Wet & Wild on the Tieton

One week & a day ago, the day before Labor Day, eight intrepid souls set out to conquer the rapids of the mighty Tieton. Devon, Warren, Arianna, Tim, Britt, Laura, David, & Eric stepped out of their car and were deluged by the crazy rainstorm overhead. Marianne & Mark served as documentarians, capturing the wild adventure on film.

After slipping into our really cold wetsuits - slipping? No! After struggling into our superbly cold wetsuits. it was time to put on our raincoats!

Next came the safety gear - helmets & life vests. Britt tried to make hers fashionable by tucking the head pillow underneath, but it just made her look like she had a hunchback.

Doesn't she look excited??

After the safety lecture, we hefted the raft into the river and set off with our guide. They had reluctantly agreed to let all 8 of us ride on one raft, which actually made us very fast! It was really fun to be in this adventure together. A raft load of Cougs with a Huskie guide...hmmm. He was a good sport and only ran us into 3 trees & a big wall.

We had a lot of fun trying to spot our paparazzi. They had actually been shooting photos of another boatload of smiling waving people & later found out we were in #9. After that, they kept up with us.

Because we were such a heavy raft, we starting bumping into other rafts. We then decided we needed to win the race - not that any of the other rafters knew they were even in a race! We would have won except we had to stop along the way for someone who drank an entire Sprite beforehand, if you know what I mean!

We came to the end of the rafting trip and then began another freezing adventure: the bus trip back to the loading area. BRRRRRR! Everyone was shivering - even Tim & Eric, who never get cold!!

The final challenge: getting the d**n wetsuit off. Oh...my...word...Talk about crazy difficult! We decided to pass up the steak dinner under the trees for a warmer option - The Olive Garden. After a leisurely dinner, Britt, Mark, & David headed home. The rest of us stayed at the Oxford Suites. The older of us went to bed exhausted - immediately. The younger amongst us spent some time in the hot tub before winding down. The next morning, we had breakfast together and then headed off to our respective homelands: Laura & Eric to Pullman; Ari, Tim, & Mom to Renton to get her car; Warren & Devon to Arlington. This trip was great fun for our family! Next year we hope to raft the Wenatchee, the White Salmon (it has a waterfall!), and the Tieton again.