Teamwork Flows Best on the Water

Every now and then, we all need a break from screens and packed schedules. Our recent staff tubing day was the perfect way to relax, reconnect, and ride the current—literally! Each summer Vermont River Conservancy has a staff river day, a dedicated day where we all get together to enjoy the rivers in Vermont we protect. Each year the activity is something different; canoeing, kayaking, tubing, maybe one day a white water rafting trip! Just a perk of being a river organization after all! Bringing everyone together on the water creates team bonding moments, a time to celebrate milestones, and create space to enjoy the summer season. This is something we all need as our schedules are packed and summer is one of the busiest times of the year for us from a packed field season to taking vacation time; the summer season slips away.

As the organizer of this staff river day, I wanted this to be the best river day yet! I chose the White River in Stockbridge as our tubing destination as it had come highly recommended as a great spot from multiple people. And it did not disappoint! White River Tubing Adventures provided us with the tubes and the transportation to make it a breeze! We didn’t have to worry about car logistics or shuttling. For your next tubing adventure here are things I would recommend bringing.

What to Bring

• Swimsuit
• Sunscreen or sun shirts, sun hat, a long sleeve (protective clothing against the sun!)
• River shoes (highly recommend)
• Towels
• Snacks/ pack a river picnic!
• A garbage bag, so you can pack out what you carry in!
• Beverages/Water
• Your smile 🙂

When we arrived at the river we had clear skies, cool water, and our tubing gear ready to go. Everyone packed a lunch picnic item to share and we piled into the van to get to the put-in spot. Amanda and I gave a quick safety chat to the group about what kind of dangers we could come across in the water and what to do if you fall out of your tube.

Safety Talk Points of Interest

• Underwater hazards
• Check water quality
• Always look downstream before getting out of your tube
• Check for debris in water
• Wear shoes, protect feet from metal objects in river
• Have a plan if you get separated from the group
• Know the take-out location and markers
• Ask for help if you can not retrieve your tube 
• Stay seated in the tube, no standing on it
• Designate a “caboose” so know one gets left behind
• Wear a PFD
• Check out this river tubing safety guide from our friends in NH!

Everyone hopped in and we were ready to go! Remy had the “mule tube” attached to his tube carrying all of our lunch items. Thanks Remy! And we slowly drifted away. It hadn’t rained very much recently so the water was low and slow going but we had fun with it! Amanda and I liked to flip on our stomachs and paddle with our arms on the tube to pick up a little speed. We came across deep pools where we could get out of our tubes to swim and some shallow pools where we had to drag our tube across.

Headed down the White River, the start of the tubing adventure.

Surprisingly no one fell in! We saw lots of crayfish and a guest appearance from a Great Blue Heron. We saw eroding river banks, trees in the stream, bank swallow holes, and tiny schools of fish. Our picnic lunch on the river was refreshing and a nice break from sitting. The picnic menu was a surprise to everyone as the team pulled out what they brought.

What was on the menu you may be wondering?

• Pasta salad
• Kale salad with zesty dressing
• Black bean dip and chips
• Watermelon and feta salad 
• Baked cabbage 
• Tiny peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Tiny cucumber, dill, and cream cheese sandwiches 
• Brownies 
• Seltzer

Our picnic lunch was one of my favorite things of the day! Everyone brought a little bit of themselves to lunch and we had a feast. Sharing food you created with a group of people you work with can be intimidating! What if no one likes what you brought? Everything was delicious though and we had enough food for all! 

“The people who give you their food give you their heart,” –Cesar Chavez 

We shared food on the river and our bond as a team grew too. With bellies full and the sun hot we continued floating down the river. The rest of the river was smooth sailing. We went over one last fun rapid and got out right where we had first arrived and parked our cars. Everyone felt like they could have tubed a little longer. With some last group moments spent sitting in the river cooling off one last time and taking a group photo before we would have to hop back in our cars and head home.

I will now dub everyone with a paper plate award. If you didn’t grow up doing team sports or going to camp you might be like whatttt is that, basically it’s just a silly way of recognizing each member of the team. I am thinking of it as something fun each member brought to the river that day!

Team Tubing Awards

Erin- Chillest Floater Award

Remy-  Best Way to Get In a Tube and snack protector Award 

Alaya-  River Mermaid Award

Kassia- River Navigator Extraordinaire Award 

Hayley- Off-course explorer Award

Hughes- Most likely to be found napping in the tube Award

Amanda- Tubing Acrobat Award

Even though this was my first river day, I thought it was the best one yet, and seeing all the smiling faces and giggles on the river makes me think the crew would agree. Maybe tubing should be on the agenda every year. I think everyone got to know each other just a little better and it was a great opportunity to spend time together. As a statewide organization we are very spread out with a majority of people being in Northern Vermont and Hayley and I being in Southern Vermont. 

View of the river at the end of our trip.

It’s powerful to experience the rivers that we help protect, as a team. The time spent making observations on the river, bonding and learning with colleagues, will surely make VRC even more impactful in our day to day work. Cheers to more River Days ahead!