Lessons Learned From Expedition Rafting
Imagine yourself on a sandy beach. The sun is dipping below a crimson wall thousands of feet above, and there is a cool evening breeze that makes the driftwood fire crackle and pop enthusiastically. The river swirls in lazy circles in the eddy next to your camp, and you’ve had the entire sun-soaked afternoon to wander its shores and find patterns in the chaos of its currents. In the kitchen, a feast is being prepared on the four-burner stove - it’s taco night, and the cooks are busy preparing the variety of fillings and sides in their open air galley. Earlier that day, your group hiked to an expansive wall of petroglyphs dating back to 900 AD, accessible only from the river. You ran several exhilarating rapids, relishing their splashes, swam in the cool river, ate lunch in a stunning side canyon, and relaxed on the water, listening to music and sipping cold beverages. This is a glimpse of the daily routine of a multi-day river trip - the ultimate backcountry experience. There are no other outdoor activities that grant you the same incredible access to remote wilderness with almost all of the comforts of home. On an expedition like this, the river does the heavy lifting, and you are there simply to take it all in.
In order to successfully embark upon such a journey, there are certain preparations you must undertake before the trip, and safety considerations to follow throughout. Before a multi-day river trip begins, be sure you have a competent group of boaters who will be able to captain their own boats safely and efficiently. Ask around among your group members to compile a list of who has what gear, and acquire whatever else you might need. When it comes to rescue gear, it is always better to be over-prepared. Bring along several first aid and pin kits to spread out among different boats in case different members of the group get separated during an emergency situation. Have a GPS/Spot device in waterproof storage and be sure that everyone in the group knows its location and how to use it. Walkie-talkie radios are incredibly helpful communication tools as well. As your group gathers on the first day to launch on your voyage, be sure to go over river signals, whistle blasts, and safety procedures to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Designate a medical lead to follow in the instance of injury on the river as well as a rescue lead to take charge in case something goes awry while rafting. These are easily discussed assignations that can make all of the difference if disaster occurs.
More often than not, you will have extra space on boats during a multi-day trip. You can’t bring absolutely anything you want, but you will be able to prepare for the highs and lows of rafting. Bring those extra layers, and your spare headlamp, and that book you might read, because you never know what you or someone else might end up needing along the way. Your group on the river is like a family, and you should be ready to share what you can and be ready to make compromises and sacrifices. Good expedition behavior is essential for an enjoyable and responsible excursion. Sometimes, you might have to place the needs of the group before your own needs. Because of the importance of a cohesive group dynamic, communication must be highly prioritized among group members. Be sure that everyone is always on the same page and that everyone has the chance to voice their approval or their concern - every opinion can bring valuable perspective to the situation at hand. Also be sure to hold one another accountable for your actions. A multi-day river trip is not the place to throw caution to the wind - if anything it is a time to be more careful than on a casual day trip because the consequences are much higher. Rescue situations are infinitely riskier when the likelihood of a same-day evacuation becomes nigh impossible.
In order to be of value to the group in an emergency situation, you should be practiced and well-acquainted with the gear on your boat and on your person. Regarding your PFD, you will want your whistle accessible, tethered to a shoulder strap and easy to sound without having to fumble with zippers. Also attached to outer fastenings should be your carabiners used to secure your boat at night, connect boats to one another, and create Z-drags. Within the chest pocket of your PFD you can keep practical personal items such as sunscreen and lip balm, extra sunglasses, croakies, a waterproof notebook with river and WFR notes, and a flip line. If you can also somehow manage to store prusik cord and two pulleys in your PFD, you will be able to enhance the mechanical advantage of the Z-drag systems you create. A convenient standard to follow when selecting gear for your PFD is the 4-3-2-1 system - four carabiners, three prusik cords, two pulleys, and one piece of webbing or a flip line. With these pieces of gear you can build a simple and adaptable 3:1 mechanical advantage system to aid with almost any boat pin or flip, and you can conveniently complete a myriad of other more basic tasks. If you can manage, it is also a courtesy to try and pick up any small bits of trash you find on hikes or on beaches, easy to discard once at camp or the ramp. Micro trash is a macro problem!
Preparedness will not take you far without proper training. All of your gear will serve little use if you do not know how to use it. Before embarking on any multi-day river trip, it would be wise to partake in a Swiftwater Rescue course. The three day learning experience will be paramount in expanding your rescue abilities and boosting your confidence on the water. You will also make yourself an advantageous asset to have along on river trips, as others will trust you to have their backs on the water. The best way to get invited on multi-day expeditions is to be prepared and be responsible - a safe and competent boater is an invaluable addition to any excursion. This does not mean you shouldn’t be able to have fun on the river, but that you know when to enjoy yourself and let loose, and when to take things seriously and focus. A swiftwater-trained boater can have it all!
On a multi-day expedition, there are certain swift water skills you will use more than others. Tying knots may seem like a basic skill to focus on, but the last thing you want to happen on a trip is to wake up to a loose rope and a missing boat. Practice your bowline, clove hitch, figure eight and prussik knots to have a wide variety of options when it comes to fastening your boat safely for the evening. Another essential exercise covered in swiftwater courses is scouting a rapid. There will be days on longer expeditions that you must scout several rapids throughout the day, sometimes spending up to an hour at one rapid alone as the group discusses every option available and allows one part of the group to go first so the second part can set safety. You will want to be a useful participant in the scouting discourse to help novice or nervous boaters find their line with confidence. Swiftwater courses inherently train you to read the river and identify dangerous obstacles, giving you indispensable insight to the scouting process. You should also be well-equipped with a contingency plan if something were to go wrong during a rapid - lessons that are often discussed in swiftwater training. Swimmers are not uncommon on multi-day trips, and being able to handle a throw-bag with confidence can make the difference between a huge, nasty swim, and a short, relatively easy swim. As you embark on more multi-day river expeditions, you will encounter more emergency situations, and you will be ready for any and all challenges once you are swiftwater-trained.