Rafting in Denali

So on our first day in Denali, we decided we'd raft.  But not first before waking up super early to head to the visitor's center to sign up for a Discovery Hike.  My friend Eileen said this was the way to see the park (the trick is, there are only 2 hikes a day and only 11 people per hike). . . hiking with a park ranger at their choice of hike rather than going on our own as the chances of encountering wildlife....er, bears was extremely high!  So, I woke up and decided I'd go over to sign us up.  Well, it was a bit too far to walk, so I figured, let's drive.  So, I cranked up the ol' 30 footer and in the process woke everyone else up (kinda difficult not to when you're driving what you're sleeping in!) to get ourselves over to sign us up.  We made it and planned to take the bus out on the Parks Highway to mile 63.   More on the highway and denali later, now we're rafting!

So, we decided to fuel ourselves with a warm breakfast (that we didn't have to cook) at one of the restaurants at the visitors center (so worth it to have a warm meal) and then back to get ready to raft the river!!

Being up in Denali National Park at this time of year (mid-August), we could most definitely feel a nip in the air....hats, gloves and jackets were helpful.   Around 10:30am, we headed over to the bus stop where the rafting place picked us up and drove us to their office so we could get set up.  We were to wear dry suits so we needed to make sure we had enough clothing on underneath to actually keep us warm.  

CM and Eric getting suited up!

At this point, my mom had no idea what she was in for...and that was a good thing...a very good thing!

Kayaking girls back in full force, this time in dry suits!

On the bus, headed to the loading point.  

We'd decided that the 4 hour rafting trip was best.  This involved the first 2 hours of easy waters, class 1 and 2 rapids (easiest) so we could get acclimated, and then a little break for lunch, then the next 2 hours were class 3-5 rapids.  We also chose the one where we paddle, vs just sitting there and getting paddled.  After speaking to the group, we all agreed that sitting there would be boring and we'd get cold much easier.  So, paddle it is! After a safely briefing and situating, we were off in our raft.   

Not the sunniest day, but hey, it wasn't raining!

This was when my mom was still sitting next to us.....

Like I said, not too much going on during the first 2 hours, and plus, my phone was in the dry bag so not too many photos.  

Time for a break

And the sun is starting to show itself!

Lunch break in our dry suits

So after we lunched, it was time to get back in the rafts.  The people who were sitting in the very front said they wanted to switch spots with us as they were getting really wet.  Eric and I are always up for a challenge so we said, sure, why not.  So we were both at the bow of the boat, rafting away and boy, what fun it was up there!  We were soaked...and Eric almost feel in one time...thankfully, the guy sitting next to him pulled him back so he didn't go over the edge.  At this point, you're not scared of falling in because it's cold and wet, you're scared of falling in because the water is really rough.  

Major respect for the water and nature in general!

At one point where the water was calm for a bit, our guide jokingly asked anyone if they'd like to go in.  Well, you don't need to ask us twice, we jumped right in!  Eric, did so head first (like when you go diving).  It was such a weird sensation, being in the water, but not being wet, just more like floating along with your dry suit having tons of air in it.  Just for reference, the water was between 36-38 degrees F.  Dry suits are an amazing invention and cost approximately $1K.  

After being in for a minute or two, it was back to the raft; we were approaching more rapids!  What fun it was getting in the water.  Our hands, face and hair were already soaked and our bodies didn't get wet because of the dry suits so it was quite fun.  Though, a hot shower was surely in order after a day on the water.  

We headed back to the RV, and then hit up the Riley Creek Campground canteen for some hot showers!  

All clean and ready to sit by the campfire!

My dad, drying my silk under layer.  I found out afterwards that my dry suit had a teeny tiny hole which made my clothes pretty damp.  So, the campfire did wonders to getting everything toasty before our next day of hiking.  

I'm telling you Eric, this is the way you make s'mores!

Love this pic!!