Down at bottom of the canyon, the Arkansas River is its own life force, busy with activity and sound.
Water was crashing on boulders of more than 6 feet tall, waves were splashing like Niagara and Bighorn Sheep were roaming the banks.
It was a beautiful sight all right, but I didn’t spend 14 hours in the car the day before to sightsee. I came to raft.
And raft I did - in a wet suit and splashguards, no less. With an air/water temperature of 72/68, the extra gear was advised and appreciated.
Daddy and I managed to stay in our seats during the 22-mile Class IV/V ride. Mama, on the other hand, went airborne at the end of the third hour when the boat smashed into a rock.
She made a 360 degree top-to-bottom body spin before landing 10 feet downstream.
Besides gripping the raft’s chicken rope (an attached safety line for scared children and panicked adults), all I could do was watch Mama and her yellow helmet bob in the river like a fishing cork.
The guide, David Bonogofsky, was as calm as a TV newscaster while he steered our boat toward Mama. Even though his gaze was fixed on the capsized raft ahead of ours, his paddle commands came clear and steady: “Forward two.”
Daddy swung his oar at Bonogofsky’s instruction but couldn’t do much else besides say, “Oooh. Oh. Gosh. Oooh.”
“James, get Lizanne in the boat,” Bonogofsky said.
Daddy didn’t move. He just looked at my out-of-breath mother. She was close to the boat now, within clinging distance.
“Now, James,” Bonogofsky said. “Get her in the boat, now.”
Seeming to remember the morning’s swimmer-rescue presentation, Daddy’s hands gripped the top of Mama’s lifejacket and hoisted her to safety.
Mama’s “rescue” took a total of two minutes. It cost her one scrape and three bruises, but once she regained her breath, she said, “Let’s do it again. What a ride!”
***
Water adventurists expect bumps, tumults and flips when they set out to tackle the Arkansas River, a body of water that constantly changes in depth and force.
“The rapids are different every time you go out,” said Ben Barry, a guide in his eighth summer on the Arkansas. “It’s what makes the ride so fantastic.”
And it’s what makes adventure seekers flock to the Gorge each year. And it’s what’s making the Arkansas River the place to be this summer.
“Now’s the time - if you’ve always wanted to come out and try it,” said Bonogofsky, a senior Raft Masters guide with 15 years of experience. “Rafters are getting the ride of their lifetime.”
Water levels are at the highest they’ve been in 13 years. It’s flowing between 3,800 cfs and 4,200 cfs, more than twice the average flow of 1,200-1,800 cfs.
“CFS is cubic feet per second,” Bonogofsky explained. “A cubic foot is equivalent to about 8 gallons. If I threw a rope across the river, 4,000 cubic feet of water would pass by my rope every second.”
The high water levels are making the river, and raft trips, faster.
“At 4,000 cfs, our regular summer trips are taking half the time it would at the usual 1,600 cfs,” Bonogofsky said.
The last time the Arkansas River reached a flow of 4,000 cfs was in 1995, according to Dennis Wied, president of the Arkansas River Outfitters Association.
And before that, records from the Arkansas River Authority say it only happened seven times since 1946.
“So yeah, as river guides, we are excited and thrilled to be out here for this,” said Wied, the owner of Raft Masters - one of several outfits that offer day and overnight trips down the Arkansas River.
Bonogofsky nodded his head.
“I’ve been down the Arkansas hundreds and hundreds of times,” Bonogofsky said. “But what’s happening now are water conditions I’ve not seen, so I’m hooting and hollering just as much as the people in my boat. The sense of adventure is overwhelming.”
But so is the need for caution.
“Getting flung out of the boat is common when the water is regular,” Bonogofsky said. “So it’s definitely not a surprise now. And boats flipping, that’s gonna happen. You’ve got to be prepared to be surprised and not panic. The best thing you can do for yourself in any dangerous situation is not to freak out.”
He should know. When Bonogofsky isn’t rafting Class IV and V rapids, he works with the Cañon City Search and Rescue Department, helping hurt people in the river and on its shores.
“All kinds of people end up in the river,” Bonogofsky said. “There are car accidents. People fall in the river. People try to commit suicide by jumping off bridges. And sometimes, there’s do-it-yourselfers who try to float down the river not knowing what they’re doing.”
So far this year, Colorado State Parks reports a total of six rafting-related deaths on the Arkansas River. Five took place on commercial trips; one occurred on a private venture.
On July 2, Bonogofsky had to coordinate a raft evacuation while on duty with Raft Masters.
“I had a guy fall off my raft in notoriously bony swim. He got all beat up,” Bonogofsky said. “Had to evacuate him. He survived it with a smile, though. He was a very good sport”
Evacuation methods depend on where the rafter gets hurt. If the accident site is near the highway, then they can be transported via a car. But if the injury occurs within the Royal Gorge Canyon, then the patient must be loaded on a train at the Gorge’s Incline Railway and transferred to a vehicle at the top.
Just FYI, the train isn’t there solely for water rescue purposes. Trips on the Incline Railway are available with admission to the Royal Gorge Park, which is where the Royal Gorge Bridge - world’s highest suspension bridge - is accessible to foot traffic.
***
My mother has healed nicely since her unplanned June 22 swim in the Arkansas River.
“Hey, I paid for the privilege to be knocked out of the boat,” she said, grinning. “I’d do it again.”
She might at that. The adventure junky is leaving soon for another four-day rafting trip in Colorado.
As for me, I’m content to stay a one-time rafter of the Arkansas River at 4,000 cfs. My knuckles are still sore from gripping at my paddle, and my ankles ache from the relentless pull of the raft’s anchor holds.
But I am pleased with my accomplishment. I exhibited physical prowess I did not know I possessed. I saw wildlife. I survived the Arkansas River at a time it’s making history.
The experts predict that the rare high water levels will last through September.
--tlunsford@temple-telegram.com
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A Guide to Rapid Strength
Class I: Calm water
Class II: Waves in water created by riverbed. No real obstacles. Boat floats unhindered by rocks and boulders.
Class III: Defined rapids. There is an entrance move, some technical maneuvers and an exit move. The rapids require knowledge of water path. Self-guided trips are possible.
Class IV: Challenging rapids. These rapids have big waves that are capable of upsetting a boat. Rocks, boulders and canyon constrictions intensify the rapids. Skilled boatmen are needed to navigate these waters. Children under 12 should avoid Class IV.
Class V: Rapids with high danger levels. These are long stretches of continuous whitewater or waterfalls. These rapids should be attempted with experts and only under proper safety conditions. Children under 12 should avoid Class V.
Class VI: These stretches of whitewater are non-navigable. Death is certain. Niagara Falls is an example of a Class VI rapid.
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Rafting companies
-- Raft Masters, 2315 E. Main St., Cañon City, CO 81212. Trips down the Arkansas River run in stretches of 9 to 21 miles, meeting Class II/V rapids. Prices for one-day trips range from $46-110 per person. Call 800-568-7238 or visit www.raftmasters.com.
-- Canyon Marine Whitewater Rafting, 10015 W. Highway 50, Poncha Springs, CO 81242. Prices for half and full-day trips range from $35-$100 per person. Call 800-539-4447 or visit www.canyonmarine.com.
-- Arkansas River Tours, P.O. Box 337 Cotopaxi, CO 81223. Half-day Royal Gorge rafting trip is $58 per person, and full-day trip is $96. Participants should be at least 15. Rapids will be in Class IV/V. Call 800-321-4352 or visit www.arkansasrivertours.com.
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While you’re there...
-- Cañon City, Colo., offers a lot more than just rafting. Not only is it the home of the world’s highest suspension bridge, but it’s also a mountain town full of lore and history. From dinosaur footprints to ghost stories, the town has something for everyone.
-- Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, 4218 County Road 3A, Cañon City, CO 81212. Sites include the Royal Gorge Bridge, the world’s highest suspension bridge, a petting zoo, a wildlife park and the incline railway that travels to the bottom of the canyon. Call 888-333-5597 or visit www.royalgorgebridge.com.
-- Colorado Museum of Prisons, 201 N. First St., Cañon City, CO 81212. Museum is housed in a former State of Colorado women’s prison, located adjacent to a working correctional facility. Exhibits include a gas chamber, the hangman’s noose and 30 cells that display different aspects of prison life. Ghost tours of historic downtown Cañon City are offered in the summer. Call 719-269-3015 or visit www.prisonmuseum.org.
-- Dinosaur Depot Museum, 330 Royal Gorge Blvd., Cañon City, CO 81212. Located in a historic firehouse, the Dinosaur Depot Museum houses dinosaur fossils from the Garden Park Fossil Area, which has produced world-class fossils since 1887. The museum features an active laboratory where visitors can view the preparation of fossils and learn about the 120-year local history of dinosaur excavation. Call 719-269-7150 or visit www.dinosaurdepot.com.
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Along the way...
-- If you choose to make it a road trip, there are several sites that provide good rest areas and photo opportunities.
-- Volkswagen Bug Ranch in Conway, about 15 miles east of Amarillo, on the southwest corner of Exit 96 and Interstate 40. Five Volkswagen Beetles are buried nose-down in the ground, not unlike the more famous Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. Covered in graffiti, the Beetles are perched alongside Old Route 66.
-- East of Amarillo, the Groom Cross is located between Interstate 40 and old Route 66 going west out of Groom. Rising 190 feet into the air, it is the second-largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. Recent additions to grounds include a memorial to the victims of abortion and replicas of the Calvary and Christ's tomb. The exhibit’s Stations of the Cross feature life-sized sculptures of the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion.
