We came to Canada for a visit with family and friends. During that time we were able to find time to go whitewater rafting with three of our grand children and my daughter Jennifer.

We started our day with registration and an orientation at Wilderness Tours explaining the safety requirements and equipment.

After orientation, we waited for our bus to take us to the starting point of the whitewater tour. The drive on the bus took about 20 minutes. The guides played some Abba music and sang songs. It helped everyone get into a great mood for the day.

We arrived at a beach area with a building which contained our safety equipment. Everyone was issued a life jacket, helmet, and a paddle. We then headed down to the boats to begin our adventure. Jordy, our tour guide, explained how we were to paddle and where to sit when going through the rapids.

We headed out on the water and slowly paddled towards a bend in the river. Just after the bend, we arrived at our first set of rapids and didn’t know exactly what to expect. It was an adrenaline rush and the kids thought it was “awesome”.

After surviving the first set of class 3 rapids we were completely wet. The waves crashed over the front of the boat soaking both Tyty and Ray. The water was warmer than we expected. We paddled along until the next set of rapids and would go through the process again.  We stopped after one set of rapids and went to shore to have a photo opportunity. The boys took the time to look for crayfish with our guide.

We were able to stop at one set of rapids and get out of the boat and walk up the trail to do some body surfing through the rapids.

After body surfing the rapids, we stopped down stream for a BBQ along the river at the base of Garvin’s Chute, which is a 20’ waterfall. They had a cabin and benches set up with a BBQ already prepared for us. The kids had a chance to relax and take a break from all the paddling.

We enjoyed hot chocolate and some tasty food before we headed back down river.

Once we were back on the water we did some floating in the current between rapids. The kids enjoyed this time to swim and splash around.

After we finished the last set of rapids we headed to shore, where they had a cold beer for the adults and juice for the kids.

We enjoyed a cold drink before walking to the buses to head back to Wilderness tours. The day was very enjoyable and it was a day we will treasure forever.

“Good bye and have a great day.”