At one with the river

On free-flowing Yampa River, group of strangers finds camaraderie amid natural beauty, history in Colorado River Basin

It is almost silent as our flotilla meanders westward to the Yampa River’s confluence with the Green River. Save for the sounds of oars slicing through water and songbirds chirping from the lush vegetation on the river’s banks, we — 21 guests and six river guides — are perfectly still as we float past enormous sandstone canyon walls. Even the kids appear to be transfixed, their eyes pinned to the glassy river surface or the rock walls that have come alive with the sun’s light as it climbs into the sky.

We’ve spent the previous five days rafting the last undammed tributary in the Colorado River Basin. Until now, our trip has been far from silent. There has been the crash of Class III and IV whitewater rapids, and gleeful shrieks when those rapids sent bracing river water into the boats.

The kids, seven in all, have peppered the guides with questions, laughed until they fell out of their camp chairs, played loud games of tag and hide-and-seek, and asked for seconds of dessert. They have not been silent. Ranging in age from 10 to 16, they bonded quickly on the first of our five days on the trip.

Since then, they’ve become a tightknit cohort, and their energetic bond has spread to the rest of us, seven middle-aged parents and seven older folk. We started the river trip as strangers, but within 24 hours of setting out on the Yampa, we have become a team of like-minded adventurers.

Granted, the river guides carry the responsibility for our adventure. Not only are they tasked with getting us safely through the myriad rapids and hauling us into the boat should one of us fall out, but they’re also in charge of keeping us fed and hydrated while teaching the history of this remote, stunning, prehistoric place.

Of all the rivers in the Colorado River tributary, the Yampa is the last without any dams. In May and June, melting snow from the Colorado high country causes the Yampa to swell, making for prime boating conditions. We are here in early June, and the

JAMES KAISER