1. We have a captive audience.

Rafting isn’t continuous, roaring rapids, unless you’re perhaps on the Chilko River in British Columbia or the Tuolumne River in California. During the slow, meandering miles, as you float by on the river and feel the hot sun on your face, it’s nice to have a story to listen to. Perhaps it’s about the time a father-son double kayak flipped in the previous rapid, and the mother, with super-hero strength, single-handedly grabbed them both out of the water. Or it’s more subdued, about the history of Native Americans on that particular stretch of river. Staring into the campfire at night, with a belly full of food and a cup full of wine, there’s nothing more bewitching than to hear the words, “No joke there we were…” Admit it, we have your full, undivided attention.

2. We have excellent material to work with.

Each run down the river is different with first-time rafters, varying water levels and changes in the weather. Adventures abound on river trips. Those of us who have been around a number of seasons, we’ve written our own number of stories out there on the river. When tall tales include escapes from forest fires, high water years, and unforgettable past guests, even a poor delivery can’t ruin the content.

3. We have a lot of practice.

This isn’t our first rodeo. We know these stories well, we’ve perfected them over the years with just the right timing,  tone of voice, heck, even imitation of fellow river guides. They make us smile and laugh, each and every time we tell them. They don’t get old–they keep us young.  And we love sharing them. Over and over again, to each and every person who will listen.

So this summer, when you’re gathered around the campfire after dinner, and your guide decides to share why he pokes fun at the another guide’s ability to tie knots–get comfy and fill your glass–I guarantee it’ll make you smile.

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The post 3 Reasons River Guides are the Best Storytellers appeared first on River Currents.

1.  You can drink out of the river.

Well, at least the Chilko River section of the trip is that pure.  The Chilko water is so cold and so pure; it beats any bottled water you’ve tasted.

2.  The flight.

Flying from Vancouver to Williams Lake over Whistler and the Coast Range will make you feel very small in a huge world of conifers and endless unnamed mountains. Welcome to the wilderness. It’s nothing like the commute at home.

3.  Rapid-happy.

The Chilko-Chilcotin-Fraser trip guarantees the longest stretch of commercially navigable Class IV whitewater in North America. There’s a lot of respect for a claim like that. That’s a lot of super-fun rapids to face. There is a section of whitewater that is actually called “The White Mile.” What more could an adrenaline junkie ask?

4.   Toothpaste.

The Chilcotin River section is the color of toothpaste, not unlike Grand Canyon’s Havasu water.  While Havasu’s creek color is the result of play between the Magnesium and calcium carbonate content, the Chilcotin’s blue-green has more to do with “rock flour.”  This “flour” is actually ground up rocks from beneath the river’s originating glacier. It is fine sediment flowing in the river that doesn’t easily settle and refracts light to make the milky blue. It’s an unreal color. Don’t be surprised if the color makes you want to brush your teeth. (It does me, anyway.)

5.  No smog or city lights.

Sometimes we forget what the night sky can look like. City lights and smog dim the constellations; big buildings limit what we can see. Multi-day Canadian rafting affords views of an unfettered night sky. When the smog and city lights are gone, the stars come out, and you won’t believe how many there are.

6.  Covering some ground.

The Chilko-Chilcotin-Fraser river trip drops 3,000 feet in 130 miles. At 23 feet per mile, this Canadian gem finds comparable company with the Middle Fork Salmon’s average 30 feet per mile drop. Both rivers start as barely more than floatable streams and gather side creeks as they go from sub-alpine to high desert over the course of a week’s travel, ending in formidable rivers

7.  Wildlands music

If you are lucky enough to have Niels Jewitt as one of your Canadian river guides, be prepared for some phenomenal campfire-side 9 ½ fingered harmonica music. He’s good, very good.

As a final note, be prepared to use the ubiquitous Canadian “eh” in the two weeks following your trip. Yes, your neighbors and coworkers will look at you strangely.  It just happens. A lingering regional vocab word is worth the trip.

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The post British Columbia Rafting: 7 Reasons to Go Now appeared first on River Currents.

Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, Arizona

Perhaps the most renowned river trip in the northern hemisphere, this whitewater rafting trip is a must do for anyone wanting to talk big. Big waves, big holes, big canyon, big expedition, big fun. It’s the big classic and benchmark for all rivers claiming to be big.

Zambezi River, Zambia

It’s the ‘Slam-bezi’ and this river will leave you with no doubt as to its nickname. Africa’s most famous big water river (and perhaps the world’s) is loaded with big Class IV-V rapids that rarely allow a raft through without wreaking havoc. Add in crocs and hippos and BIG is the only way to describe this experience.

Chilko River, British Columbia

This river trip is all about big whitewater. It takes place in big country, among glaciated peaks, alpine forests and, of course, big whitewater. The Chilko is no joke and its nonstop stretch of Class IV whitewater is notorious on the North American continent. Can you say freight train?

Futaleufu River, Chile

Mention your trip on the “Fu” to anyone who knows whitewater rafting, and you’ll enjoy their undivided attention. South America’s big water legend serves up multiple Class V rapids in a setting that seems almost make-believe. With several mind-blowing sections of river to navigate over several days, you will be a believer.

Colorado River through Cataract Canyon, Utah

This epic run, host to arguably the largest Class V rapids in the U.S., is most likely to rage in June. Don’t let the scenery fool you, desert whitewater can be as big as the landscape it cuts through.

Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho

Typically late-May into mid-June is when this scenic pathway can take on another attitude altogether. Among the boating community, a high-water descent through this canyon will earn you respect, as its continuous Class IV whitewater is intense.

Tuolumne River, California

The Sierra snowpack can unleash its bounty with a fury that attracts whitewater boaters from all over the world. Most often late-May through mid-June, this 18-mile stretch packed with Class IV-V rapids becomes an adrenaline junky’s dream come true.

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The post 7 of the Best Whitewater Rafting Trips in the World appeared first on River Currents.