Firstly let me begin by stating that I 100%, two thumbs up, 5 stars recommend Mountain Descents for white water rafting in Three Rivers. My family and I stayed in Three Rivers last week to visit Sequoia National Park, and while there we saw advertisements for white water rafting. My dad and I were more gung-ho about going rafting than my brother, mom and grandmother but when I explained to them that there was a Fun Run option they began to be more on board with the experience. My parents, siblings and I have rafted through a river in Yosemite when I was younger but we had never gone white water rafting before, so we were extremely fresh beginners. This appeared to be a small challenge for Amicaya (Kayaked next to us to help guide and free us from anything our raft could get stuck on. He is also a registered nurse) and Erica (our guide who was in the raft with us), who were extremely professional, knowledgable, kind and just so much fun.
To begin the trip, we drove to a meet up spot about 5 minutes from their office location. We got geared up with helmets and life jackets that, fun fact, are made to help your body and head float should you become unconscious in the river. Erica went over detailed safety and basic white water rafting instructions with us. She explained the types of paddling strokes we would perform in the river, commands we should follow (like GET DOWN, means to get your body fully in the raft) and what to do should we fall out of the raft.
Erica's humor and calming nature really helped to neutralize my Mom's growing fear in the river (she's a worry wort and tends to work her anxiety up - my 85 year old grandmother was more relaxed) and made the overall trip truly enjoyable. At the start, my dad and I made it known that we would basically be the only two people really focused on paddling and getting the raft to where it needs to be. I especially liked how between rapids and when the river was more calm, Erica worked with the whole crew on practicing strokes and commands. This only ensured that we were knowledgable about what to do in the river and decreased our chances of falling into the river. We went through about 5 rapids. Erica expertly guided us through the river and Amicaya was kayaking close by helping to guide us through as well. The trip ends in the beautiful Lake Kaweah, where we then paddled about 15 minutes to reach the docks. It was a fully body workout, and so worth it! Not one person in our raft (which remember includes my terrified mother, my 85 year old grandmother and my less than focused younger brother) fell in the river. I largely credit this to Erica's expertise, calming nature and her overall ability to foresee what is needed in the moment before it has happened. I felt extremely safe and most importantly my family thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It is a story we are telling over and over again to the rest of our family. My other brother is already planning a future trip to Three Rivers, and it will include white water rafting with Mountain Descents.
Thank you Amicaya, Erica and Mountain Descents for this amazing experience! read more