Bachelor Party on the Colorado River
“The Pre-Wedding Float”
Charlie believes that all the best conversations happen outdoors so when it came time to choose a destination to bond with his groomsmen before his wedding, the choice was obvious - the Colorado River...
Why Charlie Deserves a Film About Him
As we all know bachelor parties aren’t known for being especially well documented. Most bachelor parties aim to forget or, at the very least, not talk about what went down but we wanted this to be a little different. Charlie is one of my best friends from college and his life has become one of the most photographed of anyone of my friends. In college we lead Fellowship of Christian Athletes together, a small Bible study for the athletically inclined at our school. We spent weekends climbing, skiing, biking, running, and enjoying the outdoors together. He’s been the star of some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken just by the nature of his willingness to go out and enjoy things outside. His bachelor party wasn’t any different.
Here are previous photos I’ve taken of Charlie on past adventures…
Should We Even Film A Bachelor Party?
When Charlie and I were brainstorming creative ways to celebrate with “the boys” before he gets married next month we were talking about how some of our most meaningful memories and conversations took place outdoors. We both realized that it was important to Charlie to create an environment during the bachelor party weekend that was both exciting but also meaningful. It wasn’t just about going hard but about connecting more deeply with his community.
Because not all of his friends have lots of experience in the outdoors we decided on a float trip. By rafting down the Colorado river it eliminated most of the technical knowledge you may need for bigger outdoor adventures. You didn’t need to be an expert at tying flies or leading trad to take part, all you had to do was sit there while the river guided you along through these beautiful mountain vistas. It was an activity and an environment that everybody from all backgrounds could enjoy.
What You Leave Out is As Important As What You Put In
Most of the memories that took place that weekend are in the film so it’s not necessarily important that I recap exactly what happened. If you care to feel what it was like to be a part of this experience, go watch the video.
Of course, we decided to leave some things out because, not everything that happens at a bachelor party should go on the internet ;)
How I Made the Video
Creating this film was actually pretty difficult from a technical standpoint as it required taking drones, underwater housings, cameras and microphones on the river. My camera has been on a lot of adventures but the river is a relatively new environment for me to be filming. Despite my passion for kayaking that took up most of my weekends during college, I had never taken a camera on a rafting or kayaking adventure before this trip.
Thankfully, Kokopelli was kind enough to give me a raft that had some amazing capabilities when it came to filming this trip. It had a spray skirt that prevented water from seeping into my lap where my camera would often sit. It was inflatable and packed down super small which allowed me to go anywhere with relative ease. I honestly don’t know how I could’ve completed this project without this Kokopelli raft enabling our adventure so I’m very grateful to have had this apart of the journey.
Risking All the Equipment
When we were on the river I mostly kept my camera unprotected by its underwater housing because I wanted to capture audio as well (something I’m not capable of doing with the protective underwater case). This meant I would be risk fully dunking my camera most times we went through a rapid but it was worth it for the shots we got.
One of my favorite moments during this entire filmmaking process was when I was interviewing Charlie as we were going down a class 2+ rapid. Charlie is wearing a Lavalier microphone and my camera is fully exposed so if we were to flip, a lot of gear would have been compromised.
However, hearing Charlie laugh about this whole experience as our friend Jesse drifts away uncontrollably into the rocks on the side of the river makes me laugh every time.
i believe the world needs more uplifting and positive stories
This project was as much for me as it was everybody else that was involved. The whole driving force in my career is to share stories of hope, joy and adventure so it was important for me to provide others an opportunity to feel what it was like to be a part of this special trip.
Also, Charlie’s impact on my life can’t be understated. Charlie is a really special person and has been an amazing friend by praying for me when I’ve gone through struggles and helping motivate and inspire me in my outdoor pursuits. He’s somebody who I definitely look up to and strive to be like in so many ways so I wanted those of you that watch this video to learn more about this hilarious, compassionate, loving, and funky dude.
I’d also like to give a special shout out to Luc Bondurant who helped capture a few of the shots during this project as well. An awesome up-and-coming filmmaker with a big zest for life!
Connect with Roo!
Roo is a commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has produced films for Outside Magazine in Ireland, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador, directed videos with professional climbers in Mexico and has received notable recognition in his hometown of Orcas Island in Washington State for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.
Here are a few bonus black and white photos from Charlie’s Bachelor Party float Trip!
