White Water Rafting: Just One Reason We Settled Here

My first white water experience was over 20 years ago on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, just outside Salmon, Idaho.  It was a short half-day trip that launched just outside town and followed the river along some Class I and II rapids, but culminating in a wonderful Class III+ rapid where everyone got wet and then we pulled out of the river.

Five years later, I was invited to go on a trip down the Wild and Scenic Wilderness section of the Chama River in Northern New Mexico.  I was hooked!  

A View from Alongside the Rio Chama by Brad Malone

Shortly after moving to New Mexico permanently in 2005, Michael and I were invited on a trip down the Chama in mid-April.  Spring weather being what it is in Northern New Mexico, we started out on a beautiful sunny day, set up camp alongside the river as the skies turned overcast and woke up the next morning with about 8" of snow on the ground.

Being old hands at back-country camping, Michael and I had the right clothing and the right tent and sleeping bags.  The friends who had invited us along for this first trip had all the rest of the gear, including a portable kitchen and shelter for breakfast.  

That first morning alongside the Rio Chama, high in the back country, Michael sprung a surprise on our hosts.  He produced all the ingredients for an amazing gourmet breakfast and then proceeded to shoo us all away while he made blueberry buttermilk pancakes, bacon and sausage, along with fresh fruits and juices.  I was jokingly told by one friend that Michael would always be welcome on their white water trips, but I was another story.  Only after I completely cleaned up and put everything away did I earn my right to future invitations.

Since that time, we've spent a lot of time on the Chama River.  If you want an extended white water adventure, that is one of the destinations you can book from the outfitters here in Taos.  The drive over to the "put-in" is about an hour west of us.  The river flows south through an ever-deepening canyon that becomes a gorge lined with sandstone walls.  After about 30 miles or so, you suddenly come upon the amazing Christ of the Desert Monastery, a Benedictine enclave alongside the river (and the subject of a future discussion in this blog).

Walls of the Piedre Lumbre by Brad Malone

 At the Monastery, the walls of the canyon begin to open up dramatically into what is now commonly called "O'Keefe Country" where Georgia O'Keefe lived and painted for so many years in the 20th Century.  Layers of red, orange, yellow and even green stone shine above the plain where the Chama River forms Class II and III rapids.

Skull Bridge Rapid on the Rio Chama by Brad Malone

 In my next entry, I'll write about the Taos Box along the Rio Grande and the trips you can take on that white water as part of the Adventure Package La Posada de Taos is offering this year.