Duckies in Bozeman

I'm sorry, friends, I might have to move to Bozeman, Montana and live there forever. We had such a great time and encountered many surprises. We originally wanted to spend a few days here because we had hoped to do some kayaking. We booked a white water “duckie” trip on Gallatin River for very early in the morning. We were worried that we'd be too tired from the LONG drive, but after fueling up with a delicious breakfast at a local cafe, we felt ready to take on the rapids.

I am not new to rafting and kayaking in rapids, but this was Mr. Lucas’s first time and I was anxious to see how he liked it. We decided to kayak in “duckies”, or inflatable kayaks made for one person. The water was cold, so our guide suggested that we wear wetsuits. I was really happy with our decision to go early, because we were the only people on the river and had a guide all to ourselves. Our guide’s name was Harrison and he was born and raised in Bozeman. He pointed out some interesting landmarks and taught us how to tell if trees had fallen due to a landslide, an avalanche, or a forest fire. There have been lots of fires in Montana in the last few weeks, so the sky looks really smokey. Just from where we were on the river, we could see thicker patches of smoke in the distance where a fire had just been. Apparently, it's worse in Missoula where we're headed next.

In between the rough patches of rapids, we were able to drift and talk with Harrison. He's a college student in Bozeman and lives in a tent by the river during the summer. I asked him if he worried about the fires, and he said that he was more worried about bears. It hit me then that we were actually in the wilderness, and that I might actually see something dangerous! He laughed at my surprise and told me that bears typically stay away from people unless they smell food. It also just so happens that Harrison is attending the same music festival this weekend, so we might get to see him again.

The rapids weren't as difficult as I expected, but they made for a pretty exciting ride. Before getting into the water, Harrison had to teach us how to strap ourselves into the duckie so we wouldn't tip over. But, just in case we did fall out, he showed us how to roll back in without flipping the duckie over and losing it. He warned us about jagged rocks and the importance of letting the water carry us to an “eddie”, or a calm section of water near the bank of the river. If you tried to stop yourself by standing up in the shallow water, you could get stuck in the rocks at the bottom and drown. Scary stuff aside, we had life jackets and an experienced guide, so we were confident that we could handle it all.

Harrison quickly realized that we were willing and able to tackle more challenging rapids, so he taught us how to “surf” rocks and “power through” rapids without falling out. At one point, I think he was disappointed that we were staying in our duckies. It wasn't until the very end of our trip when Mr. Lucas tried surfing a big rock and flipped over it backwards. I had already pulled my duckie up on the river’s edge when I saw the rapids quickly carrying him without his duckie. I was nervous that he would pass me and get carried downstream, so I ran into the water with my paddle for him to grab hoping that I would be strong enough to pull him in against the moving water. Luckily, he was strong enough to swim (still holding his paddle) to a shallow enough spot to stop himself. I guess it wouldn't be an adventure if we didn't have problem to solve, right?

Our trip down the river ended sweetly with a steaming cup of fresh coffee and the most delicious wild raspberries I've ever tasted. Since our trip was early, we had lots of time to take a nap afterward and then wander around downtown Bozeman through the evening. We were surprised to walk right into a street festival with music and food trucks. With our bellies full of poutine and ice cream, I thought to myself that I couldn't have asked for a better day.