Classic early rafting photo, Steve Shepard rowing ARTA 15-man at Bailey, sequence 1a

River company ARTA used this classic photo by David Kay in the early 1970s in its brochures. Guide Steve Shepard is shown at the bottom of Bailey Falls, rowing ARTA’s one old military surplus, “15 man” raft, painted silver to reflect sun. These rafts were notoriously unstable – they were an elongated “U” of air chambers, held together by three metal frame and wood deck sections, very low to the water. Without a “bathtub” floor, they didn’t hold water, but had lots of gaps for water to come in and out of during rapids. This raft was retired in 1972, as new Yampas, Avons and other rafts came into production.