Any other River Running Mammas out there? - Page 3

[RiverMamma]

Wow that sounds awesome!!!! Hey, thanks for the heads up on the spare car seat... I hadn't thought of that. Wow... I want to go drag a boat over cobble bars with my DD! (sad isn't it, I feel like I belong in a 12 step program or something, I think I'm having withdraws.) lol!

Yeah, somedays I'm running everything backwards & swimming the flat stretches... other days I'm taking all dry lines & squirming out of the way of little splashes!!!

[RiverMamma]

Well, I guess now that River season is over, this thread will quiet to a trickle, like the River. I look foreward to next spring when the runoff gushes & we ride the waves again. Untill then...

River Dreams
Sweet Baby
Chama Dreams
Little Buddha
Flowiing Freely
Dreaming Gleefully
Soul to Flesh
Maiden to Mother
Transitions
Pasture to Canyons
Pools to Rapids
Rapidly Aproaching
Transitions
Manouver Smoothly
Flowing Freely
River Dreams
Sweet Baby
Sweet Dreams
River Child
Safe Passage Thee...

[riverundine]

beautiful, mama...and now we're just waiting for the snow to fall, to cover us all :

[RiverMamma]

March... I know it is a little early for most river rats to start itching, but for me, this is Salt season! Oh how I long for that desert canyon... the mexican poppies start to bloom first, then the owl clover & lupines, as the rain lets up & the canyon warms the prickley pear start to bloom, followed by the magenta colored choilla, pink & red hedgehogs, & red tufts of regal ocatillo flames tower above the bumpy dirt road Apachi highway one. Then, as the surge subsides & the canyon walls begin to bake in the relentles Arizona sun... the giant white moon flowers show their faces high upon the saguoros, and that is when the rest of the river world begins to wake, as I pack my camp at the end of a beautifull season, primed & ready for cold Colorado waters. Skin already leathered, hair almost white... callendula has been my season long friend, healing finger cracks & salty feet. Sacred Cibique Canyon flowing into the current, draws my heart up into it's chasms... pounding waterfalls & emrald green pools... Oh.. Rio Salido, I shall see you soon! Though half the season & peak flows are behind us now, I will make my apearance... I have to. The rythmic chant of Gregs Apachi song echoes in my mind... I can see the fire tonight, what has been my hearth this night so many years... I don't know how much I will be able to work this season, but I will be there. I trust in the universe to provide the most pirfect care taker for Charlotte... to sit at camp with her & wait for mommy's boat to roll in for lunch, maby take her up to the can in the mornings to watch while we all rig for the day, & to the take out in the afternoons... to have a bumpy buss ride home with mommy, & milkies on the way! Can I do this? Can I really stay true to all elements of my nature? Can I ride the waves & touch lives, & still be the best mother I can be? Will life allow me to stay the woman I was while beeing the woman I am? Does motherhood flow in confluence with Rivers? My mom was a private boater... & not untill I was old enough to come allong anyways. How many more Grand Canyon trips do I have to turn down before I can say yes? How many untill she can come with me? I cannot seem to see around the island in my view... which channel does the current flow with? What is my line? Where do I go from here? I am trying to scout my life from my pearch at my own mothers home... but I cannot seem to see my line... Salt... that is as far as I see, & even that line is not clear. I am going to the Salt, I do not know how I will juggle motherhood & guyding, but somehow I will. After April though... where too? Will my husband have made decisions? Will he still be drinking? My lease is up in June... where will I camp next? Oh mighty River, help me to find my path again... help me to follow my heart & provide for my daughter in the best way I possibly can. I need to find my feet again, & my feet seem most sturdy in the bottom of a raft... so rafting I will go... somehow.

[riverundine]

I'm so stoked you're going to the Salt :. Maybe next season I'll get to join you...but in the meantime I'm sooo happy for you.
Are you thinking about IW? I am. Who should I contact and by when? Any insider thoughts, tips, etc.?
I was just writing out my "why" statement for my Stayin Home and Loving It team and am actively manifesting my 14' Avon and 2 person IK. I will also be on a 20 day Canyon trip next March. I have no idea who will be watching the girls, but it will happen and I will definitely be a better mom for it. Doesn't every child deserve a mama who is vibrant, joyful and living their dreams? All in balance ~ all in balance ~ but when you live so tied to the elements, then this is a true reality. Does motherhood flow in confluence with the river? Life is how you create it. It sure can ~ just gotta get creative and stay in tune and in balance :. It's definitely going to be different than the river reality we once knew. Now it's about creating a new river reality - and the time is here . Just like you said - milkies on the take-out bus ride home! It's hard to see the balance, to figure it out when they're so little. I feel ya! I feel ya! I feel ya!
Stay in the flow ~ and *keep your guide stick in the water*.
Stay true to your Self ~ listen to your Soul's voice (the one that speaks in whispers) ~ and come from a place of Love
Love ya, RiverMamma

[RiverMamma]

800-425-5253 Mike should be answering the phones right now, at least he did the other day... Yeah, I'll be working. Just tell him who you are. CO guide laws are wierd, they will want a written account of every river mile you have ever run This was quite the project for me! but came up with a grand total of just under 9,000mi & that was 3yrs ago!
so... um... that canyon trip next spring need anymore boatmen? (um, er, boatwomen?) Not sure where I will be on the child led weaning decision next spring...

So, I was browsing around the SRR site the other day... & nearly jumped out of my chair for joy when I saw this (scroll down a bit.) Boss man (one of em anyway,) gave me their contact info. I sent her an email.. haven't herd back yet, they are no doubt in the canyon. But wow... talk about the beauty & perfection of life!!! The River wants me there!!!::::::: yeah... we need a River smilie...

Stay in the flow ~ and *keep your guide stick in the water*.
Thanks for that

Stay true to your Self ~ listen to your Soul's voice (the one that speaks in whispers) ~ and come from a place of Love
& that.

:U2

[riverundine]

i'll give mike a call ~ thanks!
so nice to see you all up in the guide mix on the website !
2 of the guides, aaron root and simon saichek, were voyages guides with me. i'm not sure if i did any "work" with aaron, as we were on different rivers, but i worked at the same company for years. simon and i have rafted together a bunch! he's a great friend ~ and can give your company a real live reference. he's actually a manager for whitewater voyages and has been for a few years, so he can probably be the managerial reference if getting a hold of my direct manager proves tricky. as you mentioned, there's a good chance they're on the water. anyway, simon is great! i love him! stoked to see him working the salt for srr! and aaron's dad owns a rafting company on the kaweah river. he grew up going huge on one of the most beautiful rivers in the states. what a life! sound like something you'd wanna create for charlotte?!
ugh! figuring out river miles...blech! sounds very time-consuming at a time when time is so very very precious. do they want to know how many river miles guided or total? or both, separately?

[RiverMamma]

yeah... last year I was at the top of the page, I guess a year of maternity leave knocked me back down the totem pole

So ahhhhh... that's the Aaron you were talking about! Like I said, just tell em who you are. I'll be sure & tell those boys "Hi" for you. Isn't that just too cool about the mamma & LO though? (looks to be about Charlottes age, still haven't heard back from them.)

yeah... time consuming. They want a total, I kinda catogorized. I just put each river, how many average guestamated miles & wether it was mostly comercial, all private, etc... oh, & class. hold on, maby I can c & p into the post here. There, this is what I did, I don't know if it's normal, but they accepted it just fine.

Elisha McArthur, River miles May of 1985- May of 2007

Rio Grande, NM class II-IV mostly commercial, some private 2,700 miles

Snake River, WY class II-III mostly commercial, some private 1,900 miles

Salt River, AZ class III-IV mostly commercial, some private 1,550 miles

Scotland, UK class II-V+ mostly commercial, some private 700 miles
(Four different Rivers, The Tay, The Tummel, The Orchy, and The Awe.)
Rio Chamma, NM class II-III mostly private, some commercial 300 miles

Arkansas River, CO class III-IV+ mostly commercial, some private 52 miles

Grand Canyon, AZ class 1-10 private only 210 miles

Rio Dolores, CO class II private only 50 miles

Salmon River, ID class III private only 760 miles
(Main Fork)
Salmon River, ID class III-IV private only 315 miles
(Middle Fork)
Gila River, NM class II private only 50 miles

Blackfoot River, MT class II-III private only 50 miles

San Juan River, UT class II private only 30 miles

Bitterroot River, MT class II private only 20 miles

Clark Fork River, MT class II-III private only 20 miles

Verde River, AZ class II private only 20 miles

8,742 total miles



2007 Arkansas season average guess
Arkansas River 864mi mostly commercial
Clear Creek 7mi private
Chamma River 35mi commercial

[RiverMamma]

Oh, & I supose I can just talk to Wylie while I'm down there & half your refrences (Siamon, Ian, Justin, BobbyJo, etc...) are right there too... duh.

[RiverMamma]

03/29/09

Moon Tide Lament

Yesterday, my body took initiative to flow…
Dark, like the Desert Earth
my feet soon shall trod upon,
wiggling toes in the dusty red clay…

Sorrow, my first response…
For What?
for life that does not Grow at each & every opportunity?
a Universal, Timeless episode of feeling?

for Time perhaps…
Not lost, just Flying.
One year… has it been a year?
She is one year old!

for Infancy…
slipping through my fingers,
something One can never hold,
but Tried to make it Linger…

Toddler.
My Daughter is a toddler!

Yesterday, my body took initiative to flow…
Dark like the Desert earth,

as though I were a maid again…
Flowing, Flowing, rowing,
down Desert Canyons.
the womb of Mother Earth,
her Child safe inside,
Flowing, Flowing, rowing,
riding My crimson Moon Tide.

But Mothers Must Flow Too!
& so My body Rhythms
send me packing to My Desert Rivers…
Flowing, Flowing, rowing,
taking Initiative for my burdened mind.
Flowing… Flow… Let Go…

[RiverMamma]

Milkies on the bus ride home!:

& Charlotte took her first raft ride (in an Avon,) allong with 8mo old baby Bella Rio. (photo comming soon!)

(she also had her first bootie washing session)

My Salt season was short (waaaay too short) but sweet (super sweet) not allot of work, but just what I needed (I think...)

Yes, Rivers do flow in confluence with motherhood. And Thank You to each & every one of you Mammas who forge that path with me. :

[RiverMamma]

Babies first raft ride!!!

Here it is!!! Picture of Baby Charlotte & Baby Bella's first faft ride!!! Salt River, AZ 4/15/09 (I think you can view more if you scroll...)

Damn... that link isn't gonna do it, is it... I'll see what I can do, sorry.

[RiverMamma]

Charlotte took her first down stream raft trip today!!!!!!!:::
We floated just a few miles of the senic stretch of the Rio Grande near Taos, NM today with mommy, Lala (our dog Alaska,) & Uncle Steve Harris (owner of Far falung Adventures & mommy's suroget dad... I guess that would make him Uncle Grandpa Steve Harris.) Anyways, it was Great!!! Charlotte had a blast!!! (& so did mommy!) Anyways, I probly need to chill out & let someone else post... I'v been a bit of a cerial poster latley. But I will soon post pictures of Charlottes first raft trip (& nursing while rafting!)

[RiverMamma]

Originally Posted by RiverMamma

Can I really stay true to all elements of my nature? Can I ride the waves & touch lives, & still be the best mother I can be? Will life allow me to stay the woman I was while beeing the woman I am? Does motherhood flow in confluence with Rivers?

I do not know how I will juggle motherhood & guyding, but somehow I will. After April though... where too? Will my husband have made decisions? Will he still be drinking? My lease is up in June... where will I camp next?

How many more Grand Canyon trips do I have to turn down before I can say yes?

Oh mighty River, help me to find my path again... help me to follow my heart & provide for my daughter in the best way I possibly can. I need to find my feet again, & my feet seem most sturdy in the bottom of a raft... so rafting I will go... somehow.

Wow... re-reading this post near the end of an eppic season on the Rio Grande spurrs my heart & tears... Life has been Good to me! Yes, Rivers do flow in confluence with motherhood! Life has restored me to my true self through both Motherhood & Rivers! my daughter held a mirror to my face to remind me of who I truly am... which has in turn, has returned me to my first true Love... the Rio Grande. (A much better consort than a drunk DH... I'll tell you that much!) Wow Life has been Good!!! I have been working on the Rio Grande for Kokopelli rafting in Santa Fe, NM & they have been soooo good to me! We had an amazing season in the Toas Box (our class IV section,) that was indescribibly healing for me (I really can't even begin to come close to describing the relationship that I have with this river & particularly that stretch of it... really, very intimate.) I feel better now than I have in YEARS! Literally. I AM ME AGAIN!!!!!:

& ahhh Grand... deep canyon of transition... this time I said YES! March 27-April 14 2010. Charlotte will stay w/ grandma & we will wean. Yes Jerm, it is happening, (we both sent in our deposits anyways!) & we will be better moms for it. without a doubt!

So, my feet have found the bottom of my raft & are anchored securely in my heart, mind, emotions, identity, Joy, & yup... finances too. Thank you River, for everything, thank you. And thank you Charlotte... :

Rio Grande de mi corazon!

[jtbuko]

Kayaking mom here!

I worked as a sea kayaking instructor on the SF Bay until kid #2 was born, and credit my vision of my happy place on the bay for getting me through natural childbirth (x2). Now I am on the east coast and paddle mainly flat water on the Potomac River with and without the kids. I did do a rafting guide school on the American River, but they refused to let me wrap a boat just so I could learn from the experience... and I was already in love with sea kayaking These days I paddle for fun rather than work, but hope to incorporate getting new moms and their little ones into nature (via facilitated hikes and paddles) into the little business I am forever putting off in favor of hanging with my own kids.

Life makes more sense on the water and I absolutely NEED to paddle to stay happy and sane. I am guessing folks in this tribe understand that need more than most so I am happy to have found you.

[RiverMamma]

Yay! Welcome to the tribe jtbuko! : As small as our tribe is... us boating mammas are out there! Who did you train with on the American? riverundine worked for Voyagers for many years... That seems strange that they wouldn't let you wrap, did they at least have you guys flipping? I hope... maby they were just concerned about wear & tear on the boat & equipment... oh well, not like it's the kind of situation you have to deal with very often. Anyways, yeah! I think it's totally important to get mammas & kiddo's outside! My friend Claire actually started a nonproffit organisation for the sole purpose of getting women & kids outdoors... check out her site! She Jumps And yeah... I most certainly understand that NEED...

[jtbuko]

Thanks for the welcome!

I did my guide school through Healing Waters so it was fairly low key...

Stopped by your friend's site briefly. Will come back and take a closer look soon.

[RiverMamma]

Ok, this thread needs revived! So I am a single mom & a full time raft guide. Ouch. But I am Passionet about rafting, and Passionet about my daughter! And as hard as it is... somehow I make it work... barely. Anyways, I really want to be connecting with other boater moms out there... so here's to throwing it out there! Yeah River Mammas!!!

[citymagnolia]

Hey, I'm happy to have found you guys on here. I haven't been boating in 2 years! But I worked a few summers in NC on the Nantahala and ran a few other rivers down there. We camped for 6 months during the boating seasons, right on the river. The only place that really feels like home! It was great because I kayaked to work, hitchhiked up river and kayaked home! I also loved that my dogs could run/swim downriver with me. I like to raft creeky class 4's-5's and kayak in more forgiving 2-3's.

My daughters haven't been boating, but we spend a lot of time playing and swimming in the rivers around here. I see a different side of them there that only comes out around the rivers.

I love to backpack too--usually solo with just my dog for company. DP and I are talking about getting a canoe and doing some backcountry paddling in the UP with the kids and the dogs late next summer. The best of both worlds.

Glad to meet you all.

[riverundine]

river mamas!!!  i've been off of mothering for some time ~ due to busy life, etc. ~ but decided to drop back in ~ and hit up this thread first.  lishy, are you still around?  i wanna go rafting.  i know it's the wrong season right now, but i've been organizing this rafting trip to india and can't keep my mind off of the river ~