Rafting Brown's In High Water

This seasons turning out to be epic...But just how epic?

• Jared Black
• Jun 20, 2019
• Travel/Rafting

The water is high and so is the safety precaution - My trip down Brown's Canyon National Monument

This passed weekend I had the opportunity to go rafting, and man oh man! Hi all! This weekend for Father's Day I decided to take my Dad and brother rafting down Brown's Canyon. I've heard rumor after rumor about the high water and how crazy the runoff is right now so I decided we should go see it for ourselves. As my dad picked me up in Breckenridge sunday morning I could tell he was super excited while my brother in the back seat seemed to be a little uneasy. Now, I start thinking to myself, why is my brother so nervous? Yes, rumor of the high water is echoing through the mountains but all of us are adventure goers, strong swimmers, and were ready for aa wet and wild ride, plus I knew we'd be in the safe hands of The Adventure Company . Little did I know that this was my brothers first time rafting! ha! I reassured him that The Adventure company has the very best guides and the guides they bring on are experienced and they don't train their guides but rather validate their expertise.

As we arrived at our starting destination I was met by the staff of The Adventure Company where we received our wetsuits, booties, dry jackets and helmets. Helmets are required but the rest are optional however I STRONGLY recommend these pieces as the water is super cold just about year round.

 

As we get ready to depart we meet Randy who actually ended up being my guide which was great as he was the trip lead. He gave everybody the safety run down and let everybody know of the danger that can come with high water but how they take the extra safety precautions to prevent any possible problems. As we board the bus about 24 people load and everyone with an extra sense of excitement. Once we arrive to the put in everyone is assigned their guides and are split into their groups of 6 ish people per boat. as we near the water you can definitely tell the water is moving faster than the last time I went rafting which was at about 500 cfs. Cfs stands for Cubic Feet Per Second and the last this time the river was ripping at an astounding 4200 CFS. So clearly a higher water level. Once we put in you begin down the river and the beginning is rather calm, well calmish, and you can tell it's going to be a splashy ride. Into 4our fearless leader real quick though, Randy. Randy was an amazing raft guide. he lead with charisma and was able to keep the boat engaged the whole time! He wore a cowboy hard hat and you could tell it was certainly not his first trip down the river. If you couldn't tell...than he eventually mentioned that he'd been guiding for 17 years and that this was his passion, his career, and what’s great is mentioned that if you were an aspiring raft guide to come speak with him and he would point you in the right direction. At the end of the day you could just tell how engaging he was and that he as going to do his very best to get you down the river as safely as possible.

 

As we begin to descend into the canyon you can see beautiful sights and get fantastic information from Randy on the history of the river, where the water comes from, where it ends, and the history of the area. As you go down the river the paddle strokes become increasingly more evident and you really have to make sure you listen to guide Randy. The calls of forward 1, forward 2, left back, right forward, and so on to keep the boat in the right position so Randy can steer the boat through the rivers best course of approach. Randy made it very clear that the paddlers are the motor, he is the experience and the steering wheel. You need a motor to get around obstacles in the river and move over hydraulic waves that can push back on the boat. Entering the canyon you go under a bridge where a lot of raft guides will have a paddle tap on a bridge which signifies good luck and the entering of Browns Canyon Half Day

National Monument. As you descend down the river, the rapids certainly seem to increase and the need to paddle and keep a foot hold becomes significantly more clear. You go through rapids like Pinball and Zoom Flume as you make your way to the Widow Maker and Toilet Bowl where the rapids get BIG. The minimum age for this trip right now is 10 years old and for good reason, extra safety precautions have also been taken by wilderness rescue as they cover the shorelines in high risk areas with bags of rope to toss to rafters that end up falling out of the boat. However, we did not fall out of the boat; nobody that was along with The Adventure Company ended up out of the boat as a safe trip should end. When you leave the rapids and see the take out you feel an odd sense of relief, sore arms but also a sense of sadness that the excitement is over but the memory is built.

 

 

Rafting Browns Canyon