Summer. We bike, hike, and run. But there are far more exciting ways to experience nature
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Don’t like swimming but still want to have fun in the water? Try whitewater rafting. Mankind has been boating down rivers for centuries but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that rafting became a sport. In the 1950s John D. Rockefeller Jr. opened a luxury hotel in Grand Teton National Park Wyoming which offered its guests the opportunity to go rafting down the Snake River. By the time the 1970s rolled around dozens of commercial whitewater rafting companies had opened next to rivers across the US. Whitewater rafting was finally deemed an official sport in 1972 when it became part of the Olympic Games in Munich.
Why is it called whitewater rafting? Well what makes the sport so much fun is that you get to paddle through rapids — rough waters that froth and make the water look white. Rapids are divided into six classes according to how fast the current is and how high the waves. Class 1 suitable even for five-year-old kids is very relaxing because the current is slow and there’s no whitewater to be seen while Class 6 is downright dangerous.
A taster rafting session lasts about an hour but most rafting companies offer trips that are two three or even seven days long. The multiday trips combine rafting and camping for the ultimate nature experience.
What sport combines the thrill of a motorcycle with a lot of mud? ATVing of course! Did you know that ATVs began as amphibious vehicles (vehicles that can drive on water and dry land)? First produced in the 1960s they were originally designed to float and go into small bodies of water like ponds swamps and streams. By the 1970s ATVs began to look more like the ones in use today meant to be driven on dirt roads (hence the muddiness).
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