White Water Rafting Trip

As the temperatures rose in San Jose, it was time that we took the kids to cool off on an adventure filled trip camping and rafting. Sixteen students and five adults headed to Camp Lotus at the South Fork of the American River. Armed with tents, sleeping bags, and cooking supplies from the wonderful organization Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) the CCPY team was ready to take on the some serious white water rafting.

Once they arrived, they made camp- pitched tents and split into teams to ensure that the responsibilities were divided evenly. If one group made dinner for everyone, the other was responsible for cleaning up. This taught the students a sense of responsibility and the need to provide for one another.

After a "quiet" night camped by the river, the fueling up began with breakfast in preparation for a long, hard day in the sun. The group headed to the river where they were split into four rafts of students and one raft of staff who carried lunch. The students had to work together to paddle effectively down the river. If you’ve ever been white water rafting, you know how easy it is to all of a sudden be headed for a big rock or paddling in a circle! Luckily under the wonderful care of trained guides from Friends of the River, the group had great success and most importantly, fun! Few people stayed dry, while most didn’t and headed overboard for a much needed refresh from the hot sun. Following their long hard day in the water, CCPY joined their river guides around the campsite for a closing circle. They closed their trip with another dinner and an evening around the campfire sharing lessons learned, personal experiences, and fun stories. The excursion was definitely a success, one we hope we can repeat next summer again with fund from the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force - Safe Summer Initiative.