Intro to Raft Guiding

OVERVIEW

College is for branching out, right? Well here’s an intro course that you won’t get in the classroom.

I’ll be one-on-one teaching the basics of raft guiding such as guide strokes, how to read water, and whatever else I feel like throwing in there. I’ve guided for two seasons on the New River, so I’ll be passing on what I know. You do not need any prior whitewater experience in order to do this adventure, but YOU MUST KNOW HOW TO SWIM. We’ll be on the James River, which isn’t big whitewater in a raft but since you’ll all be learning, swimming is a possibility 😉 . That said, whether you submerge yourself or not, the air temp will be in the 60’s so the air and water will both be chilly. I’ll bring some dry gear, but you should also dress accordingly with LAYERS OF NON-COTTON CLOTHING. Additionally, you don’t need to be a trip leader already, but you must be interested in leading a rafting trip. The trip will be capped at 5 people including myself because that’s how many our raft can hold. I’ll need one driver besides myself for the shuttle, so no one will be let off the wait list until that kind soul signs up. Also, to show that you’ve read this trip description, when the next step in joining this adventure asks if you have any questions or comments, write the name of your current favorite song.

THE PLAN:
Leave Charlottesville from Echols brick wall at 10 AM. Get to Richmond and do a run down the lower James and be back to Charlottesville by 5 PM. I did this intro to raft guiding trip once last semester and the day was longer than expected so make sure that you don’t have anything planned in C’ville before 7 PM or so just in case.

CLUB PROVIDES:
– Raft
– Paddles
– PFD’s
– Helmets
– Gas $$$ + 50% tip for drivers

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
– Two water bottles (the kind with a built-in loop are ideal as I’ll be bringing a couple carabineers that we can hook them onto)
– Non-cotton clothing
– Shoes: chacos are best, and if you don’t have chacos any kind of water sandal or sneakers that don’t come off easily work great
– A change of clothing INCLUDING DRY SHOES
– Any medications that you may need while on the river
– A dry bag if you have it
– Food (anything sealed like granola bars are great on the river, or not-sealed food for off of the river)
– Sunscreen
– If applicable, something to prevent your glasses from falling off
– Can-do attitude

Disclaimer: don’t bring anything on the river that you aren’t ok with losing