Woke up early and got McDonald’s and stopped by the ATM before showing up at Mild 2 Wild, a rafting company in the north part of Durango. Addison had wanted to go rafting on this trip and they seemed a good outfit. While he wanted something a bit rougher than the full day Lower Animas trip we signed up for, he wasn’t the minimum 16 years old required by the rougher trips on the Upper Animas.
We got fitted for our life preservers, put on water shoes that they supplied, grabbed our paddles, and hopped on the bus to the drop-off point. Once at the drop-off point the large group was separated into groups based on whether they were doing the two hour, half day, or full day trip. Turned out we were the only ones doing a full day trip and also had chosen to have a boat all to ourselves (which I suppose would’ve happened anyway given that we were the only full day trippers) with a guide.
Our guide’s name was Will. He was very friendly and it turns out he had similar interests to us (or at least some of us, haha) so talk ranged from music to games and the like. He did the rafting tours seven days a week during the summer and during the winter was a masseuse (and going to school for it). He had traveled a lot so there was good discussion there as well.
The river was beautiful, if a little cold. We went down about six or seven miles. The rough spots were almost all class 2 rapids, but there were enough “bumps” to keep it a little exciting. We also got out to swim here and there (with Addison and I taking turns punching each other in the life jacket) as well as “surfed” a standing wave which got us all soaked. Addison also stood up on the front of the raft while the guide started to spin the raft to see how long he remained standing — not long, it turns out.
Rafting on the Lower Animas River, Durango, Colorado
We stopped for lunch riverside and had sandwiches with cold cuts (turkey, ham, salami), cheese, and some veggies as well as potato salad. Good eats and good conversation as well.
We passed by several fishermen (and also saw fish in the river both swimming and jumping) as well as kayakers practicing on a kayak course. Towards the end the river got a bit rockier and shallower which required me to get out to help tug the raft. Addison, Genetta, Will, and I lifted the boat onto shore and onto the bus which took us back to the office.
We returned back to the hotel about 4p to rest and do some laundry. We were going to have a laundry day in two days but the hotel had a washer and dryer on the same floor as our room and it wasn’t occupied yet, so… Left for dinner about 8p, a place called Serious Texas Barbeque. It was pretty much identical to Jimmer’s in Cortez, though I thought the brisket was a bit better at Jimmer’s. Still, it filled us up after a long day. Got some aloe for the sunburn some of us got as well as some snacks from Rite-Aid before returning to the hotel around 9p. Surfed the internet, watched a movie, and turned in this blog.