As waves lapped into the boat, a group of eight paddlers bravely rode out into the Fraser River rapids.
The frigid mountain-fed water was already through Eileen Hoagland's wet suit on the hot July day.
The rubber raft was tossed around like a floating cork in a washing machine by the relentless current.
It eventually took a toll on Hoagland, an 83-year-old six-time great-grandmother.
"I got motion sickness, so I had to get off about three-quarters of the way where they had to portage around the waterfall," said Hoagland, who turns 84 in October. "It was a quite a ways to walk but we made it. It was exciting, but it was wet and it was cold. I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I want to do it again."
The wild whitewater rafting ride she did with her grandson Shane Gauthier was one more item Hoagland checked off her bucket list. Four years ago, just shy of her 80th birthday, she went skydiving.
"I wouldn't mind jumping out of plane again, I liked that," said Hoagland. "Now I want to go ziplining. There are quite a few ziplines, they're all over the place, but there isn't one here. That would be nice, then I could do it in my spare time."
Eileen and her husband Roy moved to Prince George in 1947 from Saskatchewan and raised four kids in the city. Roy was killed in a logging accident in 1973 while falling a tree, when they were both in their 40s, and Eileen went to work as a waitress in several city hotels. She eventually left the city to take on a job as a camp cook in Tuktoyaktuk, and spent four years there flying in for two-week shifts.
"That was something, because you had to ride helicopters because there were no roads except the ice road in the wintertime," Hoagland said. "I always liked something different."
She also worked six years at camp jobs on oil rigs near Fort McMurray, which allowed her to save for her retirement. She took annual trips with her sister to places like Ireland, England and Holland and started doing all the things she wasn't able to do when she was a full-time mom raising her kids and paying off a mortgage. Ever since then, Hoagland has gone out of her way to seek adventure in her life. She's already thinking about her next trip.
"I want to go to Las Vegas and go on the helicopter ride down the Grand Canyon," said Hoagland. "My oldest son said maybe he'd take me to Vegas and maybe I can zip-line then. Only thing is he rides a motorcycle all the time and I'm not going to Vegas on a motorcycle. I draw the line at that."
Also on her hit list is to be part of the studio audience for a Wheel of Fortune taping.
Hoagland is a regular at the card tables or playing bingo at the Elder Citizens Recreation Association building on 10th Avenue, where her latest journeys never fail to create lively discussions.
"I just think that if you want to do something, go do it," Hoagland said. "You only live once and you might as well enjoy it. I get tired easy, all these trips take me a week to get over. But I'm taking all my pills and doing the things my doctor tells me. As long as you don't tell me to quit smoking I said I'll do everything you tell me but I've been smoking since I was 14 years old and I'm not quitting that. It's not a good habit, but it's too late to change now."
Her daughter, Candice Goyer, says her mom is living proof a person's physical age is irrelevant. What matters more is how old you feel, and staying active is the key to feeling young beyond your years.
"All the power to her, it's keeping her going and I think it's great for someone her age to actually get out and try things now," said Goyer. "She's always been outgoing and she will try anything, she's never just sat. I'm quite proud of her."
