By BRADLEY S. RICHARDSON
As the hot summer sun melts snow off mountains near Jackson Hole, Wyo., the Snake River is fueled for another season of wild white-water rafting.
The river is unique in that it provides riders with a 'rush' of difficult rapids, but has considerably few accidents and deaths each year.
'This time of year it's pretty forgiving,' said Jan Langerman, recreation forester in the Jackson area. 'We call it our splash-and-giggle river because it's not too technical.'
Weekends on the river are crowded with both commercial and private boats. The greatest danger is the crowds on the river.
About 40 percent of the private riders are from the Wasatch Front, Langerman said.
'Go with someone that has been down the river before,' she said. 'That's the safest way to learn the river.'
'We've still got rapids big enough to turn boats over,' said Jack Scofield, river monitor for the Forest Service. 'You should know the river or follow somebody that does so you can emulate them.'
'The water is just about the right height for real good fun,' Scofield said.
'This is a good river for beginners,' said Dennis Collings, from Idaho Falls. Collings has ridden the 8.3 mile stretch from West Table to Sheep Gulch 14 or 15 times. 'Its got some good rapids on it.'
'There are two rapids, Kahuna and Lunch Counter,' Collings said. 'They are probably a couple hundred yards apart.'
Lunch Counter is considered a class three rapid while Kahuna is class two or two and a half, he said. The white-water rapid scale is one to five, five being the most technical.
'You need to respect it,' Collings said. 'If you don't know how to swim you really shouldn't be running on the river even with a life jacket.'
'There is generally on the average one death per year on that stretch,' he said. 'But there are thousands of people that go down each year.'
Collings and several members of the crew were thrown from their raft during a ride Saturday.
'If you fall out in a rapid you are supposed to point your feet down the river and lean back,' Collings said. 'If your feet aren't in front of you, you run the risk of your feet getting caught in underwater objects -- on a rock or a log -- and the water will just hold you underneath.'
Collings said most people feel like they will drown when they fall out of the boat, but riders should try to stay calm.
'You take a big gasp of air and hold it because you see yourself going into the crest crashing down on you,' he said. 'You are through it in 10 or 15 seconds.'
'You can't really see anything and the water is crashing around you,' Collings said. 'It's just a matter of not swallowing a lot of water.'
When rafters are unsure of rapids, they should leave their boats and scout the rapids for hazards. Beginners may want to ride in larger rafts, which lessen the chances of capsizing.
'They are more stable and smooth through the rapid,' he said.
Water is cold but tolerable in a swimming suit. Those interested in floating the river privately can rent rafts near Jackson Hole.