A whitewater rafting trip can be both thrilling and challenging. Participation requires an appropriate mind set.
Please consider carefully any medical or health condition that would endanger yourself, or others on the trip, or diminish the enjoyment of an adventure vacation such as this. Factors of age, weight, lack of conditioning, heart or other disease can become exacerbated by the environment, remote distances from a hospital, and physical challenges of a rafting adventure. It is critical that you are in reasonable good health and physical fitness at the time of departure so that the staff can focus their attention equally on all trip participants. If you are taking any medications, we should be made aware of these and what these medications are treating. If you have any questions or concerns please talk with us and we can help you consider your options.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- The maximum weight allowance with the required life vests is 250 lbs. Allowances may be made on an individual basis for those who exceed this weight to raft to the Pacuare Lodge. Ground transportation will be provided to depart from the Pacuare Lodge for those over the maximum weight.
- Each guest wears a lifejacket and they are very effective at keeping you above water, but if you are unable to swim, it can still be a threatening situation because the waters are turbulent.
- Securely grip ropes provided for handholds while running the rapids.
- Gripping the ropes on the raft is the only way to ensure you stay on board. Factors such as where you sit in the raft in relation to where the waves crash can be a factor, but whitewater rafting can give an unpredictable ride.
- Falling off a boat into the river, or having your boat capsize is one of the inherent risks associated with whitewater rafting. If this happens, you will need the ability to self-rescue by swimming to the boat or to shore. If you end up on shore, you will need to traverse a rocky shoreline to rejoin the boat which cannot maneuver upstream.
- Getting on and off the boats can be very challenging. Boats may be parked against a variety of terrain such as rocks, steep sandy beaches, and flat locations. The boat is sometimes moving up and down and side to side when tied up in faster current. Boats may also be slippery and they have uneven surfaces. The front of the raft is turned up allowing it to climb waves. It is necessary to park the rafts with the front against the shore, which makes a taller barrier to climb over when boarding or deboarding the raft.
- As you travel down river, there may be occasional stops that lead to side hikes which can be either very short and relatively easy, or much longer, covering significant distances and elevation. You may hike over uneven, slippery, moss covered, rocky, and often steep surfaces. Though all the hikes are not mandatory, when the rafts are tied up in swift current, all guests must get off the rafts and move up the shore a distance. Guests cannot be left on the rafts due to safety concerns. Reasonable mobility is important. If you have questions about your limitations, please call.
- A river trip is a participatory experience and requires each guest to be reasonably self-sufficient. The guides will look after the safety and welfare of all the participants on the trip, but you are also responsible for your own safety! Your guides will provide you with the information and tools you need to participate; however, they already fill nearly every minute of their day performing their duties on behalf of the group. They will not be able to devote a lot of extra time to any one individual on the trip.
WEATHER:
- REMOTE LOCATIONS:These trips do include travel to remote areas. At any given time, you may be a minimum of several hours away from medical help. Your guides at the Pacuare Lodge are highly experienced, certified in first aid, CPR and swift-water rescue training. Many have additional certifications such as wilderness first aid and wilderness first responder. However, sometimes injuries or the aggravation of pre-existing medical conditions are severe enough to require evacuation from the trip.
You need to be comfortable floating in water while wearing a lifejacket and you need the ability to propel yourself through the water to assist in your own rescue should you fall out of the raft. Falling off the boat into the river, or having your boat capsize is one of the inherent risks associated with whitewater rafting. If this happens, you will need the ability to self-rescue by swimming to the boat or to shore.
Each guest wears a lifejacket and the lifejackets, if worn properly, are very effective at keeping you above water, but if you are unable to swim, it can still be a threatening situation because the waters are turbulent.
We don’t want to be overly discouraging, but it is important for your safety and comfort that we be forthcoming about the specific challenges presented on a river trip. It is also vitally important that you disclose any and all physical, emotional, and mental conditions, limitations, or challenges you or your children may have. Likewise, it is important to be completely honest about the age and weight of children. Undisclosed medical or physical conditions might affect the safety and well-being of you and/or other participants on the trip. It is critical that you share this information with us in advance so that we can help keep you safe.
We cannot absolutely guarantee your safety, or the suitability of a trip like this for you. For a participant who is not capable of meeting these criteria, a river trip, particularly a multi-day trip, can be unpleasant, dangerous, or even fatal. For those who meet these criteria, these trips are often the best experiences of their lives. The difference is in determining your suitability for a trip, then selecting the right trip for you, and arriving physically and mentally prepared to actively and joyfully participate in the experience.
We encourage you to carefully evaluate your overall physical, mental, and emotional condition in relation to these environmental challenges. If you have concerns or questions about your physical condition, we recommend you also consult your physician. If you have questions about the specific parameters of a rafting trip with Western River Expeditions, please contact our office at 1-800-453-7450 or 801-942-6669. We would be happy to provide any other information you need to make this decision, or to discuss any of this information in detail.