点评:I took my family of adults on the Big River tour with Mike as our guide. This program is very professionally run, with great equipment and knowledgeable guides. I was super impressed with the entry speech from one of the land staff. She looked us over and warned us what we'd be losing in the river if we didn't leave it behind so we headed out with just the clothes on our bodies and grins on our faces.
Because my sons are all in their early 20s, we opted for the Big River Class IV trip and HOLY #*%$&!! that is a fast, spooky tour! On the bus ride to the put-in, the lead guide introduced herself and the others and once we arrived, she gave explicitly detailed instructions.
We had been on Class II and III before and thought I would be prepared. This river is seriously fast. And, as it turned out, we went overboard (had an "out of boat experience") during one of the first, larger rapids. We all made it back into the boat relatively quickly but we are all very able-bodied adults. There was another group with several minor children - having been under that angry, churning water, there is NO WAY I would take this tour with anyone under 18 for safety's sake.
The lunch was pretty good for my meat eaters. I stated on the form that I'm vegan so my option was peanut butter and jelly (there was no world of safety from cross-contamination as everyone just went through the lineup and grabbed food bare-handed to create their own sandwiches - We are fully post-covid, folks.) They put out a bag of baby carrots and a small container of hummus as the guides worked on setting up lunch and they also passed a tray of cut oranges and apples. There was ample water, lemonade, and a bag of trail mix, but we were told we got one paper cup and that was it. A little better lunch planning would improve this tour. It would have been more efficient and sanitary if they had taken sandwich orders at registration and prepared them so they could quickly hand them out instead of trying to set up a self-serve sandwich bar. And for those with dietary restrictions, it's far safer.
The little area we had lunch in was charming, with a flow of quicker water that you could just float through but not get swept into the river. After lunch, we hit the Big Five and I was so seriously spooked I feel like I dissociated. All I know is that when Mike said we were heading into the last one, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Folks, it's scary out there - this is not a trip for the timid or even the mild adventurer. When you're underwater in that river, you could die. There's a reason you sign a waiver. Each of my group of 6 had their own tale to tell and we sure as heck made an indelible memory. I'm glad we did it but we're staying out of Class IV from here on out.
Special shout out to Mike, our awesome guide. He kept us in check and after that first flip there was nothing remotely near a flip thereafter. He's really knowledgeable about the area and has been doing this for over a decade so I truly felt in good hands. Thanks, Mike and Whitewater Voyages!
翻译:我带着我的大家庭参加了 Big River 之旅,Mike 担任我们的导游。这个项目非常专业,有很棒的设备和知识渊博的导游。我对一位陆地工作人员的入场致辞印象深刻。她看了看我们,警告我们如果不把东西留在河里,我们会失去什么,所以我们只穿着衣服就出发了,脸上挂着笑容。
因为我的儿子都 20 岁出头,所以我们选择了 Big River Class IV 之旅,天哪!这是一次快速、惊险的旅行!在乘坐巴士前往入口处时,领队导游介绍了自己和其他人,我们一到,她就给出了详细的说明。
我们之前参加过 Class II 和 III 之旅,我想我会做好准备。这条河真的很急。结果,我们在第一个较大的急流中落水了(有过“出船体验”)。我们都相对较快地回到了船上,但我们都是身体健全的成年人。还有另一组有几个未成年的孩子——在那种愤怒、翻腾的水里,出于安全考虑,我绝对不会和 18 岁以下的人一起参加这次旅行。
午餐对我的肉食者来说相当不错。我在表格上说我是素食主义者,所以我的选择是花生酱和果冻(没有交叉污染的安全保障,因为每个人都只是排队,赤手空拳地拿食物来做自己的三明治——我们完全是后疫情时代的,伙计们。)他们拿出一袋小胡萝卜和一小盒鹰嘴豆泥,导游们正在准备午餐,他们还递上一盘切好的橙子和苹果。有充足的水、柠檬水和一袋混合干果,但我们被告知只得到一个纸杯。如果午餐计划做得更好一点,这次旅行会更好。如果他们在登记时就接受三明治订单并准备好,这样他们就可以快速分发,而不是试图设置一个自助三明治吧,这样会更高效、更卫生。对于那些有饮食限制的人来说,这要安全得多。
我们吃午饭的那个小地方很迷人,水流较快,你可以漂浮而过,但不会被冲进河里。午饭后,我们遇到了 Big Five,我非常害怕,感觉自己脱离了现实。我只知道,当 Mike 说我们要去最后一个 Big Five 时,我松了一口气。
伙计们,外面很可怕——这不是胆小的人甚至温和的冒险家的旅行。当你在那条河的水下时,你可能会死。签署豁免书是有原因的。我们 6 个人中的每个人都有自己的故事要讲,我们确实留下了不可磨灭的记忆。我很高兴我们做到了,但从现在开始我们不会再进入 Class IV 了。
特别感谢 Mike,我们很棒的导游。他让我们保持警惕,在第一次翻滚之后,再也没有翻滚过。他对这个地区非常了解,并且已经从事这个行业十多年了,所以我真的觉得他很可靠。谢谢 Mike 和 Whitewater Voyages!