Rafting Season for 2011 Buttoned Up
Buttoned-up for the Season
Reaching this time of the year brings a big sigh of relief. Another successful river season has come to an end and now it is time to slow down, take and deep breathe and embrace fall and winter.
At the end of each season there is a good amount of work to be done to close up shop and get everything ready for winter. Guides that do not have school to go back to often hang around and help us get everything put up, for which we are very grateful.
We begin by breaking down our lunch camp. Cindy and Rock clean out the bear boxes and bring all of the supplies back to the warehouse kitchen. Then we send in a crew ready for some heavy lifting as all of the picnic tables, benches, serving tables, and the shade tent are brought back to our warehouse for winter storage. Finally, we rake and sweep as we strive to “leave no trace” for those who might use the area in the fall.
Then all of the boats must be patched if necessary, scrubbed clean and treated for winter storage. If you ever drive by our warehouse on boat cleaning day, you will know it. The yard is full of orange and gray boats and all colors of inflatable kayaks. Sometimes we have to wait around for good weather as the boats must be completely dry before being put away for the winter.
Next up is the washing of all life jackets, wet-suits, booties, and fleece jackets. Again, we need sunshine for this activity so nothing gets put away wet.
While all of this is going on, Cindy is cleaning out the kitchen, de-icing the refrigerators and storing everything in its winter home. And Heather is usually cleaning up and putting the office and retail area away.
When we’ve reached this point we usually bring everything from outside in and begin the jigsaw puzzle of how to fit the vehicles inside for the winter. The vehicles get winterized and the warehouse is good to go.
This year included another fall task, that of re-staining all of the buildings on our property. We decided to change things up and chose new stain and trim colors, so don’t be surprised next year when you show up and we have a new face!
