A trip that was two years in the making finally came to fruition on an overcast day in October. Covid played havoc with river rafting trips last year, cancelling both, and the need to get on the river was evident as 20 students registered for the trip. Students travelled out to Chilliwack River Rafting and then hopped the resort bus to Chipmunk Caves. At this point they donned program helmets and headlamps and traversed their way through two naturally formed caves on the banks of the Chilliwack River. The first cave saw the whole group work their way through a beginner cave, only requiring them to crawl at one point through a semi narrow opening to complete the challenge. The second cave saw students enter cave 3 and gain over 50m of elevation as they wove their way through narrow openings, deprived of all natural light and sound. Following this the students returned to the resort for lunch, and then prepared for their rafting excursion on the Chilliwack River. On the river students split into 4 rafts, and learnt how to paddle as a group, braving the identified hazards associated with whitewater rafting. After many big hits, many laughs at Mr. Rahe falling out of his kayak 7 times, and a visit to a gorgeous waterfall, students successfully navigated Tamihi Rapids without anyone falling out of their rafts. In the end there were tons of smiles, a sense of accomplishment, and great memories made. Outdoor Education students please leave a 100 word blog response below.
Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education 
This trip was definitely one of the most exiting trips ive been on so far. I loved getting the chance to try out different levels in splunking and absolutely love the river rafting. I also loved how the property looked. it was super cool and off the grid looking. I had so much fun on this trip!
What were some specific things that stood out to you and what might you do differently in terms of planning?
The white water river rafting trip will always be one to remember. I had always been scared of natural bodies of water, terrified of what’s in the unknown, but I came to find out after the trip, that I had so much fun, that wasn’t even something that crossed my mind at all. I learned that I really love going out on the river like this. Not only did I get the thrill of the rapids, the calm water was also really nice and relaxing. I wish that I had brought my GoPro on the river, but I had left it at home, and I think there would’ve been some cool videos. Going back to the caves, I wish that the first one wasn’t as tight, because even though it was a beginner one, my claustrophobia was still kicking in. Overall it was a very exciting trip and a good one to remember.
Sounds like you enjoyed the experience. Yes the caves will do that to you but I think that makes it more rewarding when you’re able to overcome your fears.
On this trip, I learned different types of methods of swimming in the rapid waters if you fall in. And how to control a raft. When caving, I learned how to move my body in order to fit in tight spaces and how to figure out how to get out of tight situations. Things I learned about myself on this trip was that nature is always so helpful when it comes to stress. When we went underneath the waterfall it was such a relaxing experience. If anything could have gone differently it would’ve been to have more time to raft or start a little further up the river. Next time, I would’ve prepared more clothes and layers to wear after the trip.
Great! It sounds like you had a good experience!
the caving was such a cool expirience and helped me get out of my comfort zone when it came to tight and very narrow defined spaces, i didnt end up doing cave 3 even though i wanted to i was too scared to go. the walk there and back from the caves was nice and relaxing. i had lots of fun on the river rafting part of the trip, i hadn’t fell out of the raft once, and neither did anyone on my boat. getting to see the waterfall and being right next to it was very cool, even though i slipped i still had an amazing time with all of my friends.
Sounds like a good time. Anything you might do differently on future rafting trips?
River rafting was a terrific experience! From the amazing sights to the thrill of rafting alongside my fellow classmates, it was truly amazing. I had gone river rafting before but it was nothing compared to this time. The first time I went it was a cold and gloomy day, not made for spending a day outdoors in glacier water. However, when I went with my class the weather was absolutely perfect. It was perfectly sunny all throughout the day, making it the perfect day to go rafting. In addition, everyone was super friendly, nothing makes a good day like the people you spend with it with! Comparing the two times I’ve gone river rafting this one is by far the best!
We really did get lucky with the weather on this trip. Did you learn anything different on this trip compared to the first one?
I had so much fun on this trip, it was a great way to get out of my comfort zone. I crawled through a very small cave which was really nerve racking because I kept thinking I was going the wrong way as I could not hear anything or anyone. Rafting was a really cool experience, we had to work as a team to move in the right direction and to not fall out, I still fell out but it was a really funny and surprisingly not that cold. We got to walk to a waterfall which was so fun because we went underneath it and got really wet. I totally would do this again and try to test my boundaries even more.
That’s great to hear. Yes that cave gives me the chills as well. Any particular skills that you picked up from going on this trip?
This trip was so much fun!!! I had never tried river rafting or caving before and it really made me want to go on more spelunking & river adventures:).
We got to chipmunk caves early in the morning after a long bus ride, and I wasn’t fully awake until going into cave 3 where I was faced with some pretty difficult moves. I wasn’t completely sure what I was getting myself into, but as soon as I got about half way through the cave, fight or flight mode came rushing through my head and my only option was to fight through it and contort my body to squeeze through the tightest spaces between the rock. It felt so rewarding after getting out and really made me appreciate having the freedom and space to move around outside. After caving, we rode the bus up to the river rafting place and ate some yummy lunch, we then suited up and went through a breakdown of rules & expectations while on the river. The tide was pretty low so there weren’t a whole lot of rapids but when there were it was really exciting! I also enjoyed the scenery a lot, the mountains and trees were extraordinarily beautiful to see, and at one point I felt my eyes starting to water lol. This trip made me feel so proud and privileged to be Canadian and get to live in this beautiful place.
I’m glad you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone on this trip. What skills do you think you developed that you remember if you do this again?
I had an amazing time at the river rafting and caving field trip. As soon as we arrived everyone one was given safety equipment and we headed straight to the caves where I went out of my comfort zone to go through the level three cave which was tight but I’m glad I went in the cave since it was something I never tried before. It was very fun. After we were finished with caving we headed down to the resort to eat lunch provided by the resort. After lunch the weather was nice and we got ready to get on our rafts. River rafting was fun as we headed down the Chilliwack river It became more fun since there were more rapids, but I found it more amusing to see Mr. Rahe fall off his kayak 7 times.
I was simply testing the water temperature for my students…
I had never been caving or river rafting before but I decided to give it a try by going on this trip. I had thought the caving would be just walking into a giant cavern but I was very wrong. I went way out of my comfort zone by going into the last cave but it was well worth it. It was tight squeeze and halfway through I almost panicked, but in the end I’m glad I did it and would 100% do it again. After some lunch, we got ready for some rafting and got put into groups. Off we went into the river and thankfully, the weather was perfect with no rain, a good temperature and the beautiful fall colors to enjoy as we cruised down the river. I was surprised by the fact that we got to go behind an amazing waterfall and that was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. After that we went through some more rapids and finally stopped at the resort. After changing, some of us had a great time playing some volleyball for half an hour and then finally went home after a wonderful day of making memories and having fun.
We definitely got lucky with the weather and I’m glad I got to know you better on this trip. Any skills you might take away from the experience?
The Trip was lots of fun, I had a blast crawling thought the level three tunnel. It was muddy and there where lots of bugs but in the end I enjoyed doing something new. Also the white water rafting was thrilling. The water fall we stopped at during the rafting was so awesome, it was cold and slippery but that just adds to the fun. I learned lots about water safety and I even got to pull someone back in the boat from the water. The end of the trip warming at the fire and playing volleyball was a good time to relax slightly form the adventure filled day.
Sounds like a successful trip. What were some things you learnt?
Caving for me I didn’t love but it was not bad i recommend everyone to at least do the first cave offered its not difficult just a bit wet but it was very easy overall. River rafting was one of the most fun thing’s I’ve done, I definitely recommend going if you get an opportunity. Its quite scary and cold at the start but they bring you to some amazing local landmarks like a waterfall and you can see lots of fish in the nearby area, please if you have the chance to go on this trip definitely go.
Glad you enjoyed the trip. What were some things you learnt by taking part in it?
I learned about the different levels of rapids, I didn’t know that there were 5 levels and I didn’t know what they actually looked like which I obviously learned while going down the river which I really enjoyed learning about.
This was one of the trips that I was looking forward to most throughout the course so far. This was the first time I’ve ever been caving or river rafting, and it was an awesome experience. While going through the caves I didn’t know that it was going to be so tight and muddy, so next time I’ll definitely bring an extra change of clothes. I also learned how frigid the Chilliwack River is after falling out of the raft! The only thing that I wish could’ve been different was the gloomy weather, but other than that it was great!
Good reflection. What were some of the trip highlights for you?
This trip was probably one of the coolest things I’ve done in a long time. One of the many things I really enjoyed was the caving. I loved how I had to crawl my way through the third cave and how we had to sit in there for a bite. It was really awesome that we could do all of that without any special gear. Another thing I really enjoyed was the waterfall. Even though I couldn’t see very much of the rafting trip, (because I forgot my contact lenses) I loved the little walk to the waterfall and how we all could walk underneath it. One thing I would do differently would be to wear contact lenses so I could have seen more during the rafting portion, and to bring an extra pair of shoes. I had to borrow a pair of Jael’s shoes because mine were super gross after caving. But those two things weren’t that big of a deal and Still had a lot of fun. Thank you so much Mr. Rahe and Mr. Lowen for making this possible!
That’s too bad that you couldn’t see very much 😦 I’m glad you enjoyed yourself anyways but I guess that means you will have to come again on a future rafting trip!
I’m so glad I went on this trip!! I was kinda sad that it was on a day when we didn’t have school because I wanted to sleep in. But it was totally worth it!!!! The caving was not at all what I expected. I thought it was gonna be more like othello tunnels where you just walk through a cave. At first the first one seemed scary cause the hole seemed really small. We couldn’t see because there was a bunch of people in front of me whose flashlights weren’t working. But once we got in the cave it turned out bigger than I thought so it wasn’t that scary. I kinda regret that I didn’t go in the second one. River rafting was so fun! It was my first time and I definitely want to do it again. It was funny seeing mr rahe fall so many times! And the resort was so fun! I loved warming up at the fire and playing volleyball.
Sounds like a lot of good memories were made. Hope to get you on the river again in the future!
This was one of my most anticipated trips for the year and I was super excited to go. What I didn’t know is that we would be going caving before river rafting. I’ve always wanted to go caving but the idea seemed a little freaky at first. The first cave we did was barely even a cave. It was just in and out, it was very open. The second cave we did took around 10-12 minutes and I got the honour of going first, it was a very tight space. I had to go on my stomach, back and crawl all around to get to the end, a cool part about this was how silent it was, there were no ambient sounds. It was also pitch black if I was to turn off my light I would be able to see. At one point I saw a spider and looked at the ceiling to see a bunch of moths. It was a really weird experience because at the end of the cave I didn’t even feel like it had been even 5 minutes. Spelunking was my favourite part of this trip and I would like to do this more. After spelunking we got back on the bus and headed over to river rafting, we ate a meal before getting into wet suits and then going through safety. The safety makes it sound way scarier than it actually is. We got on the raft and went off, it was really cool to be on water moving this fast. The river rafting was kind of overshadowed by the spelunking but it was still a huge highlight. I would love to go spelunking and/or river rafting again.
Great! Anything you might do differently next time?
On October 11, 2021 I went on a River Rafting and Caving trip from Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education. The first thing we did when we got there was caving, I was actually really scared about the caving because I watched videos on it before we actually went and they made it seem way worse than it actually is. The first cave was honestly REALLY EASY, but when we got to the second cave I started to get a lil nervous I was originally going to not do it but I ended up going and was extremely fun even with my flashlight not working I wasn’t nervous I made it up with all my friends and it was really chill just laying there talking. At the end of the second cave there was a really weird area that you had to push yourself up to actually be able to move your legs and that was probably the scariest part of it and not at the same time because it was the end of the cave so it was like 50/50. After we went caving we went to the resort to eat a little bit and then went river rafting, AND BRO RIVER RAFTING WAS SO MUCH FUN! We had a really cool instructor. He was from a small city in Quebec and actually taught us some things like the dead fish, the mudslide, that there was a plane crash in the mountain, and the names of the mountains. During this trip I actually learned A LOT like how much flexibility you need for caving and the muscle endurance for river rafting. I learned that I actually like caving, before I was kinda not interested in the idea of caving but now I actually want to do it again. I wish that the rafts were a lot harder. It was still a lot of fun but I heard that the river is a lot harder during spring so I will most likely come again for next semester. In conclusion I had A LOT of fun going on this trip and I’m definitely going to go again next semester. Hopefully it will be even more fun with the harder river.
I know what you mean about the caving. I am not a fan of tight spaces but once you accomplish it I find it pretty exciting. Every river trip is different and depends so much on water levels-hope to see you out on the next trip!
This was honestly my favorite trip so far, I’ve been white water rafting before but that was years ago. Now that i’ve done it again I can firmly say white water rafting has got to be one of my favorite activities, We got to the caves, put helmets on and went through, I could have been more prepared with my choice of pants for caving but other than that i was good enough. The rafting itself was a little terrifying, almost fell out a couple times but other than that it was really fun. after rafting we got back to the camp, played volleyball, and waited for our time to leave.
Overall i would say it was an amazing trip, i had so much fun and i cant wait to do it again. I was almost prepares enough other than a jacket and better pants but that didn’t really matter since we had to change into neoprene anyways
What are some of the memories that you will take away from this experience?