[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: My name is Nancy Farrow, also known as Mama Lou, and I'm the founder of Epic Experience.
Epic Experience mission is to empower adult cancer survivors and thrivers to live beyond cancer.
I hope that as you listen to campfires of Hope living beyond cancer, you find hope, healing and empowerment.
Through stories and education, we aim to guide those impacted by cancer and more importantly, offer love and support to anyone out there who needs it.
This is beyond cancer.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Hello, everyone. This is Gail, AKA Sunshine.
Today we have Thomas Carter and Travis Klingman joining us around the campfire. Both of these guys work with Whitewater Rafting LLC in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and have helped hundreds of EP experienced cancer thrivers in rafting and kaying down the Colorado river when they attend camp. So we welcome both of you. I have, I have been one of the travelers down the river with these guys, so I can attest to the fact that it's a great time to. So both of you welcome.
Thank you.
So I'm going to start by having you both just tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from and things like that. But I specifically would be interested in finding out why you ended up in the rafting industry.
And then I also ask everyone for one fun fact. So, Thomas, why don't you go first?
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Yeah. So my name is Thomas Carter. I'm the owner of Whitewater Rafting LLC here in Glenwood Springs, and I'm originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, I've been in Glenwood Springs for the past 12 seasons and with Whitewater Rafting LLC for the past 11 seasons.
So I've been around this area for quite a while. It's been awesome.
And then I got into the rock. I went to CMC Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs for outdoor education.
And then I took a river course through them. And one of our, one of our instructors was also a guide at this company and he's like, man, you'd be awesome to. To work at this company.
And so I got plugged in with that. I didn't even know rivers were really a thing until I moved out here. I didn't know people, like, rafted on them in Louisiana. They're dead flat and there's a lot of dangerous things in them. So we kind of stayed out of them.
So it was really cool when I got out here. And then I popped in for a job interview and there was, there was no turn back after that.
It's amazing.
And then a fun fact about myself.
Well, I don't know. I love to play Music and I love to be in the outdoors, so I guess I'm in the right spot. You know, music perfect is my passion.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: Yeah, definitely.
Travis.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah. So my river name is Chiclet. That's what I usually go by in the summertime here.
And I'm the head guide at Whitewater here and I've been rafting for six years. I believe this is my sixth summer here.
And I actually started out as a guest on a boat. I've never been rafting ever in my life. And I came out here during COVID actually getting outside was really the only thing to do.
And I hopped on a boat and asked the old owners for a job and started and stayed ever since.
So it's been a good time. It never gets old out there.
And I'm originally from Vegas, so a little bit different scenery going on in for sure.
And I would say a fun fact about me that I like to tell people is that I do in fact do water sports year round.
However, the water is a little different in the winter time. I teach skiing and snowboarding in Aspen and then I recycle that snow melt and raft on it in the summertime here in Glenwood. So.
[00:04:38] Speaker C: You are so resourceful. That's wonderful. Yeah, I love it.
Okay, Thomas, I'm going to ask you this one. I'm wondering if you can share a little of the history of whitewater rafting and then eventually how you partnered with EPI Experience to lead campers down the river.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: Heck yeah. Awesome.
So whitewater rafting has been a company since 1974 and it originally started out as just a rental company. So they would. People would show up, they would have rafts, they would inflate them, drive them up, drop them off and say, see you down river.
And then that slowly evolved into guided trips.
And there's been. There was the original owners that owned it for 37 years or so. And then they sold to Eric and Phoebe Larson, who are the past owners. And they had it for 10 seasons and then they sold it to myself and my wife Jenny.
So. And it's always been small, family owned. It's never been owned by a private equity or large corporation, which is pretty awesome. And we're pretty proud of that.
And then we kind of got connected with Epic Experience through. They were originally they were using a kayak school.
Colorado River Kayaking, I think is. Is what their name was. It was Lyle, who owns that company. And they ended up. They rented duckies from us so they could put that trip on.
And then I think after so many years. This was before that Jen and I took over.
They ended up just coming straight to us and they figured that maybe we could raft down some Class 3 sections and give them a little bit more excitement than just kayaking on the commerce section. And then so that evolves. We started rafting, taking, taking all the campers down Class 3 white water and then kayaking different sections down in the Glenwood Springs area.
So, yeah, we were super happy to, to have this partnership. And it's, it's, it's awesome to get everyone out on the river.
[00:06:43] Speaker C: So how many years has it been now since you've partnered with Epic
[00:06:48] Speaker B: that I believe it's been almost maybe nines. This would be our ninth, I think.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Yeah, it's been a while, dad. That's great.
Well, again, I know from personal experience that it's a blast and I know what an impact it has on campers, which we'll get to soon.
And Travis, actually, I'm just going to go right into that. So you've six years, right?
[00:07:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:15] Speaker C: So all of that time you've been leading Epic Experience campers down the river. So what have you taken away from that experience? What stands out about working with cancer survivors as opposed to working with the general public?
[00:07:32] Speaker A: I would say the one thing that I notice every time, and I say it every trip, and I talk about Epic Experience with all of my trips. I tell them about it and what we do, the stoke levels, the smiles, everything is just full, maxed out. People are just having so much fun out there.
It's awesome to take people down who might understand the more ups and downs of life and not to take things for granted.
And you bring them out in an environment like this and on the river and you just see it in their face. They are at first frightened about what they might need to do on the river, but that soon, very quickly goes away. Just pure smiles, tears of joy.
It gives them a chance, I believe, to kind of forget about most things and just have a good time out there on the canyon with us.
And, you know, it's way different than a family on their average vacation coming out here. And, you know, they're still having a great time. We're providing great trips, but you, you can feel the difference. It really is an awesome feeling. And I've said it every year that Epic is a huge, huge trip that I look forward to every single year.
It's, it's always in my calendar and I make sure I'm here for them.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: So that's awesome. So, so continuing on what? For someone who hasn't ever experienced guided rafting or kayaking or anything like that, if someone were to come to you to go, what could they expect, both physically and mentally?
[00:09:14] Speaker A: So much fun. They can expect the best time ever. Where, you know, we give out trips, good trips, but I like to say we do give out an experience. It is a full experience from start to finish.
I would say you're out there in the sun, on the river, having a good time. Sometimes it's rainy. We've had camps where they've had some gnarly weather, but it's the outdoors, you know, we just kind of roll with the punches and it's a really good time.
I do like to let people know that our guides are fully trained to get people down, you know, the serious part of the rapids and down any section of this river with a full boat with no paddle power. So we make it very accessible to those that just want to sit on a boat and experience the whitewater.
We don't require you to really do much out there, but we do give you a tool paddle and have you use it if you want to. And it's just a good time.
And mentally, you know, people start off pretty frightened, you know, thinking about whitewater rapids, what can happen.
But you see it in most trips, as soon as that first wave hits their face, it is just smiles on the other side.
So a really good time is what you should and can expect out of a rafting trip with us.
[00:10:34] Speaker C: And I know there are different classes of rapids.
What are the different classes? And generally, if people are going with you guys down that section, what are they going to experience, class wise?
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Yeah. So the class goes from Class 1 up to Class 5.
Our section only goes up to Class 4, and that's at high water during, like, peak snow runoff.
But we're mainly a Class 3 section. That's kind of what bread and butter is. It's class three that's family friendly. Big waves. It's class three, big water. So, you know, you got big waves, you can bring out the kids.
You know, I just got off a trip with a bunch of littles, anywhere from five to eight, and they're having a blast. It's a good time.
But Class 3 is usually what we're running. That's the main class. And then from there on class twos throughout the canyon.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: So, yeah, I can say you will get wet. That would be my 2 cents.
So one of our campers, I'm going to ask both of you this one, one of our Campers had this to say about their experience.
My adventure on the Colorado river gave me back confidence in who I am and what I can do physically after cancer.
It has empowered me to overcome challenges. I have a renewed focus on living life in the moment and being thankful for our time in this beautiful world.
And I'd like to hear from both of you how those words resonate with you. Thomas, I'll. I'll start with you on this one.
[00:12:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, honestly, those words hit so true to home.
There's so many times on the river that things are not what you thought they were going to be, and you just have to deal with it in that moment. And it definitely teaches you a lot about yourself. And it maybe not in the moment empowers you, but you're. When you're all finished up and you're back, it definitely gives you a lot of things to think about and how and how you did overcome that situation.
So the river is definitely a good healing tool and a powerful tool to be stronger.
Your stronger self of who you already are.
[00:12:45] Speaker C: Yeah, Travis.
[00:12:48] Speaker A: Yeah, I would agree with that for sure.
I also, from that statement from that camper, it reminds me why I do this.
You know, river guiding, raft guiding is one of those jobs that. It's just one of those fun jobs you do.
You don't really think about what it does for others.
As far as the general public goes, they might just be on vacation. It was something they wanted to do, but they're thinking about their next adventure.
What that camper said kind of brings meaning into why we're out there in that moment. It brings meaning to why I guide boats.
It just makes it feel like I'm here for a reason rather than just to have fun.
So, yeah, it's really nice to hear that.
[00:13:35] Speaker C: Yeah, definitely.
Thomas, I'm wondering if you guys have been impacted by the exceptionally low water levels in Colorado this year. We had a very light snow year, which obviously impacts once it supposedly start melting. So I'm wondering if you've been impacted and then how you've been adapting.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Totally.
We have been impacted a little bit. It slowed us down just a tad. But I think that's mainly due to the news and what they're portraying, that there is not any water.
But that is totally untrue for our section.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: We.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: We're very fortunate. We. We're dam released, so we'll have late season flows all season long, so there's plenty of water to get out and have fun. And honestly, for us, it.
It's kind of Great, because the river is super fun. It's a little bit warmer than it normally is at these levels. And it's fun for all, all abilities and levels, not just the people. People seeking like gnarly adventure.
It's great for families. It's a great season to get the kids out. It's a great season just to. If you're, if you've been scared of whitewater, it's a great season to come out and test that.
So we're, we're very fortunate to be where we are.
But have we been impacted? A little bit, but not really. So we're, we're, we're expecting a good, a good full season ahead of us still.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: Oh, that's great.
[00:14:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:57] Speaker C: Yeah. I know those early months can be quite cold in the water, so.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: It sure can be.
[00:15:03] Speaker C: That's actually a nice benefit that it's not as cold.
So I'm wondering if either of you would share anything else with the audience that I haven't specifically asked you about. Whether it's about rafting, about your experiences with cancer survivors as they're going down the river.
Anything that you would want to share with the audience that I haven't specifically asked you about?
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I will say that to me, like no matter where you're coming from or, or anything, the river is probably one of the best places that I've ever experienced to truly unplug from normal life.
There's lots of things you can do in nature to help unplug, but when you're on the river, you're in constant motion and you're in nature. So it has those two aspects that come together that truly helps you unplug. Even if it's just for like a three hour trip and you only get to truly unplug for five minutes. That five minutes is huge.
So it's, it's really, it's awesome. If you're ever, if things are overwhelming or if life's getting too much, go on the river.
[00:16:05] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:16:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I would fully agree with that.
Being out there, everything just kind of goes on pause for a second.
You're there in the moment. You're never so present because as Thomas said, you're constantly emotion out there. So you're always just kind of in whatever you're in.
I would like to say that the epic camps that I've been a part of, this job is amazing. It is a fun job.
I get told all the time you're doing it right, you're doing it right.
But there's that societal pressure to kind of go into the real world, if you will, and get a real job.
So, you know, there's always that tug on that end. But I will say epic and looking forward to those weeks is a big thing that keeps me in this industry.
Just seeing the change that we can make in people's lives from something we think is just so simple because we do it every day. It's a great reminder that it is truly special to be out there on the river.
And as many trips as we do, I say it never gets old. It's the office, and it's a really good one to have.
[00:17:11] Speaker C: Yeah, you cannot beat that view.
That's the other thing.
What I remember is not only the water, but looking up at those canyon walls as you're going through, it's. It's truly magical.
Well, one last question that I always ask my guests. Is marshmallows over a campfire slow and steady or flaming crispy? Travis, I'll ask you first.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: I am definitely a slow and steady. I like to see how big I can make the marshmallow.
And I just figured out that a Reese's Peanut butter cup is a little better than a Hershey's Chocolate. Inside the spoon, there's a little tip pro tip.
Yeah,
[00:17:53] Speaker C: Thomas.
[00:17:55] Speaker B: Well, I'm the opposite. I love to just flame it up, crisp it up, and then have a cool center.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: Still,
[00:18:02] Speaker B: I can lack patience sometimes. Yeah, that probably reflects that.
[00:18:07] Speaker C: Well, there you go. I usually start off slow and steady and end up with flaming crispy. So little of both.
But thank you both so much. Thank you for being here. But really, thank you for what you do for the general public and especially for Epic Experience campers. I have. I've gone myself as a. As a volunteer several times and watching the look on people's faces as they're doing this is.
It's awesome. And I thank you that you provide that for them. So it is a really special time for them. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
[00:18:42] Speaker B: Thanks for having us.
[00:18:44] Speaker C: So to those of you who are listening, until the next time we gather around the campfire, keep Living Beyond Cancer.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Campfires of Hope, Living Beyond Cancer. For more information about Epic Experience and our programs or to donate, please visit our
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Please. Still, I
[00:19:38] Speaker B: mean Bright.
[00:19:40] Speaker C: We will rise once again.
