I was recently talking to a woman on my snowshoe tour in Mt. Rainier National Park, and she told me she had rafted the Grand Canyon in 1981, with the famous Georgie White. I was blown away. To us in the river community, Georgie is a legend. She was the first woman to run a commercial rafting operation down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon. She was one of the original boatwomen.
As we snowshoed, she shared that it was her trip of a lifetime, and it was her only rafting trip she’s ever done. When I told her about the women’s only 4-day Rogue river rafting trip I’m leading in September, she practically signed up right there on the trail. For those of you that may be thinking about the trip but may have some reservations, here are three unexpected reasons to join me on the Rogue this fall.
1) You’ll eat better than you do at home.
Folks usually think camping food means roasting hot dogs on the ends of sticks over an open fire. Not on a rafting trip. People are constantly amazed at the quality of food that we’re able to prepare in a set-up kitchen by the river. Eggs benedict with potato pancakes (pictured here), grilled wild Alaskan salmon, fresh spinach salad and scrumptious dutch-oven lasagna are only a couple of recipes that we river guides have up our sleeve.
2) Sleeping under the stars is a magical experience.
Many people who raft the Rogue with me have never been camping. Ever. Camping is the most terrifying, intimidating part of the whole trip. The first night for them is a whole new experience, with unfamiliar sounds in an unfamiliar place. With some cajoling and a strong (not 100%) guarantee of clear skies throughout the night, they lay out their tarp and sleeping bag and sleep outside. In the morning they share how incredible it was to look up at the stars as they fell asleep, with the rushing sound of water in the background. It’s an experience that they will remember forever.
3) There is NO CELL PHONE SERVICE.
Trust me, this is a GOOD thing. We all need to unplug from our computers and phones more often, and connect with ourselves, our friends and family and with nature. On river trips, people will comment how refreshing it is to have a conversation with someone and not have it be interrupted by a phone ringing or incoming email ping. Believe me, the world will still be there when you emerge from the woods and re-enter society. But you might surprise yourself at how much you will want to stay on the river, cellphone and fancy-free.
Check out the itinerary for our women’s only rafting trip down the Rogue and join me in September. Or, if you’re looking for a family oriented, wine tasting, gourmet or other type of rafting trip, check out all the different rivers OARS runs all over the world.
Photo courtesy of ForestGladesiWander on Flickr.
