One dream I made come true this summer was rafting down the Bow River, something I’d never done despite living in Calgary for 30 years. It seems like something one just does and rafters floating down the Bow are a common summer sight.
Unfortunately, I've never been lucky enough to live close to the river, so getting there is a challenge. There are raft rentals in Northwest Calgary, but I also couldn’t round up friends or my husband to go with me. Hubs went rafting enough times as a youngster and didn’t want to do it again.
I found a company called RiverWatch who does educational rafting tours in Calgary and Edmonton, and sometimes they have special events such as a Feast and Float, where you arrive at a dinner :D
Given the cost of rentals and logistics, $49 for a raft ride was a no-brainer to me. However, I still couldn’t round anyone up to go because price was a barrier. Fair enough! Instead of waiting another year, I booked the trip and just went!
All I had to do was get myself down to the Fish Creek Provincial Park boat launch. RiverWatch handles the rest, shuttling the group to a boat launch near Heritage Drive. You float down the river until you end up where you arrived. Pretty smart. I ended up taking a cab from downtown to Fish Creek PP and fortunately my driver was delightful and knew exactly where I wanted to go.
Considering I was caught in the rain the previous day birdwatching, I was prepared for anything, including bringing a long-sleeved jacket and rubber boots. The morning was beautiful and I hoped it stayed that way!
At first I was nervous getting into the boat—we saw on the edges instead of inside, but after a while I felt confident I wasn’t going to fall overboard and we paddled here and there.
Rafting really gets you close to nature--we saw so many birds, such as a belted kingfisher, cormorants, ducks, Canada geese, swallows and a bank swallow colony. The weather was sunny at times and cool and misty at other times, a reminder of how quickly conditions change in the Foothills. My camera and binoculars stayed at home because I didn't know if I'd be able to use them. Even my phone stayed in a baggie just in case! It was so, so peaceful and lately I’ve felt nature has been missing a lot in my life. It was really good to reconnect with that part of myself.
The folks on my boat were really fun compared to the other boat that had a large, noisy family. We stopped around noon and hiked into a picnic area that had real washrooms, LOL.
I ate lunch with an older couple who kindly gave me a ride to the train station at the end of the journey. I really didn't want the float to end because it was so relaxing. However, my body complained the next day about sitting too long and paddling too much, so a four hour float ride was just the perfect amount of time in hindsight!
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