Last month my department participated in a team-building experience. After deciding on whitewater rafting on the Poudre River by Fort Collins, Colorado, we chose Mountain Whitewater Descents to guide our team down the river.
We set off on our rafting adventure. In the beginning we had some trouble coordinating our paddling in a
way that was somewhat productive, but by the end, we were paddling like a finely tuned whitewater rafting machine. Over the course of the trip down the river, we struggled with which way to paddle in order to turn left, found out that Joe was excellent at getting the raft unstuck, and learned that Even is unbelievably accurate with a water gun. Before I knew it, the trip was over. I had managed to stay in the raft the entire time and didn’t have to recall the safety instructions I had been so concerned about.
Earlier that day we had gathered with the other groups going on the excursion for a quick lesson on the basics of rafting and safety. The lesson included how to hold the paddle and the meanings of different commands, and it all seemed simple enough. The part that concerned me was the portion about what NOT to do if you fell in the water. The instructor made it clear that, no matter what you do, do not try to stand up if you fall out of your raft. Instead, put your feet out in front of you, relax, and rely on your raft-mates to help you get back into the raft. I just hoped that if I somehow ended up in the rushing water, I would have the clarity of mind to remember those instructions.
After the lesson we outfitted ourselves in ultra-stylish, bright yellow helmets and already wet life vests and piled onto the bus that would take us up to our launch point. When we arrived, about half of the people on the bus (including myself) got out to help unload the rafts from the trailer behind the bus. In my mind I had pictured the rafts being similar to the flimsy ones available at bargain department stores; but much to my relief, the rafts were quite heavy and required four people to carry each one. It would be much more difficult for the rapids to flip such a substantial raft, right?
Our team had worked together to accomplish our goal of getting down the river and had so much fun achieving that goal. Overall, my first experience rafting was an extremely positive one and I am so happy that I got to share that experience with the awesome people I work with.