First trip of the year for me was June 5th and with the water a refreshing 39 degrees, I had no qualms about wiggling my way into that wetsuit. Even when I tried to zip it up and gracefully caught the zipper on my belly, I didn’t even curse. Just sucked it in and gave a thumbs up to my husband Bud. Seeing as how it was the first trip of the year, I could not stop smiling. Yep, onto the bus, into my life-jacket, hop in the boat, listen to our head guide Arne’s safety speech, chat with some German folks and a couple of stalwart 10 year-old rafters, and I am still grinning. Half way through the trip we float into Gauging Straits, a calm section where people like to swim when the water is warmer (note: much warmer). One adventurous customer (some might say ‘crazy’) decides to jump in the water by doing a back flip off the bow of the boat. So I clap and whoop and holler just like the other rafters until somebody yells out, “Your turn, Kelly!” Haha. But I have a sure-thing ready that will save me from the freshly melted snow that is the Snake River: Everyone knows guides hate to get wet (I know—it’s weird), so I yell out, “If Arne jumps in, I’ll jump in!” Now see this is where I am reminded that Dave Hansen guides are not just any guides. It took about .5 seconds after I smugly pronounced my dare for Arne to hop up on the tube, give a little bounce and back he flips right into that 40 degree water. Say what?! Nothing left to do but slip off the sunglasses, take a deep breath, and flip myself into the river for the first swim of the year. Even though I might have screamed once or twice to get back in, it was so awesome I am still smiling just thinking about it two weeks later. Love the river, no matter how cold it is.
A Hoot and a Holler
There are many reasons why I love Jackson Wyoming.The first is that though it sees a ton of people coming through the area each year, it never feels like a tourist town. (Okay, so maybe it feels a little like...
Read MoreSplash Faces
“You would not believe the hit I had today!” There have been many times that we have had our guides walk back into the Dave Hansen Whitewater office saying this after a day on the river. Yep, you can say...
Read More