With a whoosh and a roar, the river threatens to suck you into a hole you've
called the Maytag. Go anywhere near it and you'll be dragged in for a
good solid wash. As a river rafting guide, you know the river's tricks.
Staying upright in wild water is your claim to fame.
Like most people, veteran guide Claudia Vanwijk has a particular phobia.
However, hers is a little unusual: she is scared of water. "I'm very
afraid of water," says Vanwijk. "I don't like swimming whitewater...I
prefer to stay upright."
Vanwijk has an almost instinctive understanding of the way that whitewater
works and has developed a knack for staying out of it. She's been tackling
the stuff since she was an infant.
"I've been kayaking since I was three years old. I grew up paddling
and grew up around whitewater," says Vanwijk.
The point of rafting, of course, is not to swim. While Vanwijk can handle
an accidental swim through rapids, it's not everyone's idea of a
good time. "It's not scary for me, but it's a challenge. When people
do swim, [they] aren't in their element of comfort anymore. So you want
to make sure that you get them into a comfort zone as quickly as possible
again."
The point of guiding is not to scare people or have them holding on to
the raft for dear life. If a sketchy rapid looms ahead, every client should
have the option to walk on solid ground. Vanwijk explains, "Just before you
descend every rapid, you talk about what's coming up and give your customers
the option to walk. Nothing's forced upon them."
For Vanwijk, the most rewarding part about guiding is the rush that it
gives her clients. "You're always dealing with people that don't
have the skills that I do. And that's where rafting is so special....You're
able to take these people down whitewater that would normally take years of
practice to be able to attain."
As a final word of warning, Vanwijk adds, "It looks like a dream job and
it is, but it is only a stepping-stone."
She says that it could be just the right thing for summer work between
school terms. However, it isn't something most people can do for years
and years without making some sort of transition.
"It's seasonal and it only can go so far," says Vanwjik.
"To raise a family and to have a career for life, I would not agree with it.
But it's a wonderful stepping-stone, because it gives you incredible
people skills and confidence in yourself."
Some people do make it as full-time professional guides. Bob Meister is
one of them. Guiding was not part of Meister's grand plan, but he stumbled
upon a chance to try it out and loved it.
"I graduated from college and couldn't find a job right away," says
Meister. "I've always been a fishing fanatic and I met a person who was
a fishing guide. [He] talked me into doing a couple trips for him because
he had to go a wedding and I really enjoyed it. So, I went from there."
Twenty years later, Meister has all kinds of stories to tell. One in particular
sticks in his mind. "The time I had to help some people out," says Meister.
"I was actually still in a raft at the bottom of the rapids, so it's
basically just trying to keep people calm and get them back in the boats as
quickly as possible. And there were some people stuck on the rocks and we
had to get as close to them as we could and keep them calm. [We tried] to
coax them into jumping into the water, which is very hard to do, but that's
the only way you can get them into the water."
Throughout his entire guiding history, says Meister, he has never personally
flipped a raft.
Guides experience a true cross-section of people. On a multi-day trip,
a guide really has to pay attention to a client's needs. Some will be
weak, while others are strong. Some will be giggly and loud, while others
may be silent and thoughtful.
According to Meister, many important decisions have to be made according
to the types of people you're dealing with at the time. He gives an example:
"Sometimes we have people aren't in very good shape and they can't
get up the hill to the toilet, so we have to get to a campground that's
easier to get to."