SEA SCOUT SHIP 504
2014 HIGH ADVENTURE
PAPERWORK...
Required for each participant; must be received, reviewed and approved prior to departure:
BSA Membership (Ship 504 documentation)
BSA Medical Form (Informed Consent, Release Agreement & Authorization)
Copy of Medical Insurance Card (front and back)
Activity Consent Form and Approval by Parents or Legal Guardian
Adult Liability Waiver, Terms & Conditions
Prescription Medication Request Form (required form for minors)
Parent Approval Form: Release for Over-The-Counter Drugs (required form for minors)
Whitewater Rafting & Activities (Release, Assumption of Risk & Indemnity Agreement)
TimberTrek Aerial Adventure Park Release, Assumption of Risk & Indemnity Agreement
All forms are available on the Ship504.com website.
Additional information specifically relating to our high adventure trip can also be found at AdventuresontheGorge.com.
WHAT TO BRING...
WHAT TO BRING FOR TIMBERTREK AERIEL ADVENTURE:
Adventures on the Gorge will provide helmets and other safety gear.
What to Wear & Bring:
Comfortable shorts
T-shirt – something colorful!
Closed-toed shoes that tie (no sandals or flip flops)
Bug spray
Sun block and lip balm
Sunglasses with Strap
Eye Glass Croakie/Strap (if needed)
Baseball cap
Waterproof Camera
Energy Bar
Water Bottle or Gatorade
What NOT to Bring: (ITEMS TO LEAVE BEHIND AT CAMP OR IN YOUR CAR):
Wallets, purses, credit cards, jewelry, cell phones, iPods
WHAT TO BRING FOR WHITEWATER RAFTING:
If you’ve never been whitewater rafting or even river rafting for that matter, it may be a bit perplexing what to expect on a whitewater rafting trip or what you should bring on the trip with you. Even if you are a whitewater rafting veteran, it is still easy to forget what to pack for the river. This whitewater and river rafting checklist will help guide you through your trip preparation. Of course, check with your rafting outfitter for more specific details on what you should bring as this rafting checklist contain mere suggestions for your whitewater or river rafting trip.
Adventures on the Gorge will provide helmets, life jackets and paddles.
What to Wear & Bring:
Swim Suit
Shorts
T-shirt – something colorful!
Shoes that tie, neoprene booties or river shoes
Sun block and lip balm
Sunglasses with Strap
Eye Glass Croakie/Strap (if needed)
Baseball cap
Waterproof Camera
Energy Bar for the river
Water Bottle or Gatorade
Small Dry Bag (if they let you take it on the raft)
Zip Lock Baggies (to keep small things dry]
Towel or towels (for the drive back)
Plastic Bag(s) (for wet things such as sneakers)
Change of Clothes (for the drive back)
Snack and drink (for the drive back)
Driver’s license (if renting wetsuits and other gear)
Money, for gift shop/souvenirs/photos (hoodies are popular!)
WHAT TO BRING FOR TENTING & CAMPING:
Duffle Bag
Sleeping Bag
Ground Cloth
Sleeping Pad/Mattress
Pillow
Comfortable hiking shoes and athletic shoes
Poncho/Rain Gear
Long pants
Shorts
Jacket (suitable for weather)
Hoodie or sweatshirt
Long-sleeved shirt
Underwear
Socks & Extra Socks
Flashlight
Extra Batteries
Toothbrush/toothpasate
Towel
Bio-degradable soap
Shampoo
Swim Suit
Comb/Brush
Insect Repellent
Sunscreen
Camera
Rope for clothes line
Baseball hat
Sunglasses
Bandana
Camping Chair
Medication
1-quart water bottle
Spending Money (for snacks, meals & souvenirs)
Playing Cards
DO NOT BRING:
Radios, iPods, electronic tablets or games
Sheath knifes
TIMBERTREK AERIAL ADVENTURE PARK: WHAT TO EXPECT:
Have you ever wanted to fly high above the trees or through them while your zip line serenades you with 3000' feet of humming steel cable? With the longest canopy tour around (10 zips and 5 sky bridges), TreeTops will allow you to explore a space once reserved for the flying squirrels. If you want something more charged, try Gravity Zip Lines, which includes the 3050'-long, 200' high, 60mph aptly named Adrena-Line. For those who want more of a physical a challenge, we have TimberTrek, which Garden and Gun magazine called part canopy tour, part ropes course and part circus school. West Virginia has become the zip line capital of America, so come on! Let's fly!
1.What is TimberTrek Aerial Adventure Park?
Located at Adventures on the Gorge, TimberTrekAeriel Adventure Park has five courses of varying difficulty from calm to crazy, a system of unique obstacles, bridges, swings and zip lines high in the forest canopy.
TimberTrek is divided into 5 separate courses. Start off with the yellow course, which even the most adventurous guests will love. Move into either of our two green courses for step up in difficulty and height, and then test your mettle on the blue, which includes the terrifying Tarzan Swing. If you have any juice left after that, try your best on the black course, which comes out swinging for the fences right off the platform!
Covering 4 wooded acres at Adventures on the Gorge, TimberTrek is an aerial forest ropes course consisting of more than 60 platforms installed in the trees and connected by various configurations of cable, wood, rope to form bridges, swings and zip lines. Groups of bridges link together to form separate courses. Although each course has at least one zip line on it, you’ll need to climb to get to them—there’s much more fun than just zip lining to be had! There are 5 courses in total for ages 7—adult.
TimberTrek is all about active participation—there are no motorized rides in the park. The courses are designed for everyone to enjoy, and assigned the difficulty rating of Yellow, Green, Blue and Black similar to ski trails. As one progresses through the difficulty levels, the bridges become less stable under your feet, requiring more balance, agility, focus and arm strength. Each course is self-guided, allowing you to move at your own pace. As the courses become more difficult, they also get higher off the ground. The highest platform is 50 above the forest floor. There are staff positioned throughout the course to answer questions and provide assistance.
- How does the trip work?
TimberTrek is self-guided, which means you do your own clipping, move at your own pace and try as many courses as you want as many times as you want while your ticket is valid. TimberTrek’s components are more varied on each course than Gravity or TreeTops. TimberTrek is also more physically demanding than TreeTops or Gravity because of the various obstacles throughout the courses.
You’ll get rigged up and will receive a safety briefing to learn how to use your equipment. Then it’s off to the trees. During your time, you can do as many courses, as many times as you like. You are able to take breaks in between, but if your time expires you will not be able to start another course.
3.What do I need to wear and bring?
Please wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely and is appropriate for the day’s weather. You should wear long pants and gym shoes or hiking boots. Shoes must not have open toes. If you have long hair put it in a pony tail. Use a strap to keep your glasses secured. Don't have any sharp objects, such as keys or pens in your pockets. Keep your camera in a case close to your body, not dangling on a strap. Adventures on the Gorge provides the harness, a helmet, gloves and safety equipment. You may bring your own gloves but they must have leather palms.
4.Do I need to be in great physical condition?
The better shape you are in, the more courses you will be able to complete. The elements on these courses require some lower body strength and an increasing amount of upper body strength as you progress to the more difficult courses. There are elements with moving footholds, swings, ladders and crawling sections. Certain physical limitations such as the inability to reach overhead or to duck under cables will make the courses unrunnable.
5.What's the minimum age?
All participants on our trip meet the minimum age requirements.
6.Are there minimum and maximum weights?
Anyone on the big side concerned about fitting into a harness properly should check in advance with any waist-size requirements and ask if there is a chest harness or full body harness. Weight is limited to 260 pounds maximum by Adventures on the Gorge.
WHITEWATER RAFTING: WHAT TO EXPECT:
Whitewater River Rafting is one of the most exciting outdoor activities available – the kind of adventure that is great to share with friends and family. You’ll have stories and memories to last a lifetime.
Most people have their own ideas or impressions about what a whitewater river rafting trip entails. Here are some points and questions about rafting you may not have considered in preparation for your next (or first) whitewater river rafting trip.
- Expect to Get Wet on a Whitewater Rafting Trip
I know that getting wet on a whitewater rafting trip sounds like it’s a no-brainer and should go without saying. Still, there are a few people out there who think they are merely taking a ride “on” the river rather than fighting for their lives in the river. As overdramatic as that is, count on getting wet. This means that you should dress for the occasion and only bring things that can, in fact, get wet.
Getting wet while whitewater rafting is a welcome reprieve from the heat on a hot summer day. It also adds to the thrill and excitement of the whole experience even in cold weather and water. Furthermore, the raft guides will usually let you jump in and swim at some point during the trip so you’ll want to be ready for that. Of course, there is always the chance of getting thrown out of the raft as you barrel down the river and as such it is imperative a person know how to swim. So the bottom line is to count on getting wet. Remember, if you don’t get wet while whitewater rafting then you’re probably doing something wrong.
- Expect to Be Cold on a Whitewater Rafting Trip
That you will be cold while rafting might not be readily apparent unless you are going in early spring when you’d expect both the air and the water to be frigid. The truth is that it can be cold even in the summer months on whitewater rafting trips. Often times the water can come from deep under a reservoir or it may even be from some late season snow melt. Add the cold mountain water temperature with the air that often whips through the canyon or down the slopes of the mountains into the river beds and you can imagine that it does indeed get cold on these trips.
Wetsuits are recommended to combat the cold during the spring months. You can usually rent them from the rafting company but you may want to arrange for this ahead of time if you do. If you plan to go rafting in chilly conditions more than once in your life, it would pay to buy your own wetsuit. This will save you on rental fees and also spare you from having to wear those rental wetsuits if you know what I mean. Wool socks, polypropylene long underwear, and windbreakers are also good to combat the cold.
It may very well be that a bathing suit is fine in the summer but it’s best to ask the rafting company what type of attire is best to wear for the particular time of year and river you will be rafting. On a side note, since we are discussing paddling clothing, you should always have on protective footwear which have a closed toe and fit securely on the foot.
- Expect to Have a Long Bus Ride on a Whitewater Rafting Trip
Most people underestimate the often long bus rides that accompany a whitewater rafting trip. These rivers are usually in heavily wooded areas and might have limited road access. This means getting to and from the river could take you some time. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it and the shuttle to get to and from the river is just a part of the whole process.
You can make things easier on yourself by taking a few precautions up front which in the long run will make this part of the trip at least bearable. First, go to the bathroom before getting on the bus. Second, bring a snack for the drive and plan on storing a snack and drink for the drive back. Third, see if you can have a towel and dry clothes on the bus that will be picking you up. There’s nothing worse than being cold, wet, hungry, and having to go to the bathroom while being stuck on a bus navigating the windy and steep roads after a whitewater rafting trip.
It would be a good idea to ask the question of your raft company as they could tell you exactly how long of a drive it will be to the put-in and from the take-out.
- Expect Not to Be Able to Bring Anything on the Raft
Rafts generally have very limited space for anything other than people. Rafts will usually carry a first aid kit and if you’re going on a half or full day trip a cooler for lunch. Believe it or not that’s probably all the raft will hold. What room there is on the floor won’t hold much of anything for long since you will be going through waves, surfing the holes, and with the possibility of flipping the raft.
Remember also that anything you bring on the raft will get wet and is easily damaged. All of this is to say, don’t count on bringing anything on the raft with you. Of course, there can be ways around this by carrying small items in your lifejacket, paddling jacket or windbreaker, and any tight fitting pack you can wear on your waist.
- Expect to Receive Whitewater Rafting Training on the Trip
It is quite common to wonder if you will receive training on your rafting trip. The answer is yes you will. It is in the rafting outfitters best interest for you to enjoy your time with them. It is also in their best interest that everything from the unloading of the raft to paddling down the river is as safe as it can be. Both mean that you must be trained and it is up to them to do so.
The training will usually consist of a video at the beginning of the day. Then at the river they will go through how to carry the raft on land as well as the signals your raft guide will use while on the water. Once on the water you will practice basic strokes with the paddle as you follow the guides commands. Of course all of this varies from outfitter to outfitter but it will be covered in some fashion or other.
Above all else, expect to have fun on a whitewater river rafting trip!
Our outfitter tries to take photos and video of each group going out for whitewater trips. We typically have purchased one copy of the CD and photos to share with the group – you can certainly purchase your own photos and video if you want to.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Kayaking and CanoeingSafety - Water Safety for thePaddler
By George Sayour, About.com Guide
Learning kayaking and canoeing safety is an essential component of learning how to paddle. Too many people decide to kayak or canoe with little more water safety knowledge than knowing how to swim. There is so much more with regard to kayaking and canoeing safety than merely knowing how to tread water. It is rather easy for harmless situations to turn quite treacherous in little to no time at all when enjoying watersports. It would therefore behoove us all to know good swim technique, first aid, how to save a drowning person, and how to recognize and treat hypothermia. We also need to ensure we have and wear the proper equipment.
Be a Good Swimmer
This really should go without saying but it is so essential to kayaking and canoeing safety that it does require mentioning. Swimming in lakes, rivers, and the ocean is different than swimming in one’s own pool. If your canoe or kayak capsizes and you find yourself outside of your boat you will face a whole slew of factors that just don’t exist in your backyard. You may be fully clothed, quite a ways away from land, in extremely cold conditions, or in turbulent and current driven waters. Finding oneself in any of these conditions is not the time to find out that you’re not a good swimmer.
- Learn and Improve Your Swimming
- Technique Tips for Swimmers
Know First Aid