Rapids Are Flowing For Whitewater Rafting in Carlton

CARLTON, Minn. — For 12 years, Swiftwater Adventures in Carlton has been helping people cross an item off their bucket list.

“We offer white water rafting trips on two different sections of the St Louis River,” Brian Pfeifer, Co-Owner of Swiftwater Adventures said.

After water levels started off low this summer, rain has made for some fun times on the river this season.

“Even though it’s the most fun in the rain, people just don’t think, Hey, I should go rafting today. But we do have all the gear to keep people warm and have a good time even when it’s cold and rainy,” Pfefifer said.

The first step is gearing up with life jacket, a helmet and a paddle. Which is just what a group of teachers from Rock Ridge did before hitting the water.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for years, and Sarah finally said, we doing it, and we picked the dates and sticking with it,” 4th Grade Teacher Jeff Teasck said.

While many of the teachers have been whitewater rafting before, no trip is same.

“You get out there in a raft and you don’t know what to expect, the water, the waves, the rapids, it’s just it’s exciting,” Teasck said.

“To me, it’s like a game of chess trying to figure out how to navigate the rapid having a plan A, a plan B. What to do if you get to Plan C and you want to get back to plan A,” Pfeifer said.

Before each trip, the groups are ran through a safety briefing and told what to expect.

“If we’re on the upper section, it’s about six rapids. They kind of progressively get bigger as we go,” Pfeifer said.

While on the river, it’s likely you will run into more then just rapids.

“Aside from the white water that they’re gonna see, we do see quite a bit of wildlife, a lot of birds, Ospreys, blue herons, bald eagles,” Pfeifer said.

Whether you have experience or not, the adrenaline is always rushing when you hop in the raft.

“I’d say it’s totally normal to be a little bit nervous, but that’s what we’re here for. That’s why you’re coming to us in the first place. We have an awesome safety record. We take it really seriously and help people push through those fears. That’s my favorite part of the job.” Pfeifer said.

No experience is necessary, as Swiftwater Adventures invites newcomers to get a taste of rapids.