday run we walked up to Smelter Rapid (in between the two sections we ran; I'm not yet feeling confident enough to tackle it in the current high water) and watched some commercial rafts go through. Just as we got there we saw one raft upside-down as it washed out below, two passengers on the upturned bottom and two bobbing along in the water, which definitely did not inspire confidence!

Let's see if this embed works - it's a teeny movielet Britt took of me going alongside a little bitty rapid - I tried to get into it but never quite managed to get into the waves, so it's not particularly interesting. But, it's me! I'm on a BOAT!

(If it doesn't work, it's at Flickr.)

The one icky thing is that the air has off and on been quite thick with smoke from the Wallow fire in northern Arizona, 200 miles from here. On Saturday it was really hazy, and I had a hard time sleeping - woke up coughing in the middle of the night once, and several times with a dry throat. I always keep a water bottle by my bed, and I drained it last night.

Comments

[mrkinch]

Eeeeeeeee! A video of you on a boat! The embed worked fine for me.

Maybe it will eventually be summer in the West. Goodness knows it's been nothing like it here yet.

[ilanarama]

Aw, it's summery enough here, that's for sure. We had a long and cool spring but it's definitely heating up now. I'm just glad it's not as hot as it is in the east!

[melusina]

Looks like so much fun!

[ilanarama]

It's a lot of fun when it isn't being scary! I get a little nervous with the bigger waves and holes, and I am a lot more comfortable with someone else to follow, although I do try to figure out the line on my own.

[rainasraces.blogspot.com]

Whee! Looks fun! Muddy water...but summer's coming :)

[ilanarama]

Yeah, it's muddy when it's high, because it's the big melt-off. And the mountains got a lot of snow, so it's probably not going to clear until late summer. It's prettier when it's clearer, for sure!

[smalltownraces.blogspot.com]

Just starting to clear up on the Umpqua here :)

[amanuensis1]

And you are very properly wearing your floatation device, YES! :D

[ilanarama]

Oh, man, this time of year? High, swift, COLD water? I am very very careful about keeping my PFD on securely the whole way! We saw two overturned boats with people swimming alongside (although we missed the wrecks).

However, in late July, when the melt's over and the river returns to its usual slower, lower self, and the sun is hot, and there are more people floating in inner tubes than on actual navigable craft? I will probably unzip the vest and open it up as a backrest for the flatwater bits, and only fasten it on for the rapids. And also, drink beer :-)

[blnchflr]

Yay, water! It looks quite choppy out there.

I want to go kayaking again, too - may go this weekend, if I'm lucky :o)

Smoke sounds nasty, and also impressive, coming from so far away!

[ilanarama]

Yeah, it's because the water's so high, it's covering up all the rocks but the rocks are making lots of waves. Plus there's wind blowing upstream, against the current, which makes things choppy.

The smoke was not as bad on Sunday but it is quite horrible today. My throat and lungs hurt just from breathing. It's of course much worse in the area where the fire is - they have closed some roads because the visibility is so bad. And with the dry and windy weather, it's unlikely to be put out anytime soon. :-(

[starfishchick]

FUN!!

[ilanarama]

LOTS OF FUN!

[eisoj5]

You look great on the river :)

Did you find your balance was okay getting in and out of the boat with your foot? I realized I'm rather nervous about playing in the Dolores River this month with my bad ankle.

[ilanarama]

The balance wasn't bad, but yeah, all the stuff you have to do with the boat, lifting it off the truck and carrying it and everything, that's not so great, and my foot was throbbing pretty badly by the end of the day.

What part of the Dolores are you going to do? When? Do you need a couple of other boaters along for assistance with that bad ankle of yours? :whistle:

[eisoj5]

Heh. Sadly I neither have a boat, nor permit, to raft the Dolores...I was just thinking of, y'know, swimming in it. :)