Wow Wata A Day On / In The Water With Devon

Well Sat. Aug.8th was another awsum day on the Red Deer River! It was my 30th trip down the river in a raft. This time I had Jer along guiding with me. As well as Jer we also had his brother Mathew and his two kids Julia and Joe. It was Quite an interesting day I will tell you! Jer and I had full boats, so we had the idea of maby taking a couple of inflatable kayak's along with too lighten them a bit. Afterall Mat was with us and he was in one so he could help educate and guide the people using them. Well what a "great" idea this turned out to be! (not) Two of the gentelmen caught on quite well and had things pretty well figgured out within the first hour or so. The other two had their (our) hands full. I think they wer actualy trying to scrape the good Otter name right off the side of their kayak! They slammed into every obstical they could find. They parked their kayak right on the top of The Drop Of Doom or Upper Ledge if you like. Let me tell you it was quite a sight! Jer threw them a rope and helped pull them off but they swam in the process. They wer'nt trying to save themselves at all so I threw them a rope and pulled both in at once. Then swam out and retrieved their kayak as it floated past. I then told them NOT to go over Diagnle Ledge, it was within sight, I pointed it out to them. ( it was about 500 yrds downstream ) What did they do but go right over it! Thankfully they did so without incident and all was well. After lunch (thnx again for lunch Dave and Byron) another couple wanted their turn on one. So the two gentelmen joined my boat. I had one hangen his six right outa my raft when we went over Sammy's ledge! I laughed my six off at that sight! I truley don't know how he hung on but it was quite a sight to see! Then the couple that took over the kayak after lunch almost pinned themselves on touch rock I guess they did well in avoiding it thankfully. On Monday the 10th of Aug we didn't have any bookings, Sam returned from his B.C.trip so we decided too have a play day. We once again did the Lower Red and once again had a blast! Mathew his kids, Sam and I all went down on inflatable kayaks. Spending a day on the river with friends wether they be old or new is always a very special day to me! We all had a great time playing and surfing some of the awsum play waves there. I managed to biff it twice at our favorite little play wave while using Sams Air kayak. That shure is an awsum little ride, the styrofoam bottom surfs a lot nicer than the inflatable ones in the Hysides. Then we reached Double Ledge. Double Ledge is an awsum "little" stretch of the river where the whole river gets funneled through about a 30' hole between solid rock. I have been through this spot about 5 or 6 times now and it is always an interesting experience! Having biffed it there once or so before. We all went and checked it out before we ran it like responsible little paddlers. We decided that Sam would go first which he did without incident. Then Mat went through with his daughter Julia they did well till that little kicker wave at the bottom and Julia tiped out right beside the kayak and Dad soon had her well in hand. Little Joe meanwhile is loosing his patience waiting over by wher we pulled over with the kayaks and I am comming up with a "great" idea! I am thinking that Mat should be the one to experience Double Ledge with his Son and maby I should swim this magnificent rapid. So I gave Mat and Joe my kayak too run it while I thought about and stewed over my "great" idea. They then had a great run down. When they eddied out I mentioned my "great" idea. Well surprise surprise they wer all for it! And now I am Commited! There is now no way out of this without loosing face! So Mat came up to run video and Sam stayed in the eddie below ready as Saftey incase something wrong happened. I asked Mat to cinch up my PFD as I went over and over in my mind the line I wanted to take through this monster. OMG it shure looks like a different wave when you are planning a way to swim it. I kept my line in mind as I walked up stream far enough to swim to it in the very fast current above the rapid. Well now when you are standing up stream and its all or nothing it is quite the rush when you jump and start swimming as hard as you can to reach your line. I made it just in time, I turned around assuming the position and started one of the most fantastic rides of my life.I was on the perfect line, I went under the first wave and was up in a second. The second wave sent me under for a couple of seconds, I came up just in time to get a big breath right before the bottom wave. Then I went down! I swam as hard as I could for the surface and didn't feel like I was going anywhere! I swam and swam and swam, then I thought maby I got turned around in all the commotion and was maby swimming for the bottom, so I openen my eyes and looked up and could see daylight above me. How far I coulden't say, it was just a bright light above me through a sea of green cold mountain water. My feet started to drag and kick the bottom. I was amazed that it was like washed gravel and very thankful it wasen't solid rocks or trees. I was at this point starting to think maby my "great" idea wasen't such a "great" idea afterall! Maby I really screwed up this time! Then I managed too get a solid foothold on the bottom and pushed as hard as I could and swimming as hard as I could I managed too reach the surface! Wow that one really spooked me! I traveled a long ways under water. I guess my eyes wer as big as saucers. I was at first totaly speechless,all I could mutter was holy sh#@ and holy f@#* as I gasped for air, then the rush hit! WOW what an experience! It was totaly different and yet just the same as I expected. If that makes any sence at all. We got it all on video which I will attatch! Check it out. I wish I could of had a camera with me to catch the ride from my perspective. But none the less it was spectacular anyway! Well this is the end of yet another Blog. Stay wet and keep it real, (keep it real wet folks!!!) :-).......... Devon
P.S. You can just barley see my head as I pop up beside Sam's kayak. It's just a blurred dot in the water but you can see it.

And Yet Another Day On / In The Water With Devon

Well it is Aug 7th and since my last blog on July 24th I have done another eight trips down the Red Deer River. I have had a chance too experience the pressure's of being trip leader twice now. Most of our trips have been on gorgious sunny HOT days.

On July 25th we ran the river with 5 rafts taking 34 ppl with us. It was a beautiful sunny day and also my first day as trip leader. We had no major misshaps and throurly enjoyed the day.


July 26th I ran saftey kayak for Braydon as he took a group of three half dayers down the river. We where joined by Mary, Paul, Sam and Spencer. When we finished the half day trip the six of us guides re-launched further down the river and enjoyed the rest of the day on the Lower Red. The Lower Red has lots of great play holes and ledges. We all ran Double Ledge and it was sooooo great too watch Paul biff it in his little digger 1 man canoe. ( like I would even have half a chance of doing as well as that man does in that thing!) And Spencer did an awsume job in his hardshell kayak. You would never have known he haden't ran fast water very much.


July 25th I got a chance to take my kids down the river again. We shared the trip with a farm family from Wetaskewin. Although I truley enjoyed taking my kids down the river and would do so again in an instant it wasen't the same as the many trips the kids and I have done in our 10' Canadian Tire special, but it was a great learning experience for the three of us. The kids learned that when they are rafting with daddy as a river guide the customers always come first. I explained this concept to them the night before and bless their little hearts they behaved quite well. And they had a blast aswell! They where rodeo riding the bow, they both jumped off Jumping Rock and they both swam @ Swimming Chanel allbeit @ the end of their Dads arms! LMAO

July 29th was another awsum day on the water! Braydon and I took 7 ppl down the river. We all enjoyed a great shore lunch. We both had great customers!

July 31 was another fun fun day! we got some awsum pictures this day. One was of me and my crew moterboating along the Nationals, Braydon got a picture of us at about an 70 degree angle with the bow up in the air. Then i got a great picture of Braydon moterboating through the Dirty Hole. He was at about 80 degrees when I got the picture then the raft caught the wind and floped right over backwards. It truley was a sight to see. Thankfuly no one was hurt and all went home with a great story to tell!

Aug. 1st we did yet another trip. I had a family from Calgary in my raft and we all had an absolute blast! ( with the exception of mabey the mother ) After lunch she developed a migrane that caused her to be phisicaly sick the rest of the afternoon. She was a good sport about it all and I don't think I ever once herd her complain.( she even managed to keep her head over the side of the raft if you know what I mean) She just kinda stayed in her own world while we made the trip. Her daughter jumped off of headwall. ( a cliff about 30 - 45 feet tall )Now there is a chick with big cahoonas! (And she was quite the hottie aswell!!)

Aug 2nd we made another trip down. And once again I had an awsom family group of ppl in my raft. I managed to dump 5 of them in Eddie Turn! Before we went in I switched some ppl around I had a 60+ gentenman in and really didn't want to dump him. So I dumped the two I was trying too dump, we played around a bit in the eddie then I switched them back too their original spots. When we excited the eddie I managed to "crack the whip" exceptionaly well and cleared off the whole right side of the raft! I tried my very best too keep Bill (the 60 + gentelman) in the boat but he went out anyway. ( though I had a good hold on his pfd the whole time ) I told him I was so sorry and I explained how hard I tried to keep him in and he replied " in a pigs ass you did " laughing the whole time. They all got even with me at the end of the trip though, as I was bailing the last of the water out, they picked up the bow and dumped me off the back. A dunking I truley deserved (and appreciated);-) It was to bad Jeffery fell at the end of our day and managed to gash his hand open requiring 4 or 5 stitches.


Aug 5th was another milestone for me. It was the first time I took a group down the river without another guide along. It was kind of a spooky thing to do, although I believe in my ability to handle the situations the river can throw at us at times, I was never the less a nervous man. Thankfully the family I got to take down this day was very outdoors savy. They all had considerable experience in survival situations. It was a cold wet dreary day in Sundre and it didn't get any better up at our launch site but we made the most of it! This was the first time I had experienced customers that didn't want to get wet, we ran everything straight on, paddeled most of the way down the river ( mostly just trying to stay warm) and we didn't stop and play anywhere. We stoped for a long leisurly lunch and had a very nice fire. We made record time down the river that day. You shuda seen the look on Dave's face when we walked into the shop at 4:00 pm.

I am totaly enjoying my summer here at Otter Rafting though I was told today my days guiding on the river this summer are getting numbered. So if any of you know of any jobs coming up that would suit me I seem to be in the market for one yet again. Could you please e-mail me @ devon2009@live.ca thanx in advance

Remember you gotta keep it wet to keep it happy

your rafting guide friend
Devon

Yet Another Day On / In The Water With Devon

Wow its July 24 th and i have fallen way behind on writing this Blogspot I have created. My sincerest appologies to any followers i may have picked up. It has been crazy bizy here at Otter Rafting! Since July 10th i have logged 10 more trips guiding people down the Red Deer River. i also did two trips on the Lower Red Deer River in an inflatable Kayiak!
The water at one time rose too 75 mps and has setteled down too a comfortable 35 - 45 mps. ( great for surfing and playing in the waves )

As I am glancing through my Logbook searching for insperation I find myself smiling at some of the memories that come back too me as I read some of the comments I've made.eg:
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a lady out of my raft as i went over
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a Grandmother while surfing
"pay attention @ Diagnle" - I lost a teenage girl as i went over

(Yes folks I hate too admit it but I went three for three dumping people at Diagnle ledge! :-^( )

then there was eg:
"great day, sooo good too have higher water but I can't believe I lost the waterproof digital camera!"

"had a blast! those CSS kids were so much fun too float with! I scared the crap outa myself wen one was stuck under the boat for about 15 seconds though!" (but he came up smiling!)

" had 2 RCMP Officers on board today was a great day!" (Brayden and I can both testify that without a doubt pigs truley can swim!!! lmao We have pictures of Brayden dumping two of them into the water over Bigrock. Iv'e never seen such big eyeballs as wen he threw into the dirty hole sideways! I dont know how he kept her on her wheels! He shure had some paranoid cops on board for the rest of that ride! He said " they looked very nervous and kept looking over their sholders for the rest of the ride". I still find myself chuckling about it!

"Awsum day! Bucket Boats are great!"( I finaly got too take one out. A Bucket Boat is a raft that has a solid bottom & you( the costomer) have too bail out water but they are lighter and faster on the water! They make for a more exciting ride. )

"It was cool watching Sam run the oar rig!" (An oar rig is when we strap a metal frame with Oars on it on the raft, One person can run this rig and is a force too be reconed with! Sam kidnaped two young kids out of my boat and they went on a water fighting rampage! After lunch we asked if they wanted too come back with their family and myself on my rig but they wanted nothing too do with that!)


unofficial post "Went down the Lower Red both the 20th and 21st in an inflatable kayiak, 20th was with Paul, 21st was with Paul Sam and Spencer. Learned lots on how to surf & play in the waves. Was in great company" (It was truley an amazing thing watching these guys go. You know smeone is good when you watch them surf in a canoe)

"Had yet another great day! All the Practice surfing in the Kayiaks shure helped my rafting!"

So as you can see i have been extreamly bizy here, some of my more fonder memories were taking a boat with 6 grandparents aboard. They were as great as kids to take down the river ( and often acted like them lol). The ladies all gave me a big hug after we were done and quite a handsome tip I might add!
I also truley enjoyed taking the CSS kids down! They all lived in a group home together, and this was their "outdoor time". A fantastic group of kids. I think I also collected about 3 hugs there.
I have also taken a few groups of familys down one really scared me when on a high water day I went into my usual speal : " is there anyone who is ofended be coarse language" and they all said yes. After we went over Diagnle Ledge( this time without incident lol) and I looked back and exclaimed HOLY... the father interupted me with a very positive "nice save Devon!"
As you can read the fun and adventure just isn't stoping here! We have another group of about 25 too take down the River tomorow with the possibility af a couple of amasing canoeists comming with. Then on Sun. Sam is taking the oar rig down again.
Soooo till next time remember stay fun and keep it wet!!! Devon

Another Day On / In The Water With Devon

Well tues July 7 was another georgious day guiding on the Red Deer River. Recent rains had almost trippled the water flow. It is amazing @ how much the color of the water changes. It went from the clear glacier blue we have seen most of the summer so far, to an almost chocolate milk color. As the river rises it picks up sediments which change the color.
I was lucky enough too have another fantastic group to take down the river consisting of 6 adults and two great kids. Its unbelievable how much harder it is to steer and control the raft when ther are 8 customers and myself onboard. ( funny how it always seems to be my end of the raft that gets hung up on the shallow rocks first lol, mabey i gotta slow down the building of my molsen muscle huh! lmao)
I managed to dump 3 people outa the boat ( including myself :-^P) but also managed to keep both of the kids in! Although it was with a leg lock that i kept Oksana in once!
Our adventuris group consisted of two brothers Evan & Jimmy, a couple- Brenda & Steve, and a family Carrie & Gene their son Michel and his bff { watever that is (lol)} Oksana. I always like having kids in my raft. They are always so entertaining and their amasement and wonder @ all the magical things we see on the river keeps me in touch with why i love this job so much. I'm almost sorry to say i taught the kids how too use my old D.J.ing trick of yelling SOMEBODY SCREAM! too liven up a crowd. ( i think most of us adults are suffering from some mild hearing losses today!lol It always seems so cool to me @ how fast the kids learn too read the river. All i ever seem 2 have too do is give a couple of tugs on the back of their pfd's during the bigining of the trip when i see obstacles comming up then the next thing u no they are seeing them themselves and are already leaning in when i go too take care of them.
Gene and i managed too get dumped out as we grazed this big rock then planted too a sudden stop in the hole behind it. Then i managed to dump Brenda in another hole we call eddie turn. It always amazes me @ how the raft can be crusing down the river @ a good clip then wen you hit an eddie its like someone planted on the brakes full boar. I kept trying too dump Carrie but she was way too crafty for me, she spent a lot of time on her knees in the bottom of the boat. The kids wanted to try and throw her in but it never happened. As for Evan and Jimmy well they wer my bowsman and the only thing i cud loose from those two young lads was Evan's shoe's! lol i told him not to wear those "river shoes" lmao. Jimmy seemed to be the more stable one of our bunch i think he pulled everyone of us that got dumped out back in. (thanx bud sorry again for dumping Brenda out @ eddie turn or not lol)
Well that brings me too the end of yet another blog hope u enjoyed it i look forward too your comments. remember if its not wet its not worth it lol ;-)

A Day On / In The Water With Devon

We had an awsum weekend here @ Otter Rafting Adventures!
On fri. i took a group of 5 down the river, consisting of 3 school teachers 1 nurse @ another lady that wrked in a potash mine in sask. I also had the pleasure of having my Dad join us for the day. ( guess who instigated most of the water fights) Like father like son i guess! lol
We found an incredible spot and enjoyed an intimate shore lunch ( a very nice change from our usual great buffet).
We were late off the water which seems to be becoming a habit ( playing too hard i guess). I always try and go by that old saying; work hard / play harder and playing hard seems too be wat we do best!
On sat. i took a rather rowdy family group (of guys) down the river. I'm shure come Sunday there r going too be a few aches and pains amongst those boys! They did a lot of swimming ( mostly from Gunner tackling and pushing them in ). I spent most of the day laughing my butt off! And it was the first time i didn't have too help carry the raft up the hill @ the end of the day!
That was a very nice treat i might add!! Thanx guys you rock!
Jer brought out his better half sat. an incredible lady i might add ( dont know how he lucked out there?! lol Jer just kidden) She brought her friend from Ontario. (a pretty cool chick for being one of them easterner types lmao).
We all enjoyed a couple of sociables @ the end of the day with Kirk ( a former Kicking Horse rafting guide) an awsum and very entertaining guy!
Thats one thing, i am shure meeting some interesting and very cool people this summer.
We didn't have any bookings for Sun. so i spent most of the day putting gear away, drying things out, cleaning up and making shure we are ready too go again on Tues.
With the water conditions being somewat low, some of our more experienced guides have started taking the lighter " bucket boats " out. They are the " sports cars of rafting." It was great watching Jer surf and play with his. Though i almost felt sorry for his group watching them have to bail and bail afterwords. I guess that falls into the working hard part hey?
Like i said it was an incredible weekend and i hope too have and be able too report on many many more before summer is over! I just have too stop cannonbaling onto shallow rocks in order too make it through the summer! (right Ames?) lol gotta have fun.
Ifn u aren't rafting with us this summer then you OTTER be!! lol take er cool folks! Till next time---Devon