Winter River Ramblings

So it is that time of year again. Time to put away the paddle for a few months, and take out the snowboard, or skis (if your'e into that). When I was a teenager, I lived for this. I would sit on my parents couch (the same one they gave me for my apartment when I "grew up" and still use now) and watch the snow pile up on the mountains. I hit the mountain at least 60 days a year throughout high school. I thought I was going to be the next Jeremy Jones, snowboarding everyday, and never wanting to see the snow melt again.

Then something happened. The summer after I graduated high school, I took a job guiding some boats in Jackson, Wyoming. I had some friends talk me into it. I was pretty reluctant at first, but my first day on the river changed all that. I decided it was ok if the snow melting meant that we would have waves and eddies and current in the river. It was my new obsession. In just over a week, I had gone from being obsessed and addicted to snowboarding, to thinking about traveling to South America so I could get two summers in a row. Such is the power of the river.

There is only one problem. When I snowboard now, I only think about the river. If there is something flowing in February, I would rather hit that than a couple feet of our famous Utah powder (spoiled, I know). So I say to all you boaters out there, enjoy the dreams of endless whitewater, and try to enjoy the long winter. Hopefully you can make some trips to the warmer climates like Costa Rica to enjoy your paddling fix. If not, then at least do so in your dreams.