First Rafting Trip Ever

But not the last, people.

The Snake River (from Hoback Junction to Alpine) was neither very high nor very low last week, which means it was pretty tame, overall.  I never once felt nervous or scared or unsafe while we rafted.  The section we did took about two hours and it was nonstop FUN.

Meg and Josh invited us to crash their family rafting trip and we are so glad we did!  We drove over to Alpine after work on a Friday and spent the night at the Station Creek campground with Meg and her fun family.  I love meeting the sisters of my friends, and I love my friends meeting my sisters!  There is an undeniable, instant bond there that is pretty unique to women, and maybe especially to women whose best friends are their sisters . . . as Meg's and mine are.  One of my favorite things Meg has ever said was, "I don't need friends because I have sisters, so friends are just gravy."  Truth, Boogs!  And we are each other's favorite gravy . . .

Saturday morning we slept in, ate pancakes, played some cards, solved the world's problems (at least, Amy and I did), and then headed down to the put-in at West Table Creek.  Grouchy river rangers notwithstanding, it was a blast.  We had two rafts among our group, and were getting each other (and everyone else on the river) wet the entire time down.  We stopped for a little cliff jumping after powering down "Lunch Counter" and "Big Kahuna"--the two big rapids on the river.

Amy and Alan were troupers!  Not only did they organize the whole trip, borrow the boats, help us load and unload--they also went to Lunch Counter so they could snap some AMAZING photos as we funneled down into the whitest water on the river.  For real? 

It was such a good time, even though the day started out cloudy and brisk.  I loved it and I can't wait to go again.  I'm ready for the Middle Fork of the Salmon . . .