| If you peer over the Crowchild Trail bridge at the Bow River on any given warm summer day, chances are you will see dozens of rafts and tubes filled with orange life-jacketed people water fighting, napping and enjoying a leisurely float (or possibly paddling hard to avoid the bridge supports). The Bow River float has become a popular place to spend a warm, lazy weekend afternoon in the hot sun and cool water, checking out the gals and guys clad in little more than smiles and haircuts.
It isn’t all fun in the sun, however, there are some very real perils to be faced even on the laziest of river jaunts – fast early-season water, the kind of sunburns that keep you in bed for two days (just ask my friend Jeff) and the aforementioned bridge supports to name a few.
It may not exactly be The River Wild, but before you put foot to pump and raft to river there are a few things that you need to have on hand for the trip. Angela Harder, who coordinates the canoe program at the University of Calgary’s Calgary Outdoor Centre, says that along with a life-jacket, which is required by law, it is a good idea to bring a paddle per person, a bailer, a whistle and a throw-bag of rope to pull both others and yourself out of trouble should it arise. This gear is usually either included with your raft rental or available for a small fee. A few other things to keep in mind that likely won’t be part of your raft package are water, sunscreen, footwear to avoid the sharp rocks and a first aid kit for when you inevitably step on one anyway.
Though you can float almost anything down the Bow – air mattress, inner tube, inflatable chair – some of these may not make the best of boats. As Undercurrents instructor and sales associate Matt Godsoe points out, not only do you not have any control in a lot of these ad-hoc flotation devices but you also won’t have the most comfortable of rides. "You get lots of people who have too many people in inner tubes that are just too small and they’re sinking and swimming and flopping their way the whole way down the stream," says Godsoe. Besides, raft rentals in Calgary are pretty cheap, for a group of six to ten, raft and gear rental for the day shouldn’t come to more than $10 a head.
The usual setup for a day of rafting is to drive two cars, leaving one at the pull-out point and cramming everyone into the second, but that begs the question where to end up and where to start. Both Godsoe and Harder suggest that the best put-in place is Bowness Park and the best place to call it a day is either Edworthy Park or at Prince’s Island. The Edworthy trip takes about two hours, Prince’s Island about three and for a longer day a trip up to the Zoo takes somewhere between four and five.
Of course the length of the trip changes with the water and the weather. In early season, just after run-off or after a big rain, Godsoe says that parts of the river can get fairly treacherous, whereas a trip in late August after a bit of dry weather will really put the lazy in lazy day.
Along with the obvious dangers of the weir (which is guaranteed to drown you should you ignore the many signs that precede it) and getting stuck on the bridge supports, it is a good idea to remember that the Bow is a river and rivers move fairly quickly. Godsoe says to avoid trying to stand in the river as you can easily get your foot stuck and get pushed over by the current. He says if you have to stand always keep your toes up.
Harder also suggests that being in a raft on fast-moving water may not be the best setting for adult beverages, adding that sharp objects, loose rope and slow-drying fabrics like cotton are also a bad call.
Though there are some hazards, the Bow really isn’t fraught with peril, as long as you have a penchant for lying in the sun and don’t mind getting a bit wet, floating the Bow is the perfect afternoon for you.
Calgary raft and rafting equipment rentals
Undercurrents
6531 Bowness Road N.W.
262-GEAR (4327
The Calgary Outdoor Centre
The University of Calgary
220-5038
Rocky Mountain Paddling Centre
6531 Bowness Road N.W.
202-8490
Lazy Day Raft Rentals
7730 Macleod Trail S.E.
258-0575
Sports Rent
4424 16 Ave N.W.
292-0077 |
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