Cold Water Revival

Teddy Doggett ‘27

My roommates and I are all surfers and we had been missing the sensation of powerful waves. In search of that feeling, on the second weekend of block one, we embarked on a white-water rafting trip with another group of friends. As the Saturday morning sun hit the river, our mostly novice fleet of kayaks and rafts prepared for some much needed time in the water. During our paddle, the seven of us experienced the beginning of fall foliage, Rasty’s sandwiches, and lots of laughter. Our paddle began with a calm section of the Platte, rich with beautiful views and refreshing water. A couple of miles in, we experienced a series of rapids which, at one point, ejected multiple of us. Some of us were lucky enough to hold onto all of our gear, but the same couldn’t be said for the rest. Upon a water exit, Jeremy lost his paddle, only for it to be found an hour later. As we were lazily snacking by the river, Oscar shouted, “there’s Jeremy’s paddle, it’s floating down the river!” Before I knew what I was doing,  I was sprinting down the river trail with Jeremy, then hopping back into the bone-chilling water to fetch the rogue paddle. 

Our trip to the cold Colorado white water reminded us of big surf, taming our longing for the ocean. The best part, though, was sharing this sort of experience with new people. These photos capture the joy and sense of belonging I get from blossoming friendships.

 The Southern section of the Platte River was originally named Niinéniiniicíihéhe' by the Arapaho people, the French renamed the river Platte meaning ‘flat’ in French. 

All photographs were taken on the land of the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.