Friday, October 08, 2004
Stephen & Jonathan's Big Adventure
So, last weekend, us boys had a bit of an adventure. And things didn't quite go as we planned...
I had been planning to do some horseriding before the end of the summer, but I hadn't got round to it (mostly because P is afraid of horses, apparently!). Stephen had been wanting to do the Luge (aka the Death Toboggan) at the Olympic Park, but when we went it didn't seem to be open and we were a bit disappointed. We had been planning to hurl ourselves down the icy slope, risking breaking a limb or two for the fun of it, but our plans were thwarted. So to make up for it, we booked a day-long adventure in Kananaskis Country, called 'Paddle and Saddle'. The morning was to be whitewater rafting on the Kananaskis River and the afternoon would be horse-riding in the trails of the foothills of the Rockies. We tried to get the girls to join us, but they decided it sounded a bit too exciting for them and that they would rather hit the Calgary shops instead (they ended up going to Cochrane and Bragg Creek).
We had a choice of going on Saturday or Sunday, and picked the Saturday as the weather forecast was better. In the event, it turned out to be a wonderful day in the Rockies, 23 degrees with clear blue skies and no rain. Sunday was misty and grey instead, and only 11 degrees, so we picked the right day. Being the first weekend in October, there was only one more whitewater weekend left before they close for the season, and it was the last trail ride weekend before winter.
We headed off at 08:45 in order to get to K-Country for 10:00; we were meeting up at an abandoned gas station in First Nation Tsuu T'ina country just off the Transcanada Highway. As we were on Indian land, no permanent non-native buildings are allowed, so the rafting company was operating out of a big mobile trailer. They had a bonfire going outside to keep us warm in the wind while we waited for the other rafters to show up. It turned out that the 2 of us were to hook up with 27 guests from a UK tractor company called New Holland. Apparently the company had selected its 70 best employees and sent them and their partners to Canada for 5 days. They were staying in the very posh Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and going the glacier one day, rafting the next and horse riding the day after. When they arrived, it turned out they were all Brits and that 4 of them were from County Down and 2 from Dublin!
We signed our waivers ('we won't sue if we're injured or drowned') and all got changed - down to swimming trunks only, then into a wet suit (a bit tight) and wetsuit socks and gloves. Then a fleece over the wetsuit for warmth and then a spray jacket over the lot. Then we piled into a minibus and travelled the 10 minutes to the top of the river. We popped on our lifejackets and helmets and split up into the three rafts. I had gone to trouble of buying 'canoe shoes' (19 dollars, Mountain Equipment Co.) rather than tennis shoes, but with a wetsuit they make you look a bit like a ballet star (or Edmund Blackadder).
Blackadder (second left) Goes Rafting
Stephen and I ended up in 'The Irish Raft', as 8 of us were from the wee island and only 2 from England. Our instructor was Mike, a canoer, kayaker and rafter of 30 years standing and he spend 15 minutes giving us a safety lecture and showing us how to paddle. He showed us what to do if one of us ended up in the water and how to pull someone back into the raft in they went overboard. He showed us the safety lines on each side of the boat and the one up the middle, and showed us where to sit and how to keep your balance. The English lady on our raft was a non-swimmer and asked if it was a problem. She was told that it would be OK, as the life jacket would keep her afloat and anyway, the chances of her actually being in the river were pretty low. As we completed our training, the flood gates upstream of us at Barrier Dam were opened and the river was 'turned on', changing from a lazy trickle to a roaring whitewater torrent (check the river's on-off times here).
Instructor Mike does the training
And then it was off into the river! Here are some pictures taken of us from the riverbank - There were 4 of us on each side, plus one at the front, one in the middle and one at the back (the instructor). I'm at the back left in the purple spray suit, while Stevie is in blue up at the very front:
The first rapid
Keep paddling!
Stephen underwater!
We were doing pretty well at first - while the other 2 (English) rafts just went down the rapids and on (which was exciting enough), our wee (Irish) raft did things a little differently. We went down each rapid, pulled into the side and then paddled like hell to go back into the rapid from the side. Our instructor knew what he was doing, told us when to paddle and when to stop and had us leaning back and forward, left and right to keep our balance in the fast-flowing water. Once we got into the rapid, the water would come up high over the side and start to fill the raft, which is kind of scary. The funny thing is, that once the raft has water in it, it stabilises a bit and becomes easier to handle. And the raft has gaps between the sides and the bottom which let the water drain out after a few minutes. We got through the first few rapids with ease, and were having a lot of pretty terrifying fun!
Is it me, or are we sinking?
Holy Jesus!
Paddle or Die!
Stephen's looking worried!
The other 2 rafts went through a big rapid called 'Green Tongue', so named because of the colour of the water as it goes through (mentioned here). We went through too, and then paddled back into it. Our instructor told us that our boat was a bit big for this particular rapid, but that we should be OK if we followed his commands and made sure to lean well over to the side when he said. So we paddled back in to Green Tongue... At first everything was fine, and we were paddling like mad, water coming over the side but nothing too bad. Then we started to tip as we went right into the rapid. And then we tipped some more. The instructor was yelling 'Paddle!', "Lean Back", "Lean Left" and we were doing well! It was a big rapid, and the water was coming in on us, the edge of the raft right down under the river, but it was great fun!
Green Tongue
We were almost out of the rapid when we tipped some more - further than before. The instructor yelled "Lean Hard Right!" and I tried to get over to right side of the boat. But unfortunately some of the English people at the front of the boat leaned LEFT and all of a sudden the right side of the boat heeled up and the lady to my right came adrift and fell towards me. And just like that, the raft flipped over. You get a moment when you're hanging in the air thinking "Oh my God, the raft is turning over!" and the world turns upside down. All ten of us went in to Green Tongue.
After a second or two of the shock, and thinking "right, I'm in the water now, what do I do?", my head broke water and I bumped it against the raft. I swallowed some river and grasped blindly for the safety line on the outside of the raft (which was now under the water). Once I got a hold of that, I realised we were all going over the rapids along with the boat, and I was swept over some rocks with the raft and then into some calmer water. The instructor was yelling "Swim In!" which meant get in to the side of the river, so I swam a bit until I could stand up. I found Stephen, who had come up a few yards from the boat, thank God, and there was another person in the water. We turned the raft back over again and found another three people in the air pocket underneath. So 10 of us went into the water, and there were only 6 of us left with the boat. And we had no paddles left, having let go of them in the water. The 6 of us had been on the left side of the boat or at the front and middle. The 4 people who had been on the right side of the boat when that side heeled up were all missing at first. We gathered our wits together and got back in the boat to look for the others. We found one on a rock about 200 yards away, and two more in some trees before the next rapids. Of the 10th person, there was no sign. And she was the only non-swimmer among us. Her husband was also in the boat and was understandably a bit upset that she appeared to have been taken by the river. The other 2 boats set off in search of her while we picked up our people from the rock and the trees. A worrying few minutes passed. Was she dead? Drowned?
We eventually found her about a mile downstream, in a quieter bit of the river downstream from the rapids. It seemed she had just let the river take her down, keeping her body in the 'river swimmer' position (feet first, feet up). She was very cold and a bit shaken and shocked, and she refused to get back in a boat. She and her husband had to be taken across the river, helped out to a nearby car park and taken back to base camp. Meanwhile, we eventually retrieved our paddles and set off down the Kananaskis river again. The lower section was much quieter, much more of a 'nature float' than a whitewater experience and we all had time to paddle a bit and appreciate the scenery. When you're busy paddling, it's easy to forget to lift up your eyes and look around you rather than just slaving away with the paddle. We also paddled into a much smaller 'Zen' rapid downstream which captured our raft and just kept it floating there in the same position as the water roared past. Very weird.
The SS Titanic
The Irish Raft
In no time at all, we were down at the landing at the bottom of the river again, only a 2-minute minibus ride away from base camp. It's amazing how cold you can get in a wetsuit, so we all changed rapidly and warmed up with hot chocolate and biscuits. And that was the end of our morning's adventure! (Our instructor said that in 30 years, he's only seen 2 rafts flip, including us - he blamed the people who leaned to the OTHER right!)
Anyway, we headed off further south on Highway 40, deeper into K-Country to the Boundary Ranch to have our complimentary steak lunch and get ready for horse-riding. Lunch was at 2pm, but the trail ride didn't start until 3:30pm so we had a chance to snooze in the sun. It ended up that there were 6 of us on the 2-hour trail ride with Cowboy Dan, on his last ride of the season. I got a chestnut brown horse called 'Heather' and Stephen was given 'Chip'. After a bit of help with the getting on (how do you get your foot up so high?), we headed off into the foothills.
The Boundary Ranch
Admittedly, the trail ride wasn't as dangerous and exciting as the morning's adventures on the river, but it was relaxing and a great way to get right up on the mountain and see some fantastic views. We passed through forest and alpine meadows, and the horses struggled with deep mud, rocky slopes and steep descents. If you were on foot, a lot of the trail would have been impassible and it would have taken much longer than 2 hours to get there and back again. Having not been on a horse before, I had expected it to be much more difficult than it was. At first your horse just follows the one in front of you, and all you have to do is stay in the saddle and keep hold of the reins. You have to relax and let yourself go with the horse's up-and-down motion. But after a while you get more confident and take charge of the horse. Pull the reins up to stop, pull right or left to steer, give a sharp kick in the flanks to tell the horse to move or to go faster. And lean back when going downhill, and forward going uphill. It was a lot of fun, and over the course of 2 hours I gained a lot of confidence! I think I'll definitely do it again, if I can convince P to giddy-up!
Self-Portrait on horseback
Giddy-up!
Happy Trails
Down the Mountainside
Forest Trail
Move 'em Out, Rawhide!
Popstar Cowboy
Meanwhile, Back on the Ranch
Two Horsemen Riding By (J+Heather, Steven+Chip)
So, all in all we had a great day! I had expected my bottom and legs to be sore from the horse-riding, but the next day I was fine except for some pains in the upper body from all the frantic paddling! I think I would be happy to do whitewater rafting again in the summer, but I don't think I'll take P with me (don't want to lose her in the river!). Maybe Richard would come along... Horse-riding has more to recommend it in the long run, with no special clothing required, no long preparation time and an endless variety of places you can take the horse, rather than just coming down the same set of rapids at speed again and again. Maybe it's the cowboy in me talking, but I can see the two of us on horseback in the springtime, after the first thaw, maybe with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies or the Alberta Trail Riders. Time will tell...
So by now Mel and Stevie should be safe at home again, getting over the jet lag. What I want to know is:
Who am I going to play the Playstation 2 with now? (and how come we managed to let Brazil get beat by Romania on "Winning Eleven Seven"?!)
Where are the McAllisters going to get steak as good as Alberta AAA back home?
And does Tescos do cowboy style bacon-n-beans?
Will they miss Lovely Lyle the Downtown Ambassador? (send us a photo and we'll pop in on the blog!)
We're off for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend now, and we'll be in Canmore tomorrow and up at the Breitmeyer residence on Sunday before a super-lazy day on Monday! Although we should have some time for webcamming over the weekend!
See y'all soon!
J
I had been planning to do some horseriding before the end of the summer, but I hadn't got round to it (mostly because P is afraid of horses, apparently!). Stephen had been wanting to do the Luge (aka the Death Toboggan) at the Olympic Park, but when we went it didn't seem to be open and we were a bit disappointed. We had been planning to hurl ourselves down the icy slope, risking breaking a limb or two for the fun of it, but our plans were thwarted. So to make up for it, we booked a day-long adventure in Kananaskis Country, called 'Paddle and Saddle'. The morning was to be whitewater rafting on the Kananaskis River and the afternoon would be horse-riding in the trails of the foothills of the Rockies. We tried to get the girls to join us, but they decided it sounded a bit too exciting for them and that they would rather hit the Calgary shops instead (they ended up going to Cochrane and Bragg Creek).
We had a choice of going on Saturday or Sunday, and picked the Saturday as the weather forecast was better. In the event, it turned out to be a wonderful day in the Rockies, 23 degrees with clear blue skies and no rain. Sunday was misty and grey instead, and only 11 degrees, so we picked the right day. Being the first weekend in October, there was only one more whitewater weekend left before they close for the season, and it was the last trail ride weekend before winter.
We headed off at 08:45 in order to get to K-Country for 10:00; we were meeting up at an abandoned gas station in First Nation Tsuu T'ina country just off the Transcanada Highway. As we were on Indian land, no permanent non-native buildings are allowed, so the rafting company was operating out of a big mobile trailer. They had a bonfire going outside to keep us warm in the wind while we waited for the other rafters to show up. It turned out that the 2 of us were to hook up with 27 guests from a UK tractor company called New Holland. Apparently the company had selected its 70 best employees and sent them and their partners to Canada for 5 days. They were staying in the very posh Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and going the glacier one day, rafting the next and horse riding the day after. When they arrived, it turned out they were all Brits and that 4 of them were from County Down and 2 from Dublin!
We signed our waivers ('we won't sue if we're injured or drowned') and all got changed - down to swimming trunks only, then into a wet suit (a bit tight) and wetsuit socks and gloves. Then a fleece over the wetsuit for warmth and then a spray jacket over the lot. Then we piled into a minibus and travelled the 10 minutes to the top of the river. We popped on our lifejackets and helmets and split up into the three rafts. I had gone to trouble of buying 'canoe shoes' (19 dollars, Mountain Equipment Co.) rather than tennis shoes, but with a wetsuit they make you look a bit like a ballet star (or Edmund Blackadder).
Blackadder (second left) Goes Rafting
Stephen and I ended up in 'The Irish Raft', as 8 of us were from the wee island and only 2 from England. Our instructor was Mike, a canoer, kayaker and rafter of 30 years standing and he spend 15 minutes giving us a safety lecture and showing us how to paddle. He showed us what to do if one of us ended up in the water and how to pull someone back into the raft in they went overboard. He showed us the safety lines on each side of the boat and the one up the middle, and showed us where to sit and how to keep your balance. The English lady on our raft was a non-swimmer and asked if it was a problem. She was told that it would be OK, as the life jacket would keep her afloat and anyway, the chances of her actually being in the river were pretty low. As we completed our training, the flood gates upstream of us at Barrier Dam were opened and the river was 'turned on', changing from a lazy trickle to a roaring whitewater torrent (check the river's on-off times here).
Instructor Mike does the training
And then it was off into the river! Here are some pictures taken of us from the riverbank - There were 4 of us on each side, plus one at the front, one in the middle and one at the back (the instructor). I'm at the back left in the purple spray suit, while Stevie is in blue up at the very front:
The first rapid
Keep paddling!
Stephen underwater!
We were doing pretty well at first - while the other 2 (English) rafts just went down the rapids and on (which was exciting enough), our wee (Irish) raft did things a little differently. We went down each rapid, pulled into the side and then paddled like hell to go back into the rapid from the side. Our instructor knew what he was doing, told us when to paddle and when to stop and had us leaning back and forward, left and right to keep our balance in the fast-flowing water. Once we got into the rapid, the water would come up high over the side and start to fill the raft, which is kind of scary. The funny thing is, that once the raft has water in it, it stabilises a bit and becomes easier to handle. And the raft has gaps between the sides and the bottom which let the water drain out after a few minutes. We got through the first few rapids with ease, and were having a lot of pretty terrifying fun!
Is it me, or are we sinking?
Holy Jesus!
Paddle or Die!
Stephen's looking worried!
The other 2 rafts went through a big rapid called 'Green Tongue', so named because of the colour of the water as it goes through (mentioned here). We went through too, and then paddled back into it. Our instructor told us that our boat was a bit big for this particular rapid, but that we should be OK if we followed his commands and made sure to lean well over to the side when he said. So we paddled back in to Green Tongue... At first everything was fine, and we were paddling like mad, water coming over the side but nothing too bad. Then we started to tip as we went right into the rapid. And then we tipped some more. The instructor was yelling 'Paddle!', "Lean Back", "Lean Left" and we were doing well! It was a big rapid, and the water was coming in on us, the edge of the raft right down under the river, but it was great fun!
Green Tongue
We were almost out of the rapid when we tipped some more - further than before. The instructor yelled "Lean Hard Right!" and I tried to get over to right side of the boat. But unfortunately some of the English people at the front of the boat leaned LEFT and all of a sudden the right side of the boat heeled up and the lady to my right came adrift and fell towards me. And just like that, the raft flipped over. You get a moment when you're hanging in the air thinking "Oh my God, the raft is turning over!" and the world turns upside down. All ten of us went in to Green Tongue.
After a second or two of the shock, and thinking "right, I'm in the water now, what do I do?", my head broke water and I bumped it against the raft. I swallowed some river and grasped blindly for the safety line on the outside of the raft (which was now under the water). Once I got a hold of that, I realised we were all going over the rapids along with the boat, and I was swept over some rocks with the raft and then into some calmer water. The instructor was yelling "Swim In!" which meant get in to the side of the river, so I swam a bit until I could stand up. I found Stephen, who had come up a few yards from the boat, thank God, and there was another person in the water. We turned the raft back over again and found another three people in the air pocket underneath. So 10 of us went into the water, and there were only 6 of us left with the boat. And we had no paddles left, having let go of them in the water. The 6 of us had been on the left side of the boat or at the front and middle. The 4 people who had been on the right side of the boat when that side heeled up were all missing at first. We gathered our wits together and got back in the boat to look for the others. We found one on a rock about 200 yards away, and two more in some trees before the next rapids. Of the 10th person, there was no sign. And she was the only non-swimmer among us. Her husband was also in the boat and was understandably a bit upset that she appeared to have been taken by the river. The other 2 boats set off in search of her while we picked up our people from the rock and the trees. A worrying few minutes passed. Was she dead? Drowned?
We eventually found her about a mile downstream, in a quieter bit of the river downstream from the rapids. It seemed she had just let the river take her down, keeping her body in the 'river swimmer' position (feet first, feet up). She was very cold and a bit shaken and shocked, and she refused to get back in a boat. She and her husband had to be taken across the river, helped out to a nearby car park and taken back to base camp. Meanwhile, we eventually retrieved our paddles and set off down the Kananaskis river again. The lower section was much quieter, much more of a 'nature float' than a whitewater experience and we all had time to paddle a bit and appreciate the scenery. When you're busy paddling, it's easy to forget to lift up your eyes and look around you rather than just slaving away with the paddle. We also paddled into a much smaller 'Zen' rapid downstream which captured our raft and just kept it floating there in the same position as the water roared past. Very weird.
The SS Titanic
The Irish Raft
In no time at all, we were down at the landing at the bottom of the river again, only a 2-minute minibus ride away from base camp. It's amazing how cold you can get in a wetsuit, so we all changed rapidly and warmed up with hot chocolate and biscuits. And that was the end of our morning's adventure! (Our instructor said that in 30 years, he's only seen 2 rafts flip, including us - he blamed the people who leaned to the OTHER right!)
Anyway, we headed off further south on Highway 40, deeper into K-Country to the Boundary Ranch to have our complimentary steak lunch and get ready for horse-riding. Lunch was at 2pm, but the trail ride didn't start until 3:30pm so we had a chance to snooze in the sun. It ended up that there were 6 of us on the 2-hour trail ride with Cowboy Dan, on his last ride of the season. I got a chestnut brown horse called 'Heather' and Stephen was given 'Chip'. After a bit of help with the getting on (how do you get your foot up so high?), we headed off into the foothills.
The Boundary Ranch
Admittedly, the trail ride wasn't as dangerous and exciting as the morning's adventures on the river, but it was relaxing and a great way to get right up on the mountain and see some fantastic views. We passed through forest and alpine meadows, and the horses struggled with deep mud, rocky slopes and steep descents. If you were on foot, a lot of the trail would have been impassible and it would have taken much longer than 2 hours to get there and back again. Having not been on a horse before, I had expected it to be much more difficult than it was. At first your horse just follows the one in front of you, and all you have to do is stay in the saddle and keep hold of the reins. You have to relax and let yourself go with the horse's up-and-down motion. But after a while you get more confident and take charge of the horse. Pull the reins up to stop, pull right or left to steer, give a sharp kick in the flanks to tell the horse to move or to go faster. And lean back when going downhill, and forward going uphill. It was a lot of fun, and over the course of 2 hours I gained a lot of confidence! I think I'll definitely do it again, if I can convince P to giddy-up!
Self-Portrait on horseback
Giddy-up!
Happy Trails
Down the Mountainside
Forest Trail
Move 'em Out, Rawhide!
Popstar Cowboy
Meanwhile, Back on the Ranch
Two Horsemen Riding By (J+Heather, Steven+Chip)
So, all in all we had a great day! I had expected my bottom and legs to be sore from the horse-riding, but the next day I was fine except for some pains in the upper body from all the frantic paddling! I think I would be happy to do whitewater rafting again in the summer, but I don't think I'll take P with me (don't want to lose her in the river!). Maybe Richard would come along... Horse-riding has more to recommend it in the long run, with no special clothing required, no long preparation time and an endless variety of places you can take the horse, rather than just coming down the same set of rapids at speed again and again. Maybe it's the cowboy in me talking, but I can see the two of us on horseback in the springtime, after the first thaw, maybe with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies or the Alberta Trail Riders. Time will tell...
So by now Mel and Stevie should be safe at home again, getting over the jet lag. What I want to know is:
Who am I going to play the Playstation 2 with now? (and how come we managed to let Brazil get beat by Romania on "Winning Eleven Seven"?!)
Where are the McAllisters going to get steak as good as Alberta AAA back home?
And does Tescos do cowboy style bacon-n-beans?
Will they miss Lovely Lyle the Downtown Ambassador? (send us a photo and we'll pop in on the blog!)
We're off for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend now, and we'll be in Canmore tomorrow and up at the Breitmeyer residence on Sunday before a super-lazy day on Monday! Although we should have some time for webcamming over the weekend!
See y'all soon!
J
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