Dave Hansen Whitewater Trips

Dave began his “career” in 1967 To Today, and of course we say “career” because who in their right mind would call floating a river, looking for eagles, and trying to splash people “work”? Well, it all started with a little male bravado. One day Dave and his friend, Henry, decided they would raft the Grand Canyon of the Snake. Even though neither rafter had ever rafted the whitewater section, each young man looked right at the other and said something like, “Of course, I’ve rafted this section. Please. I got this. Duh. No problem.”   So 4 miles or so into the trip, with both of them having a great old time, they looked down river and saw the cresting, pulsing waves of what would soon be known as “Lunch Counter.” An awesome silence ensued as they looked over the series of 7 waves, each one peaking with 8-10 foot walls.  Uncertainly, Dave asked, “Henry, uh, what the hell is that?” And Henry, equally amazed and ready to come clean, said, “Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never been here either!”  Realizing there was no going back, Dave laughed and said, “Well, if we’re ever going to get our lunch, we’re going to get it right now!”Thinking back to that first time through the Counter, Dave says, “It was such a rush—an adrenaline rush. We looked at each other and both of us just started hootin’ and hollerin’. And I was hooked. I mean that was it.” Not only was this the escapade that gave Lunchcounter its name, but it was also the genesis of Dave Hansen Whitewater.