On my first-ever whitewater rafting experience, I "rode the bull!" But initially got bucked off good - I'm the one laying on the bottom of the raft in this shot:
We did a 1/2 hour or so lecture on how to stay in the boat, how dangerous it would be to fall out, where to keep your feet under straps so you stay in, etc. Then we had to practice strokes to be sure we were all prepared for the dangers that lay ahead. We were warned about the first rapid and told to pay attention. Right before we got to the rapid, the guide asked "Who's gonna ride the bull?" Huh? What the heck is he talking about. Riding the bull is sitting on the very front of the raft with your legs on the outside and a rope up between your legs and trying to stay on, just like riding a bucking bull. "Right" we thought -- We were just told how dangerous this rafting in Class III-IV is and now he's saying this - surely he jests. Nope. He was serious. And at the last second I said I would. It took so long to get over the big tubes to the front that by the time I got there I was never on good before we hit the first of the rapid, so I spent the entire run on the bottom of the raft getting hit in the face with 33 degree water. At one point I started to panic since I couldn't take a breath, but luckily I had enough sense to put my head down and block my face with my arm so I could breathe.
It was so much fun!
Later I got up before we went in to a rapid to get used to the feeling of hanging off the front of the raft and then was able to stay on through the rapid - it was a blast!
The last day we went hiking on a glacier, which was seriously cool:
I had some thicotropic glacier mud on my nose to keep from getting sunburned.
We also rafted past the Spencer glacier which had several super neat icebergs in the water. Since it was cloudy, the ice looked bluer!
I think this iceberg looks like a frog.
In Anchorage, we went to the Seavy dogsled experience where the did a little skit/show about sled dogs and the Iditrod. Mitch Seavy won a couple of years ago. His son was in the show who is the youngest person to compete in the Iditrod (or something like that).
2 comments:
Hey there! Alaska sounds like so much fun (except for the weather, which I probably wouldn't have done very well with either). Have fun tonight!
OMG Anna welcome home and the pictures looked breathtakingly amazing! I am glad you had such an advenurous awesome time!
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