White Water Rafting 2008

Boat 32 at around 4:50 seconds into the video (I'm second back on the right)

On July 5th eleven friends and I went White Water Rafting on the Ottawa River through Wilderness Tours. It was an experience that everyone should try.

This was my first time going and I'll admit I was skeptical.
First off, I didn't expect anything hardcore. Some of them aren't really "outdoorsy" (no offense) so I thought that it might just be a nice little paddling ride with some little waves.
Secondly, a few of them who went last year were playing down the experience. They said that there was too much paddling through open stretches, the water was cold, and the overcast skies made for an experience where you didn't want to get wet at all.

We arrive late (around 10pm), and have to set up our tents in the dark, which isn't the easiest experience. By 11:30pm we walk over to check out the main facility (called Rafters). The music was already going, though it wasn't my cup of tea, and there we're a lot of drunk people doing their thing on the dance floor.

Looking out over the deck you find 3 beach volleyball nets, a basketball court, an outdoor hockey area and plenty of field if you want to play football, ultimate frisbee, etc.



There was also a giant chessboard (which I found sick!), swimming pool, and hot tub. I was pleasantly surprised, and couldn't wait to play something.


After playing some billiards and drinking a bit, we called it a night cause we had the 9:45am trip the next day.

The night was horrible for some, especially if you're a light sleeper. We apparently had booked our trip during the College Pro booking. They had 72 people in their group. So obviously the college students were loud, rowdy, and up for a long while. Luckily for me I sleep like a log so I didn't sleep too poorly. =P

The rafting day was beautiful. Sun was blazing, water was refreshing, perfect for getting wet.
Our guide told us that it was his favorite time to go rafting because the water levels were very high. I was totally getting hyped for the excursion.

The first few rapids were great warm-ups. I could get a sense of how it is a lot of fun. Battling the currents, forcing yourself to paddle through the rapids, it was all invigorating. I also had a few opportunities to jump into the water and chill beside the raft.

The college students who were on our trip were rowdy. They would jump into each others' boats, throw people into the water, and have splash fights. It definitely added to the enjoyment.

At around 12ish we prepped for the biggest rapids of the day. We docked a few hundred meters beside it, and walked over to take a look. Called the "Greyhound Bus Eater," the endless wave stood a few meters high, and was definitely a sight. There was only a few meters of space which the raft had to hit in order to make it over. Too much to the left or right ensured that the boat would flip.

I was telling my friend before we went, "I hope we flip."
He said, "Well why don't you ask him, he can do it on purpose."
I replied, "I don't want him to flip us on purpose. If we flip I want it to be through luck!"

There were 12 boats in our trip, and only 2 flipped...
Our boat hits the rapids, weaves its way towards the Bus Eater.
Water toppling over us endlessly.
I'm yelling, "Yeah! Let's do this!"
We enter the dip right before the big wave.
Oh sh*t! The wall of white water is huge. There's no way we're going to make it.
Blam! We are too much to the right... Our boat hits the wall, we turn parallel to the wave and I turn and do my best rendition of a Superman into the water.

As I'm in the water, I fight the urge to flail, and I curl myself into a ball and let the lifejacket do the rest. Suddenly I'm on the surface, and I take a deep breath before another wave crashes on me. I swim over to the power boat and it picks me up and brings me to the side.

It was an awesome experience, and luckily no one was hurt.
I totally think the experience wouldn't have been the same if we hadn't flipped.

I suggest that everyone try it out sometime.
I definitely intend to go again...

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Fav Rafting Experiences: Flipping on the Bus Eater, Making it through Coley East