I grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley, right on the Colorado River. I went on lots of big trips, but I think some of my favorite river stories are some of the smaller ones. Like when I would ditch class in the early springtime for runoff, taking a dunk in the river, and then coming back to Shakespeare class in high school dripping wet. Other times we would just be floating outside of the boat or out of the raft on a Tuesday with friends. We would bring pool supplies like inflatable sharks and flowers and alligators. It was great just being ridiculous and being able to float down the river. It was something different than your normal means of transportation.
It’s always fun to shake it up, not take yourself too seriously, and enjoy the resources that we have here. Everyone else around seems to love the rivers and everyone comes together on the rivers. I love the culture that rivers have the power to bring together. There’s a sense of collaboration that comes together, and also the raw power of the river. The river will win every time and the people understand the beauty and the danger, as well. Finding the balance of the two is really beautiful. It’s something that needs to be respected and we don’t want to see another gold king mine spill like in Animas River. I think that people are really starting to take it seriously with the national outlook perspective that we have in our rivers and fresh water.