Rafting with Outdoors Unlimited offers summer of a

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    By PAUL WELLING

    Rafting down the Green River with BYU’s Outdoors Unlimited can be an exciting, challenging experience.

    In the summer, Outdoors Unlimited runs about six rafting trips down the Green River for anyone who is interested. These trips are arranged to make the entire outing interesting and fun.

    “The whole trip is planned to be an experience — not just the river — but one grand experience,” said Jared Carlow, a guide and trip leader for Outdoors Unlimited.

    The trip begins with a drive into the Book Cliffs, just north of Green River. Camp is then made at a historical building called the Stone House.

    Although the exact history of the Stone House is unknown, it is believed to have been built by the Swasey brothers. The Stone House could have been used as a halfway house between two old settlements.

    Over the years, much has been done by BYU guided trips to keep the Stone House in good condition.

    “We’ve done service projects in years past on the Stone House,” said Raymond Poff, Recreation Services Coordinator. “We’ve done maintenance on the roof and the building.”

    During Friday’s trip, participants cut and fashioned a large beam to support the sagging roof. Using only a two-handed saw, cutting the beam proved to be quite a feat.

    “I kind of thought it was cool — but it would have been easier with a chain saw,” said Julie Welling, a trip participant from Plano, Texas.

    One of the main objectives that the guides try to accomplish is to build unity and teamwork among the participants. This is done the night before with a traditional volleyball game and campfire program.

    This is important because the participants will need to work together to make their way through the rapids.

    “It’s fun to see total strangers work together to achieve,” Carlow said.

    Achieving to Carlow sometimes goes beyond what strangers can attain together.

    “I think my greatest reward is to see people overcome a challenge,” Carlow said. “Some people are afraid of the water. They’ve had a bad experience before and that’s challenging for them.”

    But the trip is planned to run with the help of everyone there, not just the trip leaders. All the group helps out with responsibilities like cooking, inflating the rafts, deflating the rafts and loading the rafts.

    Participants in the trip also have a great chance to see the native wildlife. During the past trip, two mountain goats came right through the camp to drink at the river.

    “I thought it was neat to see the wildlife up close like that,” Welling said.

    On the second day of the trip, the group moves upriver to launch the boats. The people in the group can choose from six-person rafts or two-person boats called duckies.

    The rafts then move down the Green River over water that combines stretches of rapids with calm water.

    When the rafting is done and the boats are loaded back on the vans, the group moves to the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River, before returning to Provo.

    The rafting expeditions run by Outdoors Unlimited also provides internships for BYU students. According to Poff, students who want to be guides with this program attend four weeks of clinic and go on three rafting trips.

    To receive a state license to be a guide, the state requires a minimum of six river runs with a commercial outfitter. Guides are also required to pass a written test and have first aid skills, Poff said.

    Those interested in the trip can still sign up at Outdoors Unlimited in the Wilkinson Center.

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