Veterans get a dose of river adrenaline
<p>Xsports4vets and Montana River Guides hosted a day on the Alberton Gorge for veterans and their friends and families.</p>
Out of the roughly 1 million people living in the state of Montana over 10 percent of the population is comprised of veterans.
Post traumatic stress syndrome and simply transitioning to civilian life can create hurdles for veterans. One orgnanization, Xsports4vets, was founded to help veterans leap through those hurdles through extreme sports.
“We are really going for the positive aspect of the adrenaline they get when they are deployed without wrapping it up in a dangerous element,” Steve Hale, a director of Xsports4vets said. “We can still come out and have a good time and get that adrenaline while still maintaining an even keel. It seals the mood for the upcoming week.”
According to their website, Xsports4vetsd is, “a group of current conflict veterans that strives to help other combat veterans succed.”
“We utilize as many extreme sports as we can to take the edge out of civilian life,” the website says. “Riverboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, sky diving, rafting and many other activities are our expertise. Some of us have wounds left over from combat, others don’t – but we all benefit from getting out and meeting people that have been in our shoes.”
Xsports4vets teamed up with Montana River Guides four years ago and the rafting company has provided guides and equipment to the organization so they can provide their service to veterans on the Alberton Gorge.
“The idea is that extreme sports gives the adrenaline rush that kind of replaces the rush they are used to in combat,” Mike Johnston, owner of Montana River Guides, said. “A lot of them (veterans) have a hard time with that.”
On Saturday the organization celebrated the end of the summer rafting season with one more trip down the Alberton Gorge on rafts and kayaks.
Over twenty veterans gathered at the Montana River Guides ranch to participate in the day on the river, and according to Hale the most important part of the gathering is the community.
“They miss the community and social network,” Hale said. “We can link each other to resources such as rehabilitation and school. Word of mouth does well for the veteran community.”
Hale said that when combat veterans are deployed, there is an adrenaline rush that is unlike anything else and that can create a hard transition to civilian life for veterans. Through activities such as rafting and kayaking, the veterans are able to get the adrenaline rush they previously experienced.
“We focus on self care,” Hale said. “We really aren’t good at that. We are good at taking care of other people, but when it comes to us, it is less likely we will take care of ourselves.”