You never heard Huck Finn complaining about COVID-19.<\/p>\n
Floating down a river just might be a good way to escape from the coronavirus reality, if just temporarily.<\/p>\n
Precautions such as social distancing and mask-wearing make little sense when getting jostled by that big wave and drenched by spray.<\/p>\n
Glenwood Springs rafting companies say that if the experience on the water has changed, it\u2019s only for the better. Restrictions on occupancy mean there will be fewer people per boat, so each customer can get a little more personalized experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can have up to two separated parties together on a raft,\u201d said Gregory Cowan, co-owner of Defiance Rafting. So two groups of two people mean a trip of just four guests.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe experience is at an all-time high because more attention can be paid per individual,\u201d said Patrick Drake, co-owner of Blue Sky Adventures.<\/p>\n
Private trips are a bigger part of the business this year as well. It frees guests from concerns about mingling with others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been making private trips much more a part of the business than before,\u201d Drake said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t do so many private trips last year, but now it\u2019s about 50-50 (private to group trips),\u201d said Ken Murphy, Glenwood Adventure Company president. <\/p>\n
Some Tuesday rafters said that being out on the water seemed like a safe place to be.<\/p>\n
Natasha Paxia, visiting from California with her family of four, said, \u201cI felt like doing this (rafting) would be fine because you are out in the open space and not around a ton of people. I can\u2019t imagine someone sick doing this, so I felt like it was a perfectly safe option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Glen and Linda Goodwin, from Missouri, who have tested negative for COVID-19, scratched an item off their bucket list with Tuesday\u2019s raft trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel fairly safe. I think you can socially distance even in a raft as long as there aren\u2019t too many people in it,\u201d Glen Goodwin said. <\/p>\n
Cowan took the idea a step further.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to think that being outside doing this kind of activity is a benefit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And just because guests might forget about the coronavirus while rafting doesn\u2019t mean guide companies aren\u2019t taking all the necessary precautions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to be very forthright and transparent regarding coronavirus,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cEven before guests arrive we inform them through conversation about coronavirus mitigation and send links to our coronavirus protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the precautions aren\u2019t completely new.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur equipment got cleaned after each use previously anyway. There\u2019s not much difference in how we clean our equipment now, it\u2019s just more visible,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
Vehicle cleaning has gone up a notch, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery vehicle gets fogged at the end of the day,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
Social distancing comes into play around the shop and especially in vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest limiting factor is transportation,\u201d Cowan said.<\/p>\n
State guidelines limit vehicle capacity to 50%.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had to adapt because we\u2019re using more vehicles,\u201d Murphy said.<\/p>\n
On the boats, the 6-foot spacing is a bit more fluid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019ll be times when 6-foot spacing is not practical or desired,\u201d Cowan said, \u201clike when you fall out of the raft and we need to pull you in.\u201d <\/p>\n
Drake, however, said that with two groups on a boat together, Blue Sky does make an effort to keep them separated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe maintain one-thwart (an internal strut) spacing. That was an internal company decision, it\u2019s not specific in the rules,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Masks will be prevalent all the way to the river.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have points with our guest interaction where we require masks for both staff and guests. Any time when we\u2019re in vehicles everyone wears masks. We\u2019ll be deferential to some guests as well; if someone is adamant about wearing masks when it\u2019s recommended but not required, we\u2019ll honor that,\u201d Cowan said.<\/p>\n
But river safety trumps virus protocol while in the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuides need clear communication. They need to be heard when they make commands,\u201d Drake said.<\/p>\n
So when the rapids come, \u201cthe risk becomes greater to wear a mask,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While coronavirus protocols may be business as usual for guests, it hasn\u2019t necessarily been easy for rafting companies to make adjustments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our job to respond to that challenge, to provide additional accommodations, to squeeze out as much efficiency as possible and run through the form and function of a business,\u201d Cowan said.<\/p>\n
Or, as Murphy summed it up, \u201cIf you\u2019re not adapting and changing in this environment, you\u2019ll probably go out of business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n