Rafting on Kicking Horse, and a Relaxing Afternoon

Today marked the second last day of our week-long tour with Fresh Adventures. After  breakfast we set out for Glacier Raft Company to do some rafting on the nearby Kicking Horse River (which actually runs right by our campsite in Golden, BC). 

Upon arrival we signed our waivers, got our wetsuits, helmets, and life jackets, and then boarded our bus for the short trip to our starting point higher up river. After disembarking we got a thorough safety talk and then piled into our raft. One individual from our tour group had opted out of the rafting experience, so we ended up being the perfect size to all fit together on one raft. Also in a fun coincidence, one of Rosie's hockey teammates from this past winter season was also there, so they had a nice little unplanned reunion. 

What was really cool (to me at least!) was that only yesterday, the very water we were rafting on in the Kicking Horse River was melting from those glaciers and ice fields (like the one we hiked up to yesterday in our Iceline hike in Yoho National Park), and running down numerous streams and waterfalls before eventually converging tributaries to the Kicking Horse River. When you stop and look at the swift current of the river, it's truly a crazy volume of water (and really drives home how big those glaciers and ice fields are, even though they seem so high up and far away). 

Having already lost one smartphone to water on this trip, Leslie served as our official trip photographer for the rafting portion of the day. However, when your official photographer is also very risk-averse (and honestly who am I to judge) you end up with a small handful of photos taken in calm water.  :) 

Note from Leslie - at least one of us needs to retain a functional phone.

Due to Rosie's size and weight we were restricted to the first portion of the day, which featured class 2 rapids and then lunch. However, it was still a ton of fun, and our rafting guide made sure to bounce the raft off of a few rocks, getting everyone got wet and getting a lot of squeals and smiles. And to make sure we got the full experience, Zoe, Rosie and I all opted to jump into the icy water during one of the calm stretches. No pictures though, because Leslie didn't deem it safe enough to let go of the rope :) However there was an official photographer so if the photos are good and we purchase them then we will retroactively add them here! 

After a bbq hamburger lunch we headed back to our campsite for a "quiet" afternoon with no plans.  Leslie and the girls headed over the public pool and splash pad and the kids had a blast cooling off and having boys-vs-girls water fights with the other kids. 

Meanwhile, I headed into town for some essentials: cold beer & wine, snacks, and a final batch of clean clothes courtesy of the local laundromat. It was fun walking through the small town of Golden, and I found myself humming the "mountain town" song from the South Park movie. 

Quiet mountain town

Quiet mountain town

Tomorrow will be the bittersweet culmination of this part of our trip; we'll have an early start to pack up our campsite, a visit to the hot springs near Banff, and then we will head to the Calgary airport to drop off our crew (and get a rental car for the final couple of days of our trip). We've been so lucky with the amazing experiences and company so far, and looking forward to putting the final touches on a trip that will leave us with a lot of great memories.