# 3 White water rafting

White water rafting is something on my bucket list that I have had the opportunity of completing more than once (4 times to be exact). Each time was a very different experience and a lot of fun. The first year I did it was maybe the most memorable because it was the first time I was white water rafting and everything was a surprise (this also happened to be the same year that I went bungee jumping).

The following photos are group shots of each year that I went white water rafting. Except, however, for the 2^nd year, where we spent most of our time partying and almost getting evicted from the ranch house we rented. I assume they don’t like it when people try riding their donkeys and take their antique carriages out for a spin… needless to say, we never got around to taking group photos.

This was year 2
 A few hours later I woke up to him peeing on my buddies pillow!

 

Year 1

Year 2
This sign was hanging at the end of our gravel driveway leading to the barn.

Year 3

Year 4

The third year that I went we experienced, by far, the best white water I have ever rafted on. One of the rapids we hit was through the main channel of the river called “The Bus Eater”, and it was pretty insane! Here are some pictures of us hitting this wall of water head on. I am in the second row, on the right side.

White water rafting is something that I will definitely do again. However, I would love to do it somewhere that is a tad more risky and heart pounding. Zambezi river anyone?

For more information on white water rafting in Ottawa please visit Wilderness Tours or check out National Geographic’s top 10 white water rafting destinations.

#3 White water rafting

#2 Bungee Jumping

So unfortunately this week I was unable to complete something from my list. I had an idea that I pretty much “chickened” out of doing, and so I ran out of time (this will make more sense after reading next weeks post). So for this week I am posting about a bucket list item I did in the past that was an exhilarating experience!

This was a weekend that will be hard to forget. It was my first real road trip and we were headed off to Ottawa River. We succeeded in going white water rafting and drinking lots of wobbly pops but we had another idea in mind as well. The other plan we were playing around with was bungee jumping.  And so July 29^th 2005 eventually became the day that either gravity would send me to the hospital or a big rubber band attached to my ankles would stop me before that point and send me soaring back up in the sky

I remember it being the Friday of a long weekend that we arrived and everyone was slowly starting to pour into the resort. A bunch of us were standing around watching this girl attempt her first ever bungee jump. At this point we were still trying to decide if we were going to jump or not. The bungee operator at the top of the tower told the girl that he was going to count down from 3 and then she would jump. “3-2-1…” she didn’t budge. So he yelled it louder so that more people would flock over and cheer her on. “3-2-1…” still nothing. This girl was absolutely freaking out but unfortunately there are only two ways down. Either you climb down 150ft crane or you jump. There is no elevator option! Finally after about 6 attempts and a bunch of us yelling at her to jump, she finally went. The scary part that had me holding my breath was that she decided she would jump feet first. I anticipated the whiplash that happened as her head swung down below her feet at the bottom… However, I didn’t expect her body to look like such a rag doll through the air. After watching that, we were all trying to talk each other into jumping… in the end I think 10 out of the 12 of us did it!

A view from the river

In order for us to complete the bungee jump there was a ton of paperwork to fill out and typical safety procedures to follow. Then came time to climb the tower. The tower was a 150ft crane positioned over the river and I was climbing it with nothing attached to me!  I was climbing that tower one white knuckle-clenching fist at a time. At one point I made the mistake of looking down and every next step after that felt much more intense. At one point I thought to myself, “I’ve got to be there by now, if I fall, I’m doomed” but I looked up and realized I was only half way. Going up the last section of the crane I had to weasel around some ladders which was very tricky. I remember thinking to myself “I’m 140ft up in the air, still not attached to anything, shouldn’t this be the easiest part”? When I finally reached the top of the crane the look on my face must have been priceless! When it was my turn to go, I had to walk to the end of the crane to meet the guys who would fix me up with the harness and bungee cord. The walk over was just as intense as the climb. It was a good 150ft and I was holding onto the sides of the railings as the crane slowly swayed back and forth. By the time I had finally made it to the end I had committed myself to jumping because there was no way I would be climbing back down that tower. I felt safer hurling my body towards the water with a bungee cord attached to me! After some quick small talk from the guys and some last minute adjustments, it was time to jump. All I could think about was how that girl couldn’t go on her 3 count and I didn’t want to do the same thing. The last thing I remember is the guy pointing out to an old dock and saying something like “jump out and try and land on it”. He announced my name, and then screamed “3-2-1!” Before I knew it my hands and face had hit the water and I was being sprung up again. This continued a few times until a boat arrived below me waiting to bring me down. The adrenaline was just pumping through me. As I got into the boat and drove away I couldn’t help but think “AGAIN! AGAIN!”

Yaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

Click here for more information on Wilderness Tours Adventures

#2 Bungee Jump