One of the highlights of our summer had to be rafting in the rain. The story and pictures are pretty amazing, which is why they are ending up on my blog.
We loved whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado a few years ago, but we wanted to go rafting without driving for two days. Some of my research uncovered two whitewater rafting options in northern Wisconsin, either on the Menominee River or the Peshtigo River. Wildman Adventure Resort offered trips on both rivers, so I excitedly booked our trip for the Menominee River in late June.
Fast forward to a day before our trip, and a representative from Wildman notified me that we would be rafting on the Peshtigo River instead of the Menominee (or Menom as the insiders call it) due to extremely high water. That was fine with us! The forecast for our rafting trip didn’t look ideal – upper 60’s and rainy, but we were determined to make it happen.
We arrived at the rafting outpost, which doubles as a campsite, and geared up. My daughter and I opted to rent wet suits to help us stay warm on the river. Everyone in my family wore a rain jacket over our swimsuits. We were one of three total rafts on the river that day. It felt like a private tour of such a beautiful stretch of the river! The rain stayed light throughout our trip, and once we were in the rapids, we barely noticed it because we were getting splashed anyway.
Here we are starting out:
Typically, Wildman doesn’t run larger group rafts down the Peshtigo River, but they were able to do so because of all the rain. They frequently use individual kayaks on this river, something to try another time! High water meant that we’d have more rapids to navigate! Yeah! Here we go through some of the rapids.
It’s such an exhilarating feeling to brace yourself for barreling down the rapid! Sometimes we would paddle as we were shooting down it, depending on what instructions Duncan called out. This is probably my favorite picture of our trip (all photos were taken by the Wildman Adventure Resort photographer).
As you can see from our expressions, we had a blast! During quieter times on the river, we kept watch for wildlife. Our guide shared that they saw some otters on the side of the river. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see them.
I think this rapid was named Horserace. Here’s a series of pictures through it:
I like these final pictures: splashing water and I’m looking back at my kids to see if they were all good. We all laughed and talked about our favorite parts of the rapids.
I told this story of our rafting trip in a work meeting recently because it’s such a great analogy for planning for the unexpected.
Vacations are tricky to plan with busy teens and adults in our family. We made our reservation and couldn’t control the conditions: rain, water levels, and temperature. Our river outfitters smartly moved us to another river to ensure our safety. We trusted our guide to direct us down parts of the river. At one time, we misjudged the current and got stuck on a protruding log, so we had to quickly change our paddling technique to keep going.
Despite my type A tendencies, I had to literally “go with the flow.” I’m grateful to be in the same boat with my husband and kids (plus an experienced guide). I know I can trust them to navigate through tricky rapids of life, that I don’t have to go at it alone. Other guides / experts are in our lives to help keep us afloat as well. And it’s great to know that we can do hard things – together! I feel very blessed to know that my God-given support system “has me.” It’s also having the trust that you can let go and let God guide you through the big twists and turns.
Who knew that time on the river could get so philosophical?
These are core memories that we will all cherish!
go mama o. 