FINDING YOUR HOME ON THE RIVER By Eric Johnson Finding the perfect home out on the range can be tough. In one area there are too many houses available, in another there aren’t any. This house is too “in” town and that house is too “outta” town. This one is too far from relatives or that one is too close. Maybe the yard isn’t big enough or it’s too big. Perhaps the house needs improvements or perhaps it really needs improvements. And, of course, the house is either too expensive or… as the bank says, “it’s way too expensive.” Fortunately, finding a home river is much easier. It’ll be the one with flowing water in it, wherever you find it.
The confluence of huge swaths of public land and free-flowing rivers in the West have created a unique recreation opportunity: a chance to launch a boat on a river, sleep along the river, wake up along the river, and repeat—for days, in some cases weeks, on end. Rafting trips are unique among wilderness travel. A raft can easily take you, your gear and your kitchen sink into the most inaccessible wilderness. So, even when you find yourself far from home, you are not far from the comforts of home. For the last 10 years, I’ve hauled my friends and family around the west running rivers. These rivers and river corridors have become like a second home to me. So, to extend the metaphor, let me show you around my rafting home away from home.
