Sunday, July 13, 2008

Swimming in the Glacier Water!

It was my Nurse Friend Kaisa's birthday so me and 2 other RN's took her White Water Rafting! Boy was it fun. Let me tell you about my little adventure! First off I have to fill you in: the Nenana River is 35 degrees, Glacier water at its best. You have to first suit up in dry suits that have rubber around your neck , and wrists and you wear these wonderful rubber booties that keep all that water out and keep you from freezing while rafting in that wonderful Glacier Water. Here we are all suited up and ready to go!

We learn how to paddle, and if we fall out what to do if that happens. So off we go. I am sitting in the front right of the raft. We go through one rapid, a class I and it was very exciting. The guide was like now you guys are warmed up we are getting ready to go thru another rapid this one is class II-III. I can see it up ahead... the adrenaline is pumping... bracing my one foot in the holder and the other tucked on the side of the raft...oar ready to go... We hit the rapid and WHOOPSY- here goes Kristin Flying out of the raft! I plumage into the water, glacier water remind you - so now I have to swim the rest of the rapid, to turn around and see the raft so far away! I hear the guide yelling at me SWIM SWIM - so I doggie paddle back to the raft as it is coming toward me and get pulled back into the raft. {Let me fill you in that there were 2 rafts ahead of us doing oar rafting so if worse came to worse I would have floated down stream to them.} Here I am after having my own little adventure!


The rest of the paddle down the river was fun, exciting and refreshing. We even got to swim thru slow part of the river - I do have to say, not as much fun as swimming thru the rapid, but still fun! We saw, old train cars that had crashed into the river years ago, waterfalls, birds - no moose or bears - but all in all it was a fun trip. Mom deserved a day out with out kids to relax and have some adventure while Jeff is at NTC. I hope to make this trip again with Jeff before he deploys with our other couple friends. It will be an experience that I won't forget and on more thing to say that I did in the wonderful state of Alaska! Lastly here is our group after the raft trip!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Looks like fun!

My friend told me that in order to get a graphic up on her header, she grabbed one from online and edited it in PhotoShop, saved it as a Jpeg and there you have it. I don't have PhotoShop. But, if you have that or something like it, you should be able to do it.

Ang said...

It sounds like you had a blast!!

I grew up on Kodiak Island... and remember flying over to Fairbanks :)

Love your blog!