Tales from the Crypt ~ California Rafting

South Fork American River ~ Surfing the Chili Bar Hole

Our California rafting trips are in full swing.  On Saturday, we had various lively groups on South Fork American River. The crew is jelling nicely. Though on Friday, we had one mishap. 

A party of 2 were left behind at the campground and missed the shuttle. They had come all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We had them placed with another group from Wisconsin. I answered the phone call that morning way past the designated meeting time. And, when I realized that the couple had missed their trip, I panicked. I felt sick to my stomach.

The crew said they checked in the other guests at the designated time at our kiosk. The waylaid guest had walked around the campground looking for the crew; never seeing the kiosk or WET. They parked at the top before you entered the campground. The headguide and the client just missed each other. Just missed the pick-up by moments... by a set of circumstances that waylaid the guest's trip.

Our SF driver picked up the missing guests and drove them to the put-in. They made their trip! And... a fun time was had by all! Yes! 

I love rafting. And when we can't give a client the whitewater trip, we were all very upset. Especially, when something this dumb happens. The guest was so cool. He was a former paddler from California. We've invited him back as our guest the next day. His gracious understanding just emphasizes why we're in this business. The people who love rivers are just that... the most gracious and wonderful people that you'll ever meet.

Ok... the rest of you... let's go! Let's go rafting! 'Cause, We Got Whitewater!

• South Fork American everyday except Tues, Wed
• Middle Fork American everyday

Over and out... Tales from the crypt.
~ EL



Written by staff member, EL.
Photo by W.E.T. River Trips 

Memorial Day Weekend

In just a few more days, California will be celebrating Memorial Day weekend. Weather has been beautiful, cool and inviting for those of us who love the outdoors. With the crazy weather we have experienced lately, it's a miracle that we have whitewater this season.

California Whitewater Rafting with W.E.T. River Trips

Rivers are in our veins. Pulses through the arteries and strips clean our souls. We love rivers. We love them so much that since 1978, W.E.T. River Trips has rafted the entire Western United States on every river out there. But, we speak of now. And, now, the rivers are mostly lower due to a lack of snowfall. Only a few chosen rivers are running this year.

A LIST of RIVERS:

South Fork American: class 3-3+, ideal for novice, families, youth groups and events
Middle Fork American: class 3-4+, ideal for athletic novice or experienced paddler, older youth groups, bachelor groups, team-building
Klamath River: class 2-3, ideal for beginners, novice, families, youth groups and events
Call: 888.723.8938 for reservations


The rivers will have good flows; remarkable as most other rivers will not. If anything changes, there will be some clues to look for based on past year's experiences.

Check the flows daily. Look for patterns in the release schedule and compare with historical data. If you get a series of drastic highs and lows outside of the realm of release schedules, then you might hesitate until you have a dialogue with the rafting company. Call them and ask questions. Email them and ask questions. Have the dialogue and really listen to their responses.

Whitewater rafting is a complex sport. The requirements can be minimal or a mind-boggling litany of lists for group trips. In spring, you have to wear gear. Colder weather means whitewater gear which includes a wetsuit or a dry suit. Warmer weather means bathing suits, shorts and tennis shoes. And, that is where we are today. Memorial Day weekend coming up next in Sacramento! Only 45 minutes to the whitewater!

As the rest of you take part in the hilarity of partying, I will personally be thanking and sending prayers to my dad for his military service for our nation. Thank you, Dad, for giving me the life I have now. And as I enjoy rafting on the river this year, I will be blessed with friends, great food, and the our beautiful community, planet earth. 

Call 888.723.8938 for reservations.
Visit our online store raftwet-store.com to purchase rafting trips.
Have a great summer!

W.E.T. River Trips since 1978 "We Got Whitewater!"

Written: ~ EL
Photos by: W.E.T. River Trips
WET River Trips was founded in 1978 in California

South Fork American Spring Rafting Trip

Flowers are blooming. Trees have their leaves. And, it's raining... and it's cold!

Snow is falling again in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Rain is hitting the pavement like a lost child hitting his palms against the concrete. A good rain and a decent snow fall has bequeathed our community with blessed water from the sky.

Are we out of the drought? No, not yet, but the weather has given us plenty of hope for our warm weather future. Agriculture, energy providers and outdoor enthusiasts are all praying for more storms. California needs every drop.

Last Saturday, March 29th, we hosted a 24-person rafting trip for a bunch of non-outdoorsy and seasoned athletes. All had a blast! Rain made everyone wet, but whitewater rafting is about getting wet, drenched and soaked. The South Fork American River did just that!

WET River Trips Flickr

(4) rafts = 24 people on South Fork American River on March 29, 2014.

Many thanks to Mother Nature for providing the rain and snow! We loved it and by the looks of our guests, they loved it too! Muah!

Written: W.E.T. River Trips
Photos: WET River Trips Flickr

Spring Break, You'll Need It!

It's time for spring break and all I want to do is sit on this couch and watch Hulu. Finals will be brutal and working and going to school is not much fun. Who has a social life? Not me! All I seem to do is work, go to school, study, work some more, study some more and sleep. Eating has become a chore and I don't even know what I am eating anymore except that I have gained 20 lbs in two years of college. I need mom's good home cooked meals again...

I feel wasted all the time. Partying is kept to a minimum, but I can't sleep with all the noise around me at night. Honking horns, people yelling, music on too loud and the intense thoughts in my head at night as I pour through a litany of to-do lists. It's never ending!

The guys next door asked me if I wanted to go rafting last year. I guess. They said it was a cool thing to do. I guess. But, it kinda looks scary. And, I'm kinda not too much of an outdoor person... ya know? But, they said everyone was going, so I signed up since it's something different to do here at the school.

So I went. And, I survived. And, the weird thing is I really enjoyed it. I mean I freaking loved it! Who would have thought? that I could do such a thing? I was scared. I was exhilarated. I was like a little kid jumping off the jungle gym at the playground. Whooopie! More more more, I kept yelling each time the rapids hit me in the face. I know I was silly and giggly and being totally a kook, but I didn't care. Everyone else was silly, too! LOL!

All I know is that I wanna go again... and again... and again. Who wants to go with me? Let's get our friends together and go again! I want MORE! ... and don't be scared; I'll hold your hand.

Tales from the Crypt... this post belongs to WET River Trips blog.
Belushi pic from Google images
WET pic from WET River Trips Flickr

GUIDE SCHOOL for Whitewater Rafting

2014 in California may be a bit dry today, but, we will be running our Professional Guide School in March, April, May, and June. Guide School continues because the water will be boatable even this year.



Here is the important information for W.E.T. Professional Guide School:

Bloggy: http://raftwetblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/whitewater-rafting-guide-school.html

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WETriverTrips/videos

Facebook: http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

Twitter: https://twitter.com/raftwet

Website: http://www.raftwet.com

Otherwise, just call us at 888.723.8938 for more details or questions.
If you call us, the office has a better discount than anything posted!


Photos by: W.E.T. River Trips in Flickr
Photos by: W.E.T. River Trips in Google+

Fall in WET Garden

WET fall garden ... Let it rain! 

November 2013  

Happy Fall from WET River Trips (California rafting trips) 

About Cell Phones

Erm... about your cell phone. When you call us and leave a message from your cell phone while you are driving, here is what we hear: a garble of words that include a cell number that is barely decipherable.

Ooops! Yup. We cannot understand what you just said!

My favorite is the slo-o-o-o-w talker. The one who describes everything in detail about what they want and which river to raft. And, then... the phone number. In lightening speed, the caller says a flurry of numbers slurred together as a single word. Uhmmm... can you repeat that?

We also have many people whom English is a second language. The language accents make the cell number even more unintelligible. Please people. Slow down when you call so we can be sure to get your cell number so we can call back.

This morning, a caller was driving in their car when they made the call to our reservation office. With the sound of the air whooshing as their car sped down the road, a background of noise colored their speech and made it very difficult for us to understand.

A mumble of a voice, and I think I heard "birthday" and I think they said "this weekend." But, the phone number was a blur and (2) of the numbers were not clearly understood. So we tried each number from 1 - 9 and placed them in different configurations in that cell number. Nada. Nothing. Wrong number.



Maybe they will call back... and maybe they won't. Those who do not call back are usually annoyed with us because we did not return the call. With everyone on a cell phone, keep in mind that the clarity of your voice may not be received by the receipient. Instead, we got a lot of wooshing air, auto traffic noise and a garbled voice.

Guess what? There really is a very good reason why we can not hear each other on cell phones. Cell phones cut out the highest frequencies of the human voice. The results suggest that we may be missing the full meaning of what people say when we talk to them on our mobile devices. So says an article in Discovery.com.

I do wish I could have that cell phone that can call anywhere in the world from any place in the world. But, until that day arrives, all we can do is hope that our guests are understanding and patient. Slow down when you call! We really want to hear your words and call you right back.




A List for Hearing Resources

1. Discovery.com on Why We Can't Hear : http://news.discovery.com/human/cell-phone-frequency-111028.htm
2. Yahoo Answers on Cell Phone Hearing : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080823200354AAQZFRq
3. Ask Metafilter.com What I Can't Hear You on the Cell Phone : http://ask.metafilter.com/134775/What-I-cant-hear-you-on-the-cell-phone
4. Hearing Loss in Musicians : http://www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/harts/HARTS_library/musnoise.txt
5. Hearnet, A Non-Profit Info Source for Musicians and Music Lovers : http://www.hearnet.com/
6. Oracle ThinkQuest on Phone Etiquette : http://library.thinkquest.org/2993/phone.htm
7. ReviewGist on Best Cell Phones for Hearing Impaired of 2013 : http://www.reviewgist.com/best-cell-phone-hearing-impaired

Written by: ~ EL on Staff for W.E.T. River Trips
Thanks to Discovery.com, Yahoo Answers, Metafilter.com, UIC.edu, Hearnet.com, Oracle Education and Reviewgist for their help on "A List for Hearing Resources".
Photos by mycricket.com, Northwestern University, and WET River Trips on Flickr.
Uuuuhhh... ok everyone, can you hear the whitewater rafting guide when he says "Paddle Forward!" ? (excuse my grammer...)

Magnificent Wolffe

"Geezus Christ!, " he screamed as he poured over the whitewater photos online this morning.

"I'm going to kill him... I swear to god, I'm going to kill him."

I went back into my thoughts while wondering why Big Poppah was yelling. What made him so mad? I kept working as I could feel and hear something in the background of this morning's river drama. Sigh... back to work.

First day of August and the living ain't easy. Discounting and dealing with the public has worn us all out. The reservation staff is waning as many of us get ready to go back to school. Whitewater trips are happening everywhere in the west from California to Arizona and also, West Virginia and all the way over to Pennsylvania. Whitewater outfitters provide dreams. A solitary river dream that flows inside all of our heads. We dream of rafting and kayaking. It's in our blood. Our life source flows on this planet much like it does in our bodies... the river of life.

Ok. It's hokey, I know that... but what made Big Poppah so mad?

I got up from my chair and walked into the other room. Peering over Big Poppah's shoulder, I could see the photos of yesterday's Middle Fork American river trip in front of me. Big Poppah was hunched over the computer and typing furiously. Tap tap tap clicky tap tap tap... like tiny soldiers marching on the hardened ground.

I saw Wolffe jumping from the cliff into the bottom of Tunnel Chute rapid. OMG! What was he doing? At least, no one else was in that gear raft in the ugly maw of Tunnel Chute.

Wolffe is a senior headguide for W.E.T. River Trips. He was manuevering the fully-loaded gear raft on the river that day with a large group on our 2-day wilderness trip. Why did he do that? What was he thinking?

Big Poppah was yelling and talking about company liability and why was Wolffe doing that and what was he thinking and how do we get it through his head that he can not do that? I listened to him ranting about Wolffe for quite a bit as I stood there nodding. My thoughts were drifting as Big Poppah's words were just a lacey decoration of a million times I had heard this similar rant about another guide, another river, another place in time.

This company is old. Really old. And what we do now is just survive the vagaries of life and all the bullshit that comes with it. WET has survived drought, economic downfall, guide revolts, back stabbing within our own industry, and sometimes even our friends!

August is coming up next... and then finally September. I am counting the days when the phone is quiet and the trips are only good memories on someone's facebook page...

The river. What more is there to say?

RESOURCES for Whitewater Photos:
Sierra Nevada Photos: 530.295.1873
Hotshot Imaging: http://hotshotimaging.com
Vita-B: http://www.whitewaterphotosonline.com/



This blog was written by staff member EL who has been writing here since forever.
California Whitewater Rafting W.E.T. River Trips blog is the oldest freakin' rafting blog in the world!
yah...

MEMORIAL Day Weekend! 2012

Memorial Day weekend is finally here. May 26th is looming on the horizon. W.E.T. River Trips has been on the river since 1978 and every single year, we start early. Most years, we are the first whitewater rafting company on the river, and this year, we started in March.



We ratcheted back a bit this year due to personal issues at home. Ie, we needed a bit of a break from the intense reservations that fly in every year. How do we all do this? Every company wants to take everyone down the river. And yet, government regulations that oversee our industry does not allow this. So, many of our guests will call, and we have to turn them away! Sob!



This weekend should be hot, hot, hot! With a great whitewater rafting season ahead, all guests should be happy this year on our rivers. And, now we start Summer Rafting!



RIVERS:

South Fork American - class 3-3+, ideal for novices, intermediates, most popular river in the west

Middle Fork American - class 3-4+, ideal for intermediates or athletic novices, equally popular

North Fork American - class 4-4+, ideal for advanced paddlers, season ended early this year (last week)

California Salmon - class 5, ideal for advanced, athletic, aggressive paddlers, spring

Klamath River - class 2-3, ideal for youth groups or novices, throughout summer months to early fall

Call us and reserve your trip today!
W.E.T. River Trips
RAFTWET.com
raftwet-store.com
http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

WET River Trips on Northern California Whitewater!

Rafting continues into day 2 of Northern California whitewater with WET River Trips! The boys had a great first day, if you recall (if you didn't read the first post, click here to read "Spring Rafting with WET River Trips in Northern California". First fun trips of the rafting season are always filled with ahem... stories of the antics of the whitewater guides. They get out there before the commercial scene starts up so that they are ready for you, our paddling guests!

DAY 2

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

After finishing breakfast and pumping up the raft, the WET guides hit the South Smith through the most difficult section of the three Forks of the Smith and the first legit Class 5 rapid of the trip: Grandma’s Pantry rapid. At over 3,500 cfs the rapid was a classic class 5 rapid. The crew came through without incident, and we took out and headed to the nearest Laundromat in Crescent City. Wolf had another idea, "...let’s take the back-route through Stout Grove." (part of the Jedediah Smith Park ) Note from WET River Trips editor: uhhh, haven't you guys learned that the Wolf way is the extreme way?

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

The drive through the park was incredible with some of the biggest redwoods in the world right along the single track road that actually did lead directly to Crescent City. I guess this is why we still trust Wolf way... a little. Note from WET River Trips editor: ok, ok... this time the Wolf path was the best... conceding with a bit of hesitation...

The Laundromat in Crescent City was assaulted by six of us with armloads of soaking wet gear that soon became dry, and we were off to the Cal Salmon for Day 3. On the drive we detoured through two more Redwood Groves, and Jon was able to marvel at the Trees of Mystery and he was also able to enjoy the view of Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan…life-size of course.

From 2010-02-16

From 2010-02-16

When we hit the town of Orrick, we detoured over Bald Mtn Road that parallels the drainage of Redwood Creek and shortens the drive to the Salmon by coming directly into the Klamath River drainage and the Yurok Reservation and Hwy 96 outside of Orleans, CA. After a quick stop at Somes Bar and a look at Ishi Pishi Falls , we made it up the Salmon River Highway to Nordheimer on the Cal Salmon by 5 pm and tarped-up for rain as I made dinner.

From 2010-02-16

From 2010-02-16

Dinner was huge and we were able to feed Matt P. as he rolled in from his trip on the Smith river (he was with Paul G... remember that rascal from part 1 of this story?). Soon after dinner, Matt pulled out the Casio 420 keyboard, Justin unpacked his conga drum, Alex H. dried out his guitar, Wolf found his rhythm rocks, and Jon found a curiously empty beer bottle to blow a tune. Club Nordheimer was in full-effect with the drum being passed from Justin to Jon and the guitar from Alex H. to Wolf. We were treated to no less than 3 original tunes and a mix of covers. No rain, music, a few beers, and only two other folks in the entire area… nice.

From 2010-02-16

Day 3

The WET guides added Matt P. in his kayak, and we pumped up the second raft. Heffe and Jon R-2’d, and Wolf, Alex H., and Justin took the other raft. The Nordheimer run was awesome with a flow of about 1,000 cfs at put-in and about 1,500 at the Butler Creek takeout. No swimmers and no incidents…smooth and very clean runs.

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

From 2010-02-16

We packed up said goodbye to Matt P., and we headed out of the Trinity drainage and back to I-5. We were back in Lotus at 9:30 pm. Ahhh, safe, happy, and dry.

1,100 miles of driving in 2 states, 45 miles on four rivers, no problems and an amazing start to the 2010 whitewater season!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Thanks to Big Poppah for his written series on Northern California rafting and his awesome whitewater photos!

Notes from WET editor: Northern California rafting trips are laced with incomparable beauty, lushness in foliage and flowers, and incredible awesome rapids on pristine rivers. Join our professional guides this year in 2010 and celebrate your special event or gathering on an upcoming whitewater season. WET River Trips is a professional whitewater rafting company since 1978 and pioneered trips on many rivers and creeks in California. WET rawks!

Join our fan pages in Facebook!

American River http://facebook.com/Americanriver

WET River Trips http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

For more information on WET River Trips, please see our website at RAFTWET.com.

Bachelor Party

From Rafting Pictures of Northern California Whitewater Trips NFA Race

The wedding is only 5 more months away! The planning started the minute I said, "Yes!" I want a big wedding with all my friends and all my relatives. We know we want to keep it simple as far as the location. I really don't want to ask my dad to front mega bucks for an overseas wedding... not even to Hawaii! We plan to keep the wedding in California at a local church that is known for its beautiful interiors and stain glass windows. We will have the reception outdoors at a very cool place that specializes in wedding receptions. So, I am feeling pretty good about the plans.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

I do want all the details to be set in stone at least 3 months before the wedding, so I am scrambling now to get that done. My maid of honor is throwing me a bachelorette party and the best man is doing the bachelor party for my future husband. OMG! My future husband... that sounds so nice.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

My soon to be hubbie is not the stripper-party-type of guy. Been there, done that... he wants to see his old buddies from college and get together for one last hurrah. Me, too. I just want to hang out with my girlfriends that I've known since high school. Both of us want to remember these bachelor parties forever! We already know we will remember the wedding... as long as we live.

From Cal Salmon, Burnt Ranch, Spring 2008, Whitewater Rafting Trips, W.E.T. River Trips

One of my close friends did a whitewater rafting trip in California. I was there and I had a blast. We are still talking about it! So, I want to do something like that and maybe go to Tahoe after for a night on the town. My beau wants to do something similar but he wants to do a really tough class 4 river to challenge his friends... an adventurous group of guys who do a lot of stuff in the outdoors.

From Spring Middle Fork 2009

California trips include so many things and my goal is to have these parties organized before we do the other details. I am planning now and talking to the rafting company to help me organize it. My future husband has already booked a North Fork American class 4 run with this company to get his party started, and they are going in late April.

This wedding will be memorable... not only for the wedding, but what we share with our best friends! ... now it's time to look for my wedding dress!








Wedding dresses from the-weddingvendors

Tahoe Paddle Fest : aug 1 - 2

The Tahoe Paddle Fest is coming on August 1st - 2nd! This free festival encourages children, teens and adults to participate in healthy, sustainable outdoor activities and paddling sports. The Tahoe area is home of Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada, an indigenous people from this locale. The Washoe Tribe is an event sponsor of this fun festival.

This first annual paddle event will highlight non-motorized watercraft with a nod to the indigenous water craft that might have graced beautiful Lake Tahoe long ago. Watercraft from indigenous cultures to modern times will include dugout canoes, standup surf paddling and outrigger boats. Racing these crafts will be another highlight to the weekend.

Tom "Pohaku" Stone, University of Hawaii professor who is an authority on Hawaiian surfboards and outrigger canoes will also serve as a keynote speaker.

Promotion of safe boating and the importance of checking for the invasive mussels that could destroy Tahoe's sensitive ecosystem will also be encouraged. Tahoe Basin and Educational partners are providing free demos or educational outreach for this event.





Tahoe Paddle Fest is located close to several paddling rivers including the world famous American River trips. Both California whitewater trips on South Fork American and Middle Fork American are within 1.5 hours from the Tahoe area. Close enough to paddle the white water river while enjoying the displays and exhibits from the festival.

Contact Tahoe Paddle Fest for more info or call them directly at 530.318.7599 to reserve sponsorships or exhibitor booths.

See you on the water!



Thank you to Tahoe Paddle Fest for this summer update!
Thank you to Ecomentum Green Marketing for cool surf pic of Prof Stone!

Lars Holbeck

Lars Holbeck passed away Friday night after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Lars and his friends: Chuck Stanley, Banducci, Richard Montgomery, and others took their kayaks, kayaking, and all whitewater sports to a level that no one ever realized was possible.

Lars and Chuck were the ring-leaders and scribes to an era of discovery that the California and World whitewater communities never saw coming. Lars Holbeck and Chuck Stanley wrote the classic: The Best Whitewater in California: The Guide to 180 Runs. (Third Edition)

This book is the bible for California whitewater. I would say 90% of all paddlers have purchased or traded that book... handing it down to the noobie paddler as they begin their journey into the world of whitewater. Mine simply fell apart after much use and being carried perpetually in my dry bag. Blogger BR Thomas wrote a review about the whitewater guide book for California as recently as in 2007.

UK Rivers Guidebook team member, Mark Rainsley wrote in his field report, "Lars Holbeck Must Die." His reference implied that Lars' book on California whitewater had taken the UK team from Wales on a dangerous adventure of Class 5+ rapids with no possible return.

British paddler Rainsley writes about Clear Creek; "All of a sudden, a horizon line came into view and like the close knit team that we are, we fought each other tooth and nail for the remaining break outs. That was a close one - a walled in hole immediately upstream of an undercut- unpaddleable (sic) by even the most hairy and gnarly of Pro boaters. It got worse, we then rounded the next corner only (to) be confronted with a huge steep walled-in rapid (Grade V? Grade VI?) which we couldn’t inspect or portage. There we were in a real live Foxy cartoon."

Lars also wrote: "The Rivers of Chile". Lars and kayaking friends ran the steepest rivers in the deepest canyons with skill, intelligence, and more than a bit of dumb luck ... they were the whitewater Jedi! He pioneered the now popular Futelafu River, a pristine whitewater river in Chile that is a true destination river for rafting and kayaking.

Within hours of his death, the news spread rapidly throughout the whitewater and river networks. In the Coloma - Lotus Valley in Northern California, the entire community gathered to honor this legend. Scores of kayakers and paddlers descended into the North Fork American to pay tribute to the man. The North Fork American River is a favorite for all the river community and now has conservation protection due to the Auburn Dam demise.

All of us (rafters, kayakers, paddlers) owe Lars Holbeck eternal respect for his exploits. The gift he shared of his California adventures, his paddling world, his love of the rivers, conveyed his passion for white water. His writing and journaling with no sponsors, no labels and no paychecks, is a testament to who he was as a man. Lars Holbeck loved whitewater rivers and the paddling community!

GoodOnYa Lars!

Namaste!
Stephen Liles
CEO, W.E.T. River Trips

Note: Thanks to UK Rivers Guidebook and BoaterTalk for photos...

Everything's Gonna be Alright...

The 2009 whitewater season starts up in just one month for us. It's been raining and snowing and more storms are lining up to come in to California over the next week and beyond ... and California now has a budget and President Obama's stimulus package is being unfurled.



As we are all aware, the economy is a mess and folks are justifiably nervous about the present and the future ... time for the adrenaline, sunshine, water, good food, and the relaxation that a whitewater trip can provide and without breaking the bank (or what's left of the bank!). A one or two day California whitewater trip feels like a week at the spa...except you get an extra dose of endorphins, adrenaline, and team building. Whether you bring the family group, friends, the office, or just yourself, you are part of a journey team-building and bonding that has no other agenda than to have the best time possible!

The river guides are on the same page and you're rafting rivers with others that share that agenda as well. It's a time a maximize your investment and create a life-long set of returns, benefits, and dividends: memories, friends, rafting photos, emotions, and flat-out fun! Your guides have no other imperative other than to help you enjoy your trip safely, provide you the best meals you've ever had in the outdoors, and make every moment an escape.... You need and deserve a whitewater trip!



As Bob Marley sings in "Three Little Birds"...Everything little thing's going to be all right! Thanks and Praises for whitewater, California, and those wacky river guides....got to love 'em...they're your guides!!!! (Note from WET: lump in my throat watching Connie sing this ...)

Note SpamReminder: Guide School starts on March 14th. Couple spaces are available on 4/4; 4/11, 4/18 & 4/25::

CH CH CH CHANGES

31 years ago, I became a river guide and I worked for an whitewater outfitter. After finishing my under-graduate degree and getting my first teaching job, I was 22 and had worked no less than full-time for the previous six years. So it was natural to work hard; loading gear, buying food, packing food, driving long distances, unloading, pumping up rafts, rigging rafts, loading gear into rafts, cooking meals for large groups of clients, and rowing 17' rafts with overnight gear and 4-6 clients down class 3 and 4+ whitewater ... it seemed like a vacation. It was. It is.

I immersed myself into a dual lifestyle as a professional educator and professional raft guide (soon to be outfitter). Within two short years, the big gear/oar rafts were rarely used and W.E.T. River Trips , along with a small handful of outfitters, started to use small (under 14') paddle rafts and one-day trips became more and more common and in demand.) Not long after, we started to use self-bailing rafts and to commercially run class 3 to 5+ river trips that were never available to the outfitted public. We also started to run bigger trips and rafted as many as five rivers simultaneously. The bar was raised and our clients met the challenge. The whitewater industry has continued to adapt and meet the interests of the clients. All along the route, the guides were there.

Today, W.E.T. River Trips has expanded and refined a menu of rivers that fills the range of class 3 to 5 whitewater with new, modern equipment, new vehicles, amazing meals, and the very best guides in California (and that means that they are World-Class!).

I'm now in my 32nd year in education and last season, I loaded gear, bought food, packed food, drove long distances, unloaded gear, pumped up rafts, rigged rafts, loaded gear into rafts, cooked meals for large groups of clients, and went down a few rivers. It still feels like a vacation and a privilege to be involved in what WET does. All season long, the guides came through.

In between 1978 and 2009, I've been lucky ...marriage, fatherhood, punk-rock, rewarding career, skateboarding, kayaking, back-country skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, motorcycle racing, soccer-dad, ballet-dad, swim-dad, health, laughs, love, friends, good health, teaching, school administration, and school restructuring...through it all there has always been whitewater rafting with beauty, thrills, sun, laughs, fear, and the ever-changing cast of guides

I no longer kayak or back-country ski (I was just not that good). My ancient mountain bike is a wreck. My skateboard is now "collectable". I'm now a hipster-dad. I've got fresh snowboard gear and I haven't missed a season since 1984. I don't race motorcycles anymore, but I still ride (the best way to do river shuttles!). The blood pressure is still awesome and Burning Man was big FUN this year!

What strikes me with a sense of consistent satisfaction through all of the years is my interaction with river guides as co-workers, workers, friends, and family. This last month I had the chance to enjoy the holidays with four river guides that were on my very first river trip, and that I later worked with. Jack, Randy, and Rich still talk big smack!

Some guides have been with us for over 20 years, others 15 years, and some others have been with us 10 years and less. Each of them has been special, unique and each of them usually presented a challenging relationship that inevitably was rewarding. I've seen maturity, intelligence, good luck, bad luck, and circumstances affect their respective lives. And our guides continue to evolve and I'm amazed at what incredible adventures continue to unfold for them.

Just this year, Justin stopped brokering mortgages and went back to guiding full-time and is surfing in Costa Rica having fun. Country Mike is now a father, (last year, Jason, Andrew, and Jonny also joined the ranks of parenthood). Wolf became a substitute teacher. Kyle has finished his credential. Bird graduated from culinary school and moved to Oregon. Booty shreds the Sierras. Mac worked on the Emmy-winning reality show, "The Deadliest Catch" as a videographer. Chris Z. had his photos published in Outside Magazine. Harpo is selling his restaurant to become a firefighter, purely out of boredom for the culinary set. Solly is poised to be a high school principal. K-Dawg is ready to transfer to UC Santa Barbara. Alex H is graduating from UC Berkeley. D-Rex is working in Colorado. Maggie has an office job while she finishes up at UN Reno. Meg is working with special needs kids in Maine. Jon C. graduates this year after winter "study" in Salt Lake City. Heffe is moving to Oregon to follow... LOVE. Some will go and new guides will come into the family.

Guides come. Guides go. Guides come back ...but, guides are always tied by the bonds of rivers, whitewater, the work, the play ...the life. Life is good and 2009 rafting will be epic!

American River Trips go Green

The 28th Annual International Motorcycle Show sponsored by Cycle World comes to San Mateo in Northern California on December 19th. The latest and greatest machines from the international motorcycle community will be represented. Visitors will have the opportunity to take test rides and kick tires. There will also be stunt shows by Jason Britton and the No-limits crew as well as the opportunity to meet and greet pro racers, and custom builders. (Photo below by: Jeff Henshaw)


With Motorcycles becoming more "Green " than ever with an industry wide MPG average of over 50 mpg, motorcycles are the last bastion of guiltless performance and cutting edge technologies (hydrogen, diesel, and electricity now power experimental and production bikes).



So save some money and use the extra cash for the ultimate 'Green" thrill of group rafting on California whitewater rivers and ride your motorcycle (By the way, W.E.T. River Trips has been using a KLR 650 to shuttle vans and trucks on the Middle Fork American and North Fork American River for three years and hopes to expand the practice in the coming seasons.

Get a gift certificate for your adventure sports nut in the family! So ride your motorcycle to the river this spring and summer to combine an ultimate extreme sport package!

Family, Love and Tradition

Family.

Tradition.

Love.

Namaste.

Our connections to one another have never been stronger and never more pertinent.

The nuclear family has changed for sure and for ever and that is a very good thing. Our iconoclastic, cellular, and micro-concept-manifest destiny that embodied the Ozzie & Harriet wax-statue family values that stereotyped our collective visions of the American Family for too many decades has been shattered and with good cause: Change Happens.

Our families have changed for good. Our families have become larger, more diverse, and non-traditional. That non-tradition had become a new tradition of richness and invigorating freshness.

Thanksgiving 2008 is a mixed bag of emotion that ranges from the economy to Barack Obama to the choice to serve a Vegan meal instead of the flesh of foul. Let's celebrate what we have become and what we are yet to be...

This year our family has diversified, flexed, re-focused and moved toward new frontiers while "embracing change". We will meet together this Thursday with a brilliant conflagaration of individuals that bring their unique talents, thoughts, gifts, and needs to the magic table of "Fun Castle" with a bounty of food, drink, music, art, and conversation. Sure we'll talk about whitewater rafting, trips, music, events, the economy, jobs, and fun/fun/fun ....but, we do it together as a diverse and flexible family of friends, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, cousins, and mystery members ...Thanks to all.

Namaste.

(Hail to the flesh...fowl and faux!)
Check white water gift certificates for a great family gift!
And don't forget the rafting teens this year...
Oh yeh, t-shirts in the online rafting store.

HALLOWEEN International

The sunlight is fading, and the darkness grows as we prepare for the Winter Solstice and the longest night and shortest day…but first Halloween!

Halloween has officially (I'm calling it) the biggest celebration in the World. Yes… true. Christmas is big, but it's still a secular holiday. New Years is big as well if you don't count the Lunar New Year celebrated by China and many of its neighbors (except the Hmong and Lo Mien that celebrate the New Year in late Fall). Carnival is huge; however, it too is secular and limited. Halloween is everywhere! East to West and in-between, we as a World now celebrate and participate in the rituals of Halloween (dressing-up, sweets, food, drink, parties)…. what's not to like?

Yes, there are those remnants of Druid rituals, All Hallows Night, All Saint's Day etc. brought to us in America by Irish immigrants after the Potato Famine; however, the Melting Pot that is America distilled the World's rituals into the unique celebration of Halloween that has spread to the middle, near, and far east and expanded the pre-existing celebrations of Europe.

We all love Halloween for what it is: an opportunity to be something/someone different and to celebrate with our children, family and friends.

So get your mask on, touch up your make-up, stock-up on candy, buy some eggs to chuck and don't forget to vote!

Psst….this year's secret, best-ever costume: a River Guide! Think of the possibilities: dreadlocks, spandex, poly-pro, big shorts, helmets, facial hair, thrift-store shirts, knives, PFD's, sandals, bad hair, tattoos, hemp chokers, and chipped teeth (or no-teeth!).

I'll be at Java Lounge to see two hot bands: Sucks (check out SacBee Sucks review) and Fatty Acid!

I'll leave you with this:
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
Oscar Wilde

Fall Rafting and End of Summer

We've had an amazing rafting season of California rivers that included the Rafting Triple Crown, all kinds of guide and rafting parties, Music, P.O.W. event, and river travel!

All the rafting activity wraps up now as we head into deep Autumn and Winter. Fall rafting will continue on the American River white water. Here's some pictures of rivers I took during some current rafting trips this past week.

Fall photos

We've had our first rain and a dusting of snow on top off the Sierra's as the rivers calm down and the preparations begin for the 2009 rafting season and a season of snowboarding and travel. 2009 is expected to be even better than ever with some new additions to the W.E.T. River Trips menu of trip itineraries and activities and the prognosticators are predicting an above-normal winter of rain and snow ...nice!

Some of the W.E.T. crew are headed out to new adventures with Mac going to Brazil, Chris Z. to Panama, Booty & Justin to Chile after a stop in Costa Rica, D-Rex (Ryan) will be ice-climbing and back-country skiing in Colorado, K-Dawg is expected to make the patrol roster at Sierra at Tahoe, Nate is remaining King of Patrol at Kirkwood, Jon is headed to the Caribbean after finishing up college in Maine and Utah, Kyle is getting married, Maggie is surfing a desk while stalking Mt. Rose daily, Greg D. is headed to the Canyon, Country Mike is having a baby, Saul is becoming an urban (Newport) farmer by establishing sustainable agriculture on his patio, Wolf and A2 are headed to Mexico after prepping for the GRE, Alex is finishing up at UC Berkeley, Jason is deep into fatherhood, Jonny is plotting a come-back, Meg is missing Cali, Mike S. and Mogli are honing their respective Ninja skills, Big Job Rob will be patrolling Sierra at Tahoe, Andrew will be blazing new trails in the entertainment media, Bird flew to Ashland, and Heffe is in love!

Fall brings changes and challenges...the rivers, the mountains, the oceans, and the guides of W.E.T. River Trips are out there soaking it up and prepping for the next big season of California Rafting beginning in just 4 short months.

It's beautiful outside... enjoy and think of that sweet cold, clear spring run-off and all that it brings to the rivers!