Our trip began 16 May, and we woke up before 7 am to load the boat and trailer and drive the 2.5 hrs to the launch ramp 20 miles outside White Sulfur Springs. When we arrived at 11 am we found out that we were the last ones there for the day and there were no campsites available until 24 miles in. It was 1pm when we were finally floating down the river, and we were a little worried as the water flow at the start was slow. Thank goodness for a full moon, because that is all we had when we pulled in just before 10 pm (even with Mitch rowing for 3 hours straight).
The Bear Outside our tent
When we arrived at Sunset Cliffs we hurried and set up camp. We were cold and tired, so dinner was short and we were in bed almost as soon as the sleeping bags were unrolled. I fell asleep immediately, I woke up a few hours later to Wesson, (the Smith's dog) growling. It was a little annoying but I thought nothing of it, and fell back to sleep. A few hours later the growling woke me again. This time I heard April ask Christian what Wesson was growling at. Christians response; A BEAR! Now, I was really awake and so was Mitch. April and Christian were looking out the tent door at the bear maybe 20 feet away on a cliff above our tent. I was tempted to go over and look but I was too scared to move. I looked over at the doorway and saw the shadow of Christian's gun, and that made me feel so much better. If we didn't have that gun, I don't think I would have slept again the whole trip. Christian said that if the bear had made any motion toward the tent would have shot a warning at the tree which should have scared him away. After a few minutes, that felt like hours, the bear walked away. I don't think he was a fan of Wesson's growling. I am so grateful for the dog who warned us and to Colt, or Browning or Smith and Wesson (do you get the dog's name now?) or whoever I need to be grateful to for the gun. When it was all over we were able to talk for a little while about how exciting that experience made our already super cool trip.
Since I married Mitch I have had way too many close encounters with bears! I wonder how many bears a person can see before one eats you? I hope that I never find out!
The next morning was beautiful with our site right across the river from sunset cliffs. We only had 16 miles to travel that day so we had a lazy morning of fishing, hiking and sitting around camp. We cooked hot dogs for lunch, and when we were back on the river, enjoyed another sunny, warm day with unbelievable scenery. We drifted under one tall towering cliff after another. We saw deer, beaver, the bear, horses and a ton of other wildlife. Jackson and Syndney sang songs and played guessing games on the front of the raft, and we took a few swimming breaks throughout the day. We arrived at our camp that night much earlier, and the kids threw rocks to Wesson for hours on our rock beach. The camp site couldn't have been prettier. We had spagetti and made smores before the kids went to bed. The next morning was beautiful as ever as we traveled the final 21 miles downriver to the takeout. Once again more incredible scenery as we cuddled with the kids and talked. We were off the river by early afternoon. We could believe how great the trip was, and hope we get the chance to do it again.
Since I married Mitch I have had way too many close encounters with bears! I wonder how many bears a person can see before one eats you? I hope that I never find out!
The next morning was beautiful with our site right across the river from sunset cliffs. We only had 16 miles to travel that day so we had a lazy morning of fishing, hiking and sitting around camp. We cooked hot dogs for lunch, and when we were back on the river, enjoyed another sunny, warm day with unbelievable scenery. We drifted under one tall towering cliff after another. We saw deer, beaver, the bear, horses and a ton of other wildlife. Jackson and Syndney sang songs and played guessing games on the front of the raft, and we took a few swimming breaks throughout the day. We arrived at our camp that night much earlier, and the kids threw rocks to Wesson for hours on our rock beach. The camp site couldn't have been prettier. We had spagetti and made smores before the kids went to bed. The next morning was beautiful as ever as we traveled the final 21 miles downriver to the takeout. Once again more incredible scenery as we cuddled with the kids and talked. We were off the river by early afternoon. We could believe how great the trip was, and hope we get the chance to do it again.
We took the cutest kids on this trip! We had our Jackson and Asher, and Sydney and Jackson are the Smith's kids. Also, if you were wondering, April is 7 months pregnant, such a trooper. For the three days this is how we sat, back to back on a cooler usually while holding a child. It was surprisingly comfortable. I rowed for about 10 minutes. Mitch and Christian did the other 23 hours and 50 minutes. Such a beautiful trip. We feel so lucky to have been able to do it, and on the only three warm days of the year so far.
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