White Water Rafting - Preserve Your Experiences
White water rafting is simply a blast and a great way to get
away from the clutter of life. Alas, your rafting experiences
can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a
white water rafting journal.
White Water Rafting Journals
Take a minute to give some consideration to your most recent
rafting trip. What sticks out in your mind? Where the rapids
raging, the water low or somebody hilariously falling out of the
boat? Now think about the first time you ever went white water
rafting. I bet you can't remember much about the trip besides a
few snippets. The experiences you've forgotten are lost to time.
If you keep a white water rafting journal, this won't be the
case.
There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout
time. Of course, Anne Frank's Diary is the best example. In her
diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her
family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your white water
rafting experiences better be more lighthearted, keeping a
journal will let you remember them as the years pass.
A good white water rafting journal combines a number of
characteristics. First, it should be compact. Second, it should
have a case to protect it from getting wet and turned to mulch.
Third, the journal should contain blank areas to write your
notes. Fourth, the journal should contain cue spaces to remind
you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should include:
1. Who you went white water rafting with,
2. Where you went rafting and the time of year,
3. Who you met and contact information for them,
4. The river and weather conditions,
5. How challenging the river was, and
6. Any events that occurred while off the river.
At the end of the rafting trip, you should be able to get the
following from your journal:
1. Contact information for other rafters you met,
2. Details of the trip, whether you would go again and perhaps
better times to do so.
3. Memories to reflect upon years later, and
4. Something to pass on to your friends, children and
grandchildren.
To get the most out of your white water rafting journal, you
should write in it just before you start, during breaks such as
lunch and when you return. If you go with friends or your
family, the journal will turn into a keepsake for the family.
During family events such as the holidays, it makes for great
reading. As you grow older [and we all do], the journal will
make great fodder for reflection.
White water rafting is a blast that shouldn't fade with time.
Make sure to preserve the experience with your white water
rafting journal.