Whitewater Rafting
Arkansas River
Canon City, Colorado
On the first Saturday after classes started for the fall 2004 semester, around 50 new students—both freshmen and transfers—took part in the annual Best of Colorado White Water Rafting Trip. We got an early start on our trip to the River Runners headquarters located near Canon City in the central part of the state.
We started our rafting adventure west of the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. Each raft had four students plus a guide to make sure everything went okay. The water levels weren’t too high, so for the first part of the trip the rapids were pretty mild. The students got a chance to meet and interact with one another as they floated through the calm parts of the river. Part way through the trip, as we crossed under the Royal Gorge bridge, we were greeted with smiles and waves from tourists along the gorge. Shortly afterwards we pulled the rafts to the side of the river to do a little “rock jumping.” We had to brave the cold river and swim to the opposite shore, scramble up the rocks and reach the top of a 15-20 foot cliff perched on the edge of the river. One by one, we walked, ran, or jumped off the rock into the river below. It was great! Nearly everybody jumped at least once. After a brief rest, we were on our way again.
Throughout the day students faced challenges that they had to join together to overcome. At one point my raft had water up to our waists. Everyone had to listen to the guide in order to get us back on top of the river.
We ended the day with a tan and lots of new friends. I had a great time interacting with the new students, learning about their backgrounds and why they were at CCU. Everyone seemed to have a great time. It was a great way to start the new school year.
~Megan Cullen
