"Do you ever get bored when you're not guiding whitewater?"

Mt. Baker from the Nooksack during a scenic float trip

Last Thursday as we were floating down the Nooksack River a friend asked, "Do you ever get bored when you're not guiding white water?" I knew immediately my answer was no. I love being on the water, but throughout the rest of the day her question stayed with me, and I had more time to reflect on the question.

It was not until I began working for Adventure Cascades that I ever was a scenic tour guide on the Nooksack and Skagit Rivers. I have worked on rivers across the country, and for years wanted to run the biggest lines on the biggest white water. I was an adrenaline junkie.

My mind drifted back to other rivers on the east coast, a waterfall run in California, and big water on the Sauk. I thought about how before running a Class V section in West Virginia, I regularly was unable to sleep the night before, and the first few times, I even threw up at the put in- try inspiring confidence in your guests after that one! I thought about how my knuckles would get white as I gripped my paddle, how sometimes I would plead with the river, "just let this rapid go well."

A Nooksack bald eagle

As I thought about those fun, yet scary moments, I was sitting on the outside tube of our raft with my feet kicked up, my back to the downstream flow. I was staring up at Mt Baker. I listened to the sound of the oars slipping through the water, and the laughter of my friends. I watched the sky colors change from blue, to gold and pink, and a fiery orange. Completely relaxed, with no sense of urgency. Some eagles swooped in for a closer view of the water, others stared at us with haughty pride from their perches in the trees.

I love big whitewater. At this time, in this moment, there is no where else I would rather be. An evening eagle float is the perfect adventure for me.

Relaxing on the Nooksack Float