Twas the Night Before Put-In
Twas the night before put-in when all through the town,
Everyone gathered for the head guide's low-down.
He gave us our dry sacks, sleeping bags and pads,
And told us the trip plan, boy were we glad.
"Duckies," he said, "are definitely a blast,
"And fishing boats are perfect for those who can cast."
The children were wiggling in their seats with glee,
Thrilled for the river trip when they could roam free.
After talk of fun whitewater, bighorns, and more,
We made a last-minute trip to grab stuff from the store.
The kids got Nalgenes, headlamps, and chapstick.
Mom grabbed gin, I got the tonic.
Later that evening after packing our things,
We called the front desk to get our wake-up rings.
Then we curled up in bed, to get a good sleep,
The kids were out fast, without even a peep.
Twas late the night before put-in, when all through the Lodge
Not a person was stirring except from a dreamer's collage.
The camera and film were packed with great care,
In hopes that good photos would be taken out there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of rapids danced in their heads,
And Mamma and I, in our new capilene,
of soaking in hotsprings, and wine we did dream.
Twas the morning of put-in, at seven we did wake,
Grabbed our dry bags and headed to the bus we would take.
The guides greeted us with smiles as they lent us a hand,
And lucky for us, there was also a bluegrass band.
The guides rigged our bags and last minute stuff,
And we oohed and aahed, "they're so strong and so buff."
We jumped in our boats, and made quite a racket,
As we raced to get ready and put on our life jackets.
The river was flowing clear and clean,
A rip-roaring, free falling, big mountain stream.
The kids and I were in kayaks, shouting with glee,
Ecstatically immersed in whitewater sea.
Some folks fished with incredible skill (and luck),
The salmon and trout, were like magnets (they stuck!)
We stopped and feasted on a gourmet lunch,
I looked around - what a happy bunch.
After more rapids, thrills, and excitement,
We pulled into camp and made our way to our tents.
We grabbed our chairs and filled our cups,
Sat down for happy hour and jokes about ducks.
We ate brie and chipotle for an appetizer snack,
Then I took five for a pre-dinner nap.
That evening, by the campfire, a feast we did eat,
Pesto Pasta, Teriyaki Salmon, and a Dutch Oven treat.
My son turned to me, his face covered with cake,
He got an extra piece for keeping watch while it did bake.
"Life doesn't get any better than this, Dad,
I don't want it to end, it will be way too sad!"
"We have five more days, Son, we'll all enjoy floatin',
"Adventures we'll have while we're whitewater boatin'"
Well the days they went by, too quickly it seemed,
But fun times were had by all, great times indeed.
The last night we told our favorite stories from the vacation,
For some it was a surprise swim, others loved the relaxation.
We hugged and cheered, and said our good byes,
Glad that together we'd had the time of our lives.
We hope you enjoyed our poetic holiday spoof,
Although we sometimes exaggerate, this is all the truth!
We're counting the days 'till rafting starts in the spring,
For now, Happy Holidays from ECHO, river dreams we do bring.
by ECHO guide Tessa Sibbet
