River Rafting w/ Kootenay River Runners, Radium BC
“Thank you Kootenay River Runners for a great day. Was it raining? I never did notice. I really did not care. No one on the raft that day cared. No… everyone on that raft that day smiled, laughed and would do it again in a second – rain or shine.”
I recently hooked up with the gang at Kootenay River Runners (www.raftingtherockies.com) located in Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada for a family oriented river rafting adventure on the Kootenay River. The Kootenay River is a waterway adventure suitable for most older children and for rafting beginners. It is a great rafting river for people who are testing the rafting waters for the first time.
Rafting w/ Kootenay River Runners
I arrived at the office in Radium BC excited about getting my feet wet once again in a Canadian river. It was raining out – clouds rolling in – who cares. No worries on my part. Rain or shine I like to play. I rarely pass up an opportunity for adventure anyway.
However, for some, the rain was an issue. The weather was not cooperating according to a few who booked the rafting adventure but decided to bail. I do not get it? You get wet rafting, so what is a little rain?
No worries here, our group was small but we had Katie as our guide. She was a super hero-ish like guide too, keeping us entertained and smiling all the way. On a slower river with less challenging white water a guide must be good at keeping their guests entertained. Katie accomplished this with flying colours. She told stories, she pointed out landmarks and she made us smile
Road Block
What rain? Those people missed out on a great day. Plus… we had an adventure within an adventure. On the way to the put-in point on the Kootenay River we had to travel along a long gravel logging road. We soon found out that the storm – the night before – had blown down some trees and one of them was blocking our road. No worries as Kootenay River Runners came to the rescue. They hooked up the tree to the bus and moved it out of the way.
Lickity-split. Done deal! I just love the unexpected adventures within an adventure!
Blueberry Crew
We arrived at our put-in point and dressed up in our designer blue rafting gear. We looked like a bunch of blueberries bobbing along the shoreline.
Our guide, Katie, proceeded to give us some instruction on safety procedures and paddling technique. We then loaded up the blueberry crew in the raft and shoved off heading down the Kootenay River.
Much of the Radium BC river route was easy going. The epic river scenery and the dialogue of our guide kept us busy when we were not paddling. The few sections of white water we did encounter provided plenty of excitement for the group. Behind me, on the raft, was a young boy (maybe 10-12 yrs old) from Calgary, Alberta who could not wipe the grin off his face.
Kootenay River Runners was creating a life memory for this young boy. Nature is good that way.
During our day-long Radium BC river adventure we stopped at a backcountry river campsite and we had lunch with juice and coffee. “Did someone say coffee?” I was all over that! I love my java jolt! During our stop we shared more stories and we asked questions. It was a great time for all of us to get to know each other.
Stories on the Kootenay River
Back on the river we paddled, we coasted, we talked some more. Best story of the day was the bear story told by our guide Katie. She told us this story about a bear who thought a raft looked like a salmon and started to swim after it. To put it bluntly, the boys in the raft switched into high gear and started paddling like mad men leaving the bear behind.
Sadly, our day came to an end. Because we were a small group, we had to paddle hard to reach the shore where our bus was waiting. The river current fought us all the way… so much so… we over shot our landing point and almost missed the bus. Another good laugh ensued.
Thank you Kootenay River Runners for a great day. Was it raining? I never did notice. I really did not care. No one on the raft that day cared. No… everyone on the raft that day smiled, laughed and would do it again in a second, including me, rain or shine.
Stars of Tourism
The “STARS OF TOURISM” program highlights Canadian accommodations, attractions and adventures the “eh Team” brothers explored during the summer of 2014 in the name of tourism and travel research for their ehCanadaTravel.com website, blog, social media channels and ehTV (YouTube).
Kootenay River Runners : www.raftingtherockies.com
4987 Highway 93, Radium, BC V0A 1E0
Toll Free: 1.800.599.4399
Radium Hot Springs: 250.347.9210
Banff: 1 800 599 4399
Email: info@raftingtherockies.com
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The “eh Team” of ehCanadaTravel.com (eh Canada Travel & Adventure) are the brother team of Greg and Colin Girard. Together they are the brains behind the ehCanadaTravel.com travel website, blog, social media and ehTV which is the largest and fastest growing booking, planning and researching tourism and travel network for Western and Northern Canada – currently expanding into Eastern and Atlantic Canada.
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