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Living the Hypalon
life often includes
long hours, low pay, cracking skin and the
ability to withstand the stench of
unwashed, waterlogged Polypro for days
on end. Durango’s local river guiding
community is no different, but prizes river
miles over Ben Franklins. The early mornings
and the late nights are filled with
chores including inflating and stacking
rafts, rigging boats, endless shuttle rides
and the never-ending safety talks. But
when the Animas peaks four different
times in the same season, the canyon
winds always seem to blow downstream
and your clients always paddle through
the meat, there’s nothing better than
being on the river.
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Charlotte Klein,
front right, takes in a precautionary deep breath
before getting a
tasty sample of Smelter Rapid during a high-water
ride with Mountain Waters.
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| The thrill of whitewater
and the call of the river bring in clients
from across the country, who are the life-blood of
the river
guide.
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| Karen Carver, of
Flexible Flyers, navigates the birthday party crew
underneath the railroad bridge
near Rotary Park on Sunday morning.
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Kjirsten Flanders,
11, buckles up for a birthday
party raft trip with Flexible Flyers at
the 32nd St. put-in.
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| Mike Loughran,
lower left, from Milwaukee applies a thick layer
of sunscreen
for his second consecutive day on the river as he
take the Outlaw
Tours bus to the put-in.
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Karen Carver gets her knees into it as she tops
off the
boats in the morning sun at the 32nd Street put-in.
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From left, Mike MacFarlane, Meghan Scully, Mark
Tucker, and Matt Saffer, all
of Outlaw Tours, prepare to unload boats for a
full trip Monday afternoon.
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