Kicking off the fall semester, University of Idaho’s Outdoor Program is organizing the Vandal Welcome Raft for Saturday, Aug. 28. The one day whitewater rafting trip will take participants to ride the Salmon River.
Outdoor Program Assistant Director Sandra Townsend sees the trip as a fun opportunity to start off the semester meeting new people. She welcomes students of all skill levels to attend the trip.
“We are open to all experience levels and no one should feel intimidated to come on a trip, these trips are meant to help build experience and meet people where they are at,” Townsend said. “Everyone always has the same goal: to get out on the river and meet other people who love to get outside!”
The trip will be at the Lower Salmon River, an area north of Riggins, Idaho, nearly two and a half hours from Moscow.
“The Salmon River is an amazing spot to explore. The river itself is one of the main rivers here in Idaho and changes a lot in the geography as it goes through the state,” Townsend said.
At 425 miles, the river is one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the country.
“The area that we will be rafting on has more of a desert steppe feel, so lots of sage brush, exposed rock and beautiful canyons,” Townsend said.
Every year, Townsend has had graduates visit who regret not taking advantage of the Outdoor Program trips while they could. She urges students to take this opportunity to explore more of Idaho.
“People come to rafting for a variety of reasons: to adventure, meet other folks, get out of town, enjoy the scenery and more,” Townsend said. “I personally enjoy it because it’s a unique way to move through the landscape and I love having that shared experience with others.”
A pre-trip meeting on Aug. 26 at 5 pm will go over a list of personal equipment, the trip’s schedule and the program’s participant responsibility form. Other forms will be emailed as well in order to consider and adapt to any personalized needs.
The trip costs $85 for students and $100 for others. Sign ups begin Aug. 16 in person at the Outdoor Program in the Student Recreation Center. The deadline to sign up is by the pre-trip Aug. 26, though Townsend advises students to sign up before spaces fill up.
More about the Outdoor Program and other trips can be found on their page.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq