Camping on a Rafting Trip
While it's a kick to run rapids and explore the river canyon all day, hanging around camp each night is equally pleasurable. Human beings have been sitting around, staring into and being warmed by the heat of campfires for a very long time. Campfires are just plain therapeutic; we all need more campfires in our lives!
Time in camp is time spent socializing, cooking, eating, playing games, napping, reading, and just hanging out. And of course, if you're on a private 'do-it-yourself' trip, there is work to do. But those of us who like to putter around find even the work to be relaxing.
Of course, the amount of work you do to pitch and break camp each day is a function of your experience. The more river rafting trips you take, the more efficient you become at loading and unloading your raft and setting up your camp gear. And you gradually acquire camp equipment that is durable and efficient to use and packs well on the boat. After awhile, every piece of gear you bring has its own regular place aboard the boat.
Low Impact Camping is Mandatory
Because white water river canyons are generally steep sided, the places to camp are very limited. So any place that is relatively flat ground gets used as a campsite and the most attractive sites get heavily used throughout the rafting season. No septic services and garbage trucks come by to clean up after river trip campers. So "Leave No Trace" camping is the rule on river rafting trips.
Sure, its not really 'leave no trace' because campsites are usually very obvious, but that's because they are the logical places for humans to live in the river corridor. The ground is free of vegetation and the soil is often compacted. But that should really be the limit of the damage to the land. River campsites will have flat ground, shelter from weather, easy access to the river and/or side streams, etc. But just because they are obvious doesn't grant a reason to abuse or 'improve' them.
Required Camp Gear
Regulatory agencies require every rafting party to carry certain pieces of gear. If you don't remember these items, they will simply turn you away so these items are must-haves! The purpose of much of the required equipment is to lessen the impact on the land: fire pans, strainers, river toilets (known by many as 'groovers'), ash cans, kitchen floor tarps, etc. And rafting parties are also expected to carry buckets for fighting runaway campfires.
Optional Camp Gear
White water rafting campsites are totally 'unimproved". That means there are no tables or fire places, fire grates, built-in barbeques, or water spigots. So rafts must carry such comfort items as chairs and tables, kitchen counters, and shelter against rain, sun, and wind, and hand-washing stations. So setting up camp can be quite a process. If everyone pitches in, the chores can be completed quickly. If some choose to slack off, tension can result so it is important to private rafting groups to make sure their members are compatible and contribute equally to the work around camp.
Fires and Fire Pans
Fire rings, meaning fires set directly on the ground are prohibited on most of the best whitewater rivers. Instead, rafting groups are required to use fire pans which contain the fire and ashes, or use no fires at all. Actually, a small fire elevated off the ground is a pleasant and warming fire.
Take Your Ashes and Garbage with You
Rafting parties carry metal or plastic containers to transport their campfire ashes. Rookie rafters put big pieces of wood on the fire late at night. Experienced rafters make sure the fire is out dead before going to bed, with no large pieces left to burn. A messy morning chore is to shovel all the ashes and fire debris into the ashcan to be loaded onto the boat. The next night, those ashes can be dumped back into the fire pan to protect the metal floor of the pan from the heat of the new fire. If the fire is not dead out by morning this chore is made more difficult and the wet ashes make for a heavier load in the ashcan.
Burn paper garbage if burning is allowed.
Haul all unburnable garbage out of the canyon on your raft.
In all cases, strain waste water to remove large particles of food. Put those particles in with the garbage. Beyond this first step, the rules for handling of waste water vary from river to river. In alpine river canyons the rule is to usually cast the waste water across the ground above the high water line. In contrast, desert river canyons cannot tolerate the waste water being cast on land since it rarely rains to flush and disperse contaminates into the soil. So the rule is usually to cast the waste water into the main current and let the river flush it out of the canyon.
Kitchen Tarps and Fire Blankets
Many rafting parties use tarps under the food preparation area to catch scraps and debris known as 'micro-trash'. Doing so tends to keep the campsite cleaner so that it attracts fewer animals and insects. While this is not a strict requirement on most rivers, this is a great habit to get into.
Likewise, it's a great practice to spread a fire blanket beneath the fire pan to catch the embers that fly out of the fire. In any case, fire pans should be elevated above the ground on rocks or steel frames to protect the ground from scorching.
Dealing with Bears
Uniquely, the Rogue River in Oregon provides electric fences at most of the campsites that are within bear habitat. Bears do appear from time to time on most western rivers. I've found several effective ways to deal with bears: I always bring an air-horn, and we use straps to bind all of our coolers and dry boxes into a giant cube on the beach. The bear will undoubtedly make noise when trying to deal with the cube. We wake up, blow the horn, and off they run. Of course, the obvious other steps are to keep a clean camp, and hang food out of reach. But those guys can really climb so suspending food high enough to be effective is a real chore. I prefer the cube technique.
Rig For Storms At Night
It's amazing how often bad weather can roll in after dark in the mountains. I have personally awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of a roaring wind, and poked my head out of the tent in time to see a 40 foot streamer of sparks from the campfire that rose from the dead and thoughts of multi-million-dollar lawsuits racing through my head. It was a dramatic and lasting lesson. We now tie boats down extra tight, secure all loose items including chairs, and generally make our campsites ship-shape unless the weather is unquestionably perfect.
Treat All Rivers the Same Way
Rivers are a surprisingly precious resource. Of the fresh water on the planet, only .036 percent is found in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. And only the tiniest fraction of that flows through terrain suitable for river rafting trips. Even though some rivers are not officially monitored or regulated, please all rivers the same, as the precious gems they are, not just those that happen to be the regulated ones.
