Shanti/Healing Waters 2012 Rafting Trip Fun!

Shanti/Healing Waters Rafting Weekend 2012

July 7th and July 8th

"The laughter and community I felt this weekend – its exactly what I needed.”

Living with an illness can be very emotionally and physically draining. Healing Waters Wilderness Adventures exists to help us step outside of our everyday stress for a weekend by offering an incredibly fun weekend of Whitewater Rafting on the South Fork of the American River.

A couple of folks with us were new to camping and a few had not been able to camp for a while before this weekend. Quite a few of the volunteers were there for the first time as volunteers themselves. Yet everything was perfect.

The early morning meet up in front of the Healing Waters Office was easy. You could tell who had coffee and who didn’t but we were in high spirits.

Once at Camp Lotus everyone pitched in to set up tents and help each other out. With the light lunch and safety talk was done we were out on the river for “the longest 45 minutes” in my life – lasting about 4 hours. The water was wonderful and the other river rafting people friendly – even the little girl and father who ambushed us with splashing buckets of waters.

Some of us stopped to look at the old nut pits in the river boulders. These pits were made by the local First Nations women preparing grains for their family meals thousands of years ago.

Off the river and back at the campsite we had dinner and a relaxing evening by a "raging" campfire – once the karaoke family finished celebrating! (It was fun – and we were all invited to join in with glow bracelets).
And no mysterious banjo playing this year!

The next day we had a lovely breakfast, a closing circle and underway home. Blissfully weary!
Oh! How can I forget the lovely stop at Dairy Queen!

All in all - the river was cold and the weather as well as the company was warm.

Thanks to Redge, Jorlan, RIck and Joel for the great pictures! And the Healing Waters staff and volunteers for a great weekend outing. Of course thanks to all of us participants without whom this would have not happened at all!

Here is the photo slideshow! -