River rafters escape from the city without trekking far from home

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      White-water rafting down the Elaho River is primarily about thrills. And with five-metre waves, Class 4 rapids, and a particularly dicey section named after the devil, there’s no doubt it’s an adventure. But that’s not the only draw Graham Young offers with his two-day expeditions based out of Squamish.

      Upon beaching for the night, rafters will find a campfire already burning, hors d’oeuvres laid out, and, for those so inclined, a craft beer or glass of Chardonnay kept cool and waiting.

      “They get to this beautiful island right under a big glacial wall with waterfalls dropping off of it,” Young said in a phone interview. “You’re having cheese and crackers and grapes alongside a fire on a big sandy beach with the river going past. When you’re in that valley in the evenings, you could be in Alaska, but you’re really only an hour from Vancouver.”

      Before long, dinner is served.

      “We normally do a salmon bake right on the side of the river,” Young continued. “Oftentimes, we add steak to it. And then there are a lot of side dishes, and we finish that off with a dessert that we make right there, often a cheesecake.”

      It might not be the ideal tour for someone more interested in hunting their own meat, but Young certainly makes his two-day package—offered by Canadian Outback Adventures and Events—sound like a pleasant night out of town. “It is a fully catered tour.” He added with a laugh: “We do get the guests to set up their own tents.”

      Groups of eight to 25 people meet at 1 p.m. at the Executive Suites Hotel in Squamish and from there are bussed north to a launch point on the Elaho River. The price is $399 per person (or $350 in a group of eight or more). Those rates include just about everything except alcohol, which guests must bring themselves.

      On the phone from Pucón, Chile, Canadian Outback guide Will Sparks noted that an overnight expedition is a bigger commitment than an afternoon trip that lets you be home for dinner, but he maintained that it’s a whole different experience.

      Sparks, who’s working a seasonal South American tour, explained that a two-day trip includes the same thrills as a one-day jaunt but is a vacation from civilization. “It’s important for people to get out of the city,” he said, “to get out of cell range, get away from their phones, and just be human beings around a campfire and tell stories like we used to.”

      Sparks, who guided three overnight trips for Canadian Outback last year, recalled one particularly special break from the hassles of modern technology. His rafting group had just finished dinner, and everyone was relaxing as the sun set. The island where Canadian Outback camps is isolated enough that there’s no light pollution at all, he noted. All of a sudden, the sky lit up.

      The group had unwittingly caught a front-row seat for the Perseid meteor shower, which is visible in the Northern Hemisphere every year in late July and early to mid August.

      “A moment like that,” Sparks said, “when shooting stars are overhead and you’re with friendly people around the campfire—it’s a wonderful escape.”

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      Comments

      1 Comments

      Fun times in the city

      Mar 16, 2015 at 4:19pm

      This trip looks awesome!