NY Camping Trip Recap, Day 4
{Part one here}
{Part two here}
{Part three here}
So when I forced myself awake around 6:30, I made a quick trip to the bathroom and then got the camping stove going to make coffee. A few of the girls woke up just before 7 and L took the little ones to the bathroom. We all breakfasted together, sharing stories and a laugh about the events of the night before. Then it was time to get ready for rafting on the Genesee River!
I had made a reservation for four of us to go (one adult and three children)-- because J was under the weight limit of 45 pounds she had to stay behind with one of the grown-ups. We had decided that I would go with the older three and M and J would stay behind at the campsite. C had been having cold feet about going but somehow we were able to persuade her that morning. So the four of us put on bathing suits underneath mostly waterproof clothing, water shoes, and sunscreen. M and J graciously agreed to do the breakfast dishes so we were off right on time around 9:20.
I didn't have cell phone capability to navigate me to the right address, so I just drove to the rafting office we had passed by in our travels the previous day, hoping it was the right place. When we saw a group of people in life jackets and helmets next to a school bus upon arrival, we knew we had found it!
We checked in, locked all of our non-waterproof belongings into our car, and got fitted with life jackets, helmets, and paddles. One of the rafting guides did a quick safety demonstration, and during this demonstration we found out that some of the rafts on the trip would not be guided. As we were getting on the bus afterwards I told C that if unguided rafts were allowed on this trip, then the rapids must be very tame indeed. She seemed very confident at that point and I was glad!
We took the bus ride down into the gorge (this was the most scary part for me-- basically driving down the side of a cliff taking switchback turns in an old school bus-- I just had to close my eyes and keep telling myself that this bus driver has done this drive thousands of times and never driven off the edge that I had heard of) and got out on a sandy beach at the bottom. They divided us up and we learned, to my relief, that we would be in one of the guided rafts. It seemed like the guides wanted at least two adults in each raft, and so if there weren't already two adults in the group they matched you up with a guide. If I had had to steer the raft myself I would have done it, and hopefully would have succeeded, but I was certainly glad to have the help. I wanted the girls' first rafting experience to be a positive one, especially with C being a bit nervous already.
I really really wish I had thought to bring a waterproof camera-- obviously I couldn't bring my phone with me-- because the scenery on this rafting trip was hands down the most beautiful I have ever enjoyed on a rafting trip, and I've been rafting several times in my life, even in beautiful places like Colorado. Being down inside the gorge here was just breathtaking-- seeing all the rock formations up close, rivulets and waterfalls coming down the sides of the gorge, the beautiful sky above, and SO much cool wildlife! We saw a bald eagle, a few hawks, a timber rattlesnake, and a family of merganser ducks, among other things. Just a really unforgettable experience.
We stopped along the river at a place called Wolf Creek, which was basically a waterfall that had carved a hollow in the side of the gorge. We were allowed to get out of our rafts, slide down the rocks and jump into a seven-foot hole under the waterfall called "Leap of Faith". Since I don't have any pictures, you can check it out in this video from the rafting company. The Wolf Creek footage starts at 1:35:
It was amazing, and the girls were so brave... L was the first one out of our whole group (five rafts worth of people) to volunteer to jump at Leap of Faith. N went second!
The trip was not uneventful-- an unguided raft got stuck on a rock in the middle of the river for close to 30 minutes, a kid from one of the rafts got ejected into the water in the middle of a rapid (he was fine!), one of the boats capsized and got filled with water and our guide had to jump ship and bail them out while I struggled to keep me and the girls from drifting away on the current... and the rumbles of thunder we were hearing for the last 30 minutes of the trip turned into a drenching downpour about one minute before we paddled in to the bank at the end spot of our trip. It worked out okay since we were already soaking wet! As we got out of our rafts we heard a call on the radio saying a woman in the next rafting trip, who were currently still at Wolf Creek, had slipped and broken her ankle. During our bus ride back we were hearing snippets of conversation over the walkie-talkies discussing the best way to get an ambulance down into the gorge. So... a busy day for the rafting company!
After we had gotten out of our raft and were scrambling up the muddy bank in the pouring rain to get back on the bus, I was more concerned about M's and J's safety than I was about us. I knew we had left them with no car at the campsite, in a possible thunderstorm, with a tent as their only shelter. Despite the idea of an even more scary bus ride back up the slippery, muddy road, I was hurrying us along in my head so we could get back to the campsite with the car.
As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about, because things were bright, sunny, and dry back at the campsite, despite faint rumbles of thunder happening in the distance. J and M had had a nice morning, including a walk to the camp store for popsicles
and more sandwiches for lunch
...and lots of games of Sleeping Queens! Apparently J won every game!
When we got back from rafting they were laying down together in the tent; M was nursing a headache probably due to lack of sleep. The bigger girls and I were shivering after drenching ourselves in the icy water of the river, so we hurried to get out of our wet clothes, and L and I did a quick walk to the bathroom to take a warm-up shower while N and C looked after J. We had had snacks on the drive back from the rafting office to our campsite, but the bigger girls and I had not had any lunch yet, and it was a very active morning paddling on the river. We debated whether to have some lunch sandwiches or just cook our planned dinner very early. In the end we decided on the latter plan, despite still hearing occasional rumbles of thunder. M had emerged from the tent while we were showering and made himself (and me!) some afternoon coffee which helped his headache, and was definitely needed for me since I was starting to get that I'm-so-sleep-deprived-I'm-hallucinating kind of feeling.
Without cell signal I had no way to check the radar, so we just fired up the camp stove and crossed our fingers. I had planned mac and cheese from the box for dinner, so fortunately it came together quickly, and the girls were able to cut up all the fruits and veggies for me while I was making the noodles, and we were ready to eat in about 15 minutes. There was one moment when a dark cloud passed by and thunder rumbled and I was pretty sure our dinner was going to get drenched, but... our luck held out, and it stayed dry.
We ate heartily-- the big girls and I had seconds and thirds and lots of fruits and veggies so that in the end there were ZERO leftovers. There are times in life when coffee and a good meal just hits all the spots, and this was definitely one of those times.
After our energy was somewhat renewed, I made the suggestion that we drive to the camp store up the road, since they sold bagged ice and all the ice we currently had in the cooler was completely melted and our food was starting to get warm. So we all went together, picked up some ice, and perused the camp store. We happened to notice they sold ice cream, and since we had taken every opportunity available to eat ice cream so far on this trip, we figured, why stop now?
We sat in this cute little picnic area and enjoyed our treats, then played the xylophone and bongo drums that were there. There was a playground, too, and it was open! But the signs said to "play safely" and maintain distance, and since some other kids were already playing there we decided to forgo the opportunity. The girls enjoyed the treat anyway and we made some fresh beats on those bongo drums. Bonus to having ice cream: we were too full for s'mores and Daddy and Mommy didn't have to make the fire that we were way too tired to make that night anyway.
After this point we basically had the energy to drive back to camp, drain out the cooler and pack in the new ice, plump up the air beds with a bit of extra air, get everyone in pjs with teeth brushed, and collapse. No campy fire, no late nights waiting up for raccoons. Frankly, I kept saying to myself that night that I was so tired that the raccoons could have come in and clawed at my face and I would not have cared. I think the girls were all in the tent by 8 and asleep shortly thereafter, and M and I followed them into the tent by about 9. I remember that it was still light when I laid down to go to sleep.
Sadly, that night I think it was the late afternoon coffee that kept me awake, because it was still several hours before I was able to drift off. And I wasn't really beyond the point of caring about the raccoons... especially after it got dark and quiet and you could hear every little noise and rustling in the bushes and people nearby banging pots and pans to scare away the animals. I mean, who would have been beyond caring, after the traumatic events of the previous night? But I did eventually drift off into a (somewhat fitful) sleep, and I did get a bit more sleep that second night at Letchworth. Hooray!
To be continued...
Move on to part five here!
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