Boating Update

A recent increase in both water level and temperature has got all of us boaters in a frenzy to be on the water.

Heavy rains over the last couple of weeks have blessed the Four Corners area with much needed water, and with the temperature finally reaching its hand into the low 90's, the river is looking pretty enticing.

The town of Durango is bussling as well now that we're into the middle of summer, and it's a great time to come visit.

Check out our video blogs while you're cruisin' around the sight. A few of our guides put together some great footage of what an on-the-spot flip looks like. Another video shows how a standard day here at Mountain Waters looks.

In news out of Silverton, we had a brave group of four tend to business on the Upper Animas with us last week. We had excellent water levels, pretty good weather, and whole lot of fun. Matt, Neal, Carrie, and Annie showed up the night before and we got dialed in and ready to boat. We all got together and went over a detailed safety speech, got the crew all geared up, and then the four of them aced the swim test. From there it was off and running towards two days of class five boating, and a night of fun in Needleton.

We also Dave Shively, an editor for Canoe and Kayak Magazine, and Scott Smith, a professional action photographer, on board with us for the trip. It was a pleasure having both of them in our boats and in our camp. You can check out Scott's work at www.imagesmithphoto.com It could be a while before photos of our trip are posted, but we'll keep you updated.

Mr. Dave Shively, a professional boatman himself, was in the Four Corners for a three week boating thrill ride while test driving and reviewing gear. It was great having Mr. Shively back in town again. He's a classy man and he's always welcome at Mountain Waters. You can follow his gear reviews and opinions of boating online at www.canoekayak.com.

Come see us. We're fired up and ready to boat.

Mountain Waters Flip Training

A Trip in a Day at Mountain Waters Rafting

A Day in the Life

For most of the guides here at Mountain Waters, rafting is part-time work and full time fun. Often times, our guides may be boating all morning and waiting tables all evening to stay afloat here in Durango, and loving every minute of it.

When our guides are out there rigging up and drivin' down boats, they're out there working hard. Not every day in the life of a raft guide is blessed with lazy floats. Guides check in for trips the evening prior. Our customer service associates set a rotation the night before based on current reservations, they leave a detailed guide message for the boatmen to check before bedtime. Then it's cuddle up and sweet dreams, tomorrow they go boatin!

Guides meet at our boatyard 45 minutes before their trip to get the trailer and boats rigged up. Often times, walk-up customers add numbers to our trip and guides with boats are added in last minute. Once we're all loaded up, we cruise the bus down to our booth to pick up the day's customers.

A short bus ride and safety speech prelude the fun, then we're off and running. For the duration of the trip, being a boatman is mighty free and easy. But once we're off the water, the work starts again.

Boats need to be loaded on the trailer, then we're off to the booth to drop off the customers. After arriving back at our boatyard, a quick derig ensues and the boating day is soon over.

We've got a close knit crew here at Mountain Waters and often times we'll all be huddled over the same fire in the evenings, waiting around for another day of boating.

Come ride with us. We look forward to having you.