Date of visit to Mild to Wild Durango - 6/15/2019 2:45pm
In anticipation of an awesome rafting experience with Mild to Wild Durango we were sadly disappointed. After a brief 3 minutes in the lower Animas River, running at a rate of 7000 cu fps and 44 degrees we were swimming for the shore. As we watched the Mild to Wild raft carrying three riders plus the guide just moments ahead of us get turned up on its right side in an eddy and dump everyone into the river we wondered why we were following the same path? We wondered why are we not being guided away from the impending "cluster" that was unfolding before our eyes? No commands to paddle, forward or back, no attempt whatsoever to avoid the inevitable.We wondered if our guided was aware of the situation ahead? Could it be that a "reasonable thinking and qualified" river guide believed that a different result could be obtained in the exact same situation for the raft we were riding?
Obviously, the safety and well being of all onboard these rafts was not considered as they appeared to run unguided down the river.
With 9 riders now in the water and attempting to swim to safety we became separated. Five were accounted for upstream with my wife nearly drowning while I was pulled to safety along with the three riders from the initial raft by a rafter on his day off.
I asked our guide following this event if she had experience on a river running at this rate and she indicated that she had not.. Not a surprise! I observed no other riders go "in the water" that day. I observed several other rafts go down the river without issue. These two river guides proved to be completely incompetent. Rider safety was not a priority. Money paid was refunded which in my eyes is the same as an admission of fault.
Would I use Mild to Wild again.....Absolutely Not!!