Multi-day rafting trips website

My last post was about the origin of my whitewater campsites website. It was my first attempt at a website, and all things considered, it’s worked out as well as I could have hoped. After launching it, I went along for a couple of years, just glad to be posting new campsite photos. (In fact, that website has a 5 year anniversary coming up. Hmmm… I need to check on when that is.) Anyway, over the years I’ve learned a bit more, and as I looked back at the code behind the campsite site I began to sort of cringe. It’s pretty rough, and really needs a rewrite. So my next effort was to simply get better at Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript. To do so, I created a website about a trip I took to Bangalore India. The site was just an excuse to practice, but the experience was one I’ll never forget. What a trip!

So, since I’m such a white water rafting nut, and fairly detail-conscious (you can’t be a software developer for 25 years without being pretty meticulous), my brother started getting after me to write a book. I wasn’t up for the hassles of publishing hardcopy, inventory, costs, etc. So I started thinking that another website might be in order. The sport of white water rafting has so many dimensions. The web is full of, in fact dominated by, web sites of the commercial outfitters. They play up the image of busting waves, paddle rafts full of screaming clients, go big or go home. There are a few hobby websites out there with a trip report and some links, and organizations like AW and regional clubs, and a bunch of link farms that just point to all of the above.

So my thinking went like this: I love a good rapid as much as the next person, but there are so many other aspects of the sport of whitewater rafting that I just crave too. I figured I could do a site that helps to show the other sides of rafting trips: camp life, the fun times we have just coasting along, the side hikes, the native American art, the scenery, the food, the specialized equipment, the camaraderie, having great fun with family and friends, the wilderness isolation and self-sufficiency… you get the picture… I could go on and on. I hope to add quite a bit to it over the next couple years. And of course I’d like to add some nice examples of carnage for all those who love a good photo of such. And there is a lot to say on taking high-water trips, so I’ll be gathering material and photos this spring. The multi-day trips are what it’s all about for me. Everything about them, even the long drives and hard work of getting ready, and cleaning the gear when we get home. It’s what I do, and I love it all.

But in the meantime, this weekend is our big club float of the season, the Green River Cleanup. It’s about a 4.5 hour float, and the scenery is outstanding. It’s just really a treasure, right in Seattle’s back yard, less than an hour from downtown. If you ever get a chance, do it.