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(Click here for the White Water Rafting Flyer)
Hello fellow whitewater rafters ...
We will have a planning meeting at 6:00pm at CUMC on Sunday, April 18th, 2009.
- Agenda (not necessarily in this order):
- Outline of the trip plan (Michael Johnson)
- Camping locations to/from, etc.
- Note: some, but not all arrangements have been made yet.
- What to bring on the trip (we'll have some examples of suitable gear and a list)
- Health Forms (new forms and physicals required for everyone)
- Liability Release for the outfitter
- Data gathering
- Be prepared to bring you and/or your son's height, weight, and shoe size
- etc.
Forms you will need for information and/or to fill out and bring with you to the meeting:
Payments :
04/15 : Final payment due to the outfitter : $250 for each participant
05/15 : Remainder of "estimated" charges are due : $225 for each participant
Drivers:
Michael Johnson, Lance Powell, and Glenn Scott have graciously agreed to drive their personal vehicles to transport everyone on this trip. Please be sure and thank them and to be considerate of their vehicles on the trip (no trash on the floor, fast food soda spills, etc).
Best Regards, Steven Bartling and Michael Johnson
For your reference, the original announcment can be found below :
Howdy Scouters,
The high adventure trip this year (2009) will be whitewater rafting.
Dolores River, Ponderosa Gorge, Colorado : June 5th - June 11th, 2009
Steep Alpine River ... starts at 7,000 feet. Very wild, no civilization. Class III and IV rapids. This is not for the faint of heart.
We will spend three days rafting. To break up the 913 mile trip, we will take a couple of days to travel each way and camp overnight in scenic alpine national forests in upstate New Mexico or Southern Colorado.
Parents and siblings that meet the age and weight requirements are also welcome to attend.
A note on safety for the Mom's ... this outfitter has been licensed in CO since 1969. Their safety record is impeccable. All river guides (one per raft) are CPR, 1st aid, and swift water rescue trained. This outfitter performs all of the swift water rescue training for all fire and police departments in Colorado. They have run 20,000+ rafters since 2005 with only one injury (broken bone).
Eligibility:
For the big high adventure trip each year, the Crew will open up participation to Troop 261 members that have achieved 1st class rank or higher and otherwise meet the restrictions appropriate to each trip (see below for specific whitewater rafting requirements).
The scout must be 14 years of age by Sept 1st of the summer in which the trip is taken (insurance requirement, not negotiable).
The whitewater trip also has a minimum weight limit of 90lbs. This is for safety on the class IV rapids and helps ensure the scout has the body strength to hold onto the raft and to prevent being launched out of the raft. The outfitter normally requires an age limit of 18 years old for class IV rapids, but waives this for BSA high adventure crews.
Last ... the scouts, adults, and siblings must be physically and mentally able to handle rigorous trips in the opinion of the Venture Crew Advisors and to be able to get along well with the crew members. This is for the safety of your scout and their crew mates. For example, once we enter the Ponderosa Gorge/Canyon in Colorado, extraction is not possible for 3 days.
Cost : $650 (estimate). $175 paid into scout account due on 2/2/2009 (at Troop261 meeting). The remaining $475 is due on April 13th. 2009. All monies are generally non-refundable, but if extenuating circumstance occur (job loss, etc), please contact us asap.
We will have some planning meetings in the next couple of months. Don't worry ... you won't need to buy a bunch of stuff for this trip. Basic camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) is all that is needed.
We will provide tents for the scouts, adults can rent them from the outfitter by making prior arrangements.
Best Regards,
Steven Bartling & Michael Johnson
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