Day 10 - Take the Boy!

This morning we had a delicious breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs and toast. Dad reminded us of grandpa making breakfast for us at the lake, running back and fourth from the BBQ to the kitchen!h
After breakfast, we got all packed up for the day then headed off. We drove for a bit and then went on a hike called Rocky Point. It wasn't too long and was quite an easy hike compared to the one by Lake Louise! At the top, we took some pictures and admired the beautiful Lake MacDonalds' extraordinary blue and icy water.
Carling

At Rocky Point

Crossing a bridge to Rocky Point

Glen & Mairin - Rocky Point, Lake MacDonald

Rocky Point

[over to Dad]
We hiked back, mostly up, and passed several groups lacking bear spray, bells, water and other things you would think people would take on a hike. we wondered if we were over preparded but decided we woild rather be carrying everything needed for a hike than be caught unprepared. Signs everywhere remind us that we are in bear country. All in all, it was 5 km round trip.

Some solitary time alone.

Back at the van, we drove down to another point by the lake for a quick picnic and then a short drive to Wild River Adventures on the highway. We lathered on the sun screen as it was a cloudless blue sky and and the temperature topped the mercury out at 36C! Next, we (Glen, Mairin, Carling and Chloé) suited up in life vests and helmets, assisted by our guide, Norma, and then boarded an old school bus, towing a trailer with our 16' raft. There were 10 of us, including Norma as well as a family from Chicago with 2 young boys.

Suitin' up

The bus took us about 10 miles upstream, where we found a small river with a landing site. After a few instructions, we waded through icy cold water (45 F) with paddles in hand. We floated down this very calm river, listening to more instructions on the commands we would need to execute as a group. Myself and the other dad were the leads at the bow of the boat. We were supposed to stay in-sync with each other, and then everyone behind with us. Sounds good on the shore, not so good in white water!

Ready for action

The ride was 9 miles in length, most of which was flat water with amazing views; a very different perspective on the water, compared to that of the roads and trails. At times, we were invited to jump into the water and after a while I thought, "why not?", so I did. The water was very cold... good for about 2 minutes before I was hauled back in by Norma, and the few others who joined in. We also came across many other rafts, some in groups; private/personal or commercial, like ours. It was easy to tell which boats were privately owned ... the groups were very, very casual with full coolers of refreshments and lots of loud banter. One group of 2 boats we came across we having lots of fun with pretend pirate battles. They were armed with toy water canons and at one point, one boat, better armed than the other, came along side their enemy vessel and tried to drag one of the men out into the cold water. "Take the boy, take the boy" the father yelled from the surrendering boat; an attempt to save himself from a plunge into the frigid water. It was pretty amusing to watch.
Unfortunately, we could not take cameras on the boat (for obvious reasons) but we did order a photo from the company, taken by their employee perched on the shore of one of the rapids.  They will send it to us in two weeks.


Finally, we reached our first Class 2 section of rapids. It's quite a thrill going down, as we never quite knew what was going to happen. There were a mix of Class 2 and 3 rapids for this time of year (some ranked hogher during spring melt); all tagged with an intimidating name like "Bone crusher", "Jaws", and "Pinball". Usually heading in, Norma would yell "all forward", which soon after became a random flailing of paddles, as the boat flexed and rocked through the spikes and dips of waves. I tried to remain in-sync with partner on the opposite side, but half the time the water was up to my wrists, and the other half, I was paddling into the air. I have no idea what was going on behind me, but did catch a glimpse or two of Mairin, Carling and Chloé with big smiles on there faces. Perfect! All in all, a great experience. That's one off the bucket-list ... will definitely have to add that one back on again!


Meanwhile, Tinsley and Jenn took a different raft for a scenic ride, further down the river from our end point.
Glen


[over to Jenn]
Our ride was very relaxing. We were the only two in the raft along with our guide, Ryan. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and there were no other sounds to be heard other than the water gurgling along. We talked a lot with Ryan about lots of different topics...the Flathead River we were on, rafting, global warming, travel, politics, dinosaurs and many other things! At times though we were all silent and just enjoyed the scenery. Because we were being quiet, we actually were able to see two bald eagles. Ryan and the guide back at the office told us we had been extrememly lucky to see these birds. Not only did we see them but we were very close to them. it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!


Once we had all reunited and chosen the best photo of Glen and the girls rafting, we walked over to a gift shop to pick up a few things. One thing was for Chloé, but we will let her describe it. Mairin bought little suede moccasins as she had outgrown her others from 3 summers ago. Instead of doing another hike (as it was so hot), we drove to the town of Essex in the southern end of the park. This had an historic hotel which was built to accomodate the railroad workers of the early 1900s. Some of the old railway Cabooses had actually been removed from the track and been place on the hotel grounds. Now these cars were being used as extra rooms for the hotel still being used today. The girls were exhausted from the afternoon so some of them napped in the back while the rest of us admired the views all around.
Back to our cabin in the woods for snacks and drinks. Glen and I went into Columbia Falls for a few more groceries and then came back to cook dinner. Bed was early for everyone tonight although I did take some time to just sit outside in the quiet. So very peaceful.
Jenn

Lake MacDonald - looking south-east

Hiking up to Rocky Point

Heading up to Lake MacDonald Lodge