Water levels and speeds in the Old Man River are normal for this time of year, but a woman says her recent rafting experience has led her to conclude they still aren’t safe enough to enjoy.
On Friday, she told Global News she had quite the experience rafting along the Old Man River a couple of weeks ago.
“In the beginning it was OK. It was kind of like, ‘Oh, this isn’t too bad.’ But all of a sudden, it just comes out of nowhere, and there’s rapids and they get pretty rough,” Gillian Macleod said.
Her and a friend organized a trip from Indian Battle Park to Crowsnest Pass only to find their air mattress struggled to make it through the quick waters.
Macleod said she’s rafted on the river dozens of times but never this early in the year.
“It was going a lot faster and so we were like, ‘It doesn’t look too bad still, whatever.’ So we ended up jumping on the air mattress and heading down there anyways,” she said.
However, their air mattress wasn’t stable on the water and they had to pull themselves off to the side when the water started moving too fast for their liking.
Alberta Environment and Parks’ River Forecast Centre noted speeds and water levels on the Old Man River are acting normally, with higher speeds generally until August.
Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services said there are a number of hazards that come with a faster river.
“Barbed wire can be in there, there’s trees and branches underneath the water that you can’t see. You can always hook a foot or get hooked up that way.”
Pyne noted anyone planning to spend time on the water this summer should take a few precautions:
- bring a floatation device
- ensure that your air mattress doesn’t have any holes
- wear shoes
- make a float plan and make sure someone knows what time to you’re expected to come home
Pyne noted drinking alcohol is not permitted while floating.