MIDDLE FORK AMERICAN RIVER ~ Final Schedule 2015

MIDDLE FORK AMERICAN SCHEDULE for 2015
Update September 4, 2015

W.E.T. Guests are the Best!












  
SEPT: 
Labor Day weekend; sat, sun, mon,

Update: 
 9/12sat, 9/19sat, 9/26sat::



Call to reserve: 888.723.8938
www.raftwet.com
raftwet-store.com 





Photo by: W.E.T. River Trips
Posted by: Elizabeth Lopez

4th of July 2014 with W.E.T. River Trips

Monday, before the 4th of July, is usually full of chaos at the office. All last minute plans go into effect as everyone tries desperately to make a holiday for that 3-day weekend.  Like me. Oh, yes, I had plans. Multiple plans that went by the wayside as each day ticked by and now, it's Monday. Monday before the Fourth of July! Emails and phone calls will be extreme this week... weather will be hot this week, too!

4th of July with WET River Trips will keep you cool!

Discounts, Deals: 7/2/Wed; 7/3/Thurs; 7/4/Frid; 7/5/Sat; 7/6/Sun:::

One day trips
1-day South Fork American Chili Bar run with lunch
1-day South Fork American Gorge run with lunch
1-day Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run with lunch

All include (1) night camping
2-day South Fork American Standard at Camp Lotus with (4) meals
2-day South Fork American Wilderness Camp with (4) meals
2-day Middle Fork American Wilderness Trip with (4) meals
2-day American River Combo (2 rivers in 2 days)

Multiple day trips
3-day Middle Fork American Wilderness Trip
3-day American River Combo (2 rivers in 3 days)

Call us for pricing: 888.723.8938
Best rates: Groups of (12) people or more


Photo: BigPoppah and on WET Flickr
Post by: ~EL

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

Bachelor Groups and Whitewater Rafting

Rain has started again, and we are thrilled! This past Saturday, we had a great group of guys celebrating their friend's impending wedding. Bachelor groups come on river trips for the comraderie and the whitewater rapids.

The group came from afar and landed in sunny California. Very sunny for this time of year. Usually, March is a battle between sun and rain and snow. This year, sunshine has been in the sky throughout this winter. Thus, when we received the calls from this group, we knew they would have a great day on the rafting trip.



All showed up the day before the trip. Camping with dinner served and made by our guides, provided the guests with plenty of food and refreshments after their long drive. They slept well and were up the next morning ready to tackle the river.

Chili Bar section is the first 10.5 miles on South Fork American river. The first 10.5 miles is a ripping section of whitewater rapids. Chili Bar Hole, Meatgrinder (1/4 of a mile rapid), Race Horse Bend, Triple Threat and then lunch. We like to surf Chili Bar Hole as it helps to hone the skills of anyone there. Troublemaker is the big rapid on this section after lunch.

Many of us also like the Gorge section, 11 mi because it starts off very slow and mellow with easy rapids. Perfect for those who may have young children. You'll hit the rapids after lunch. The big rapid on this section is called Satan's Cesspool. Hospital Bar, and more class 3 rapids come after that until you end in Folsom Lake.

 The guides had fun, the guests had fun and even our office staff had fun talking with them. Their group leader was very organized and everything went smoothly despite the last minute changes that were implemented by our field staff. The guests ended up staying longer and adding a couple more options to their trip.

This is the best bachelor event! How else would you bond with your best friends? They had a blast on the river and in camp. No wonder bachelor groups, both male and female, do whitewater trips with us. WET River Trips practically invented the special event categories in our industry. We take wedding groups, bachelor groups, family reunions, anniversaries, graduations and more.

Now our entire industry is on the same page. Whitewater rafting is not just for the hardcore athlete. We provide a special service for those of you who love the outdoors, and the water. And as David Quammen said in his book, "Natural Acts," a collection of essays about natural places, riparian life and rivers, he wrote a paragraph that speaks to me this very day.

One of the essays, "Living Water" so rocked my soul that I would like to share it here. Quammen wrote, "It is an exaggeration to say 'Water is Life," an ubiquitousness, and perhaps the importance, certainly the durability, of life. Water came first, necessarily. Without life, there would still be water. Without water, no life."

Water and rivers... it's where I want to be.

Video by W.E.T. River Trips
Youtube channel: http://youtube.com/wetrivertrips
Google+ videos for W.E.T. River Trips (holy cow, what a link!)
Written by: ~el

Spring Rafting Trips and Diablo Shuttles

Spring rafting has started with hundreds of people flocking to their computers, iphones, ipads and android devices all texting, calling, messaging, and throwing rocks at us. Yes, someone actually did after they saw the company vehicle go by them. "Damn rafters," they shouted. A sentiment so removed from the reality of today.

Rafting Fun! Smiling, Paddling!

About 20 years ago, when I was shuttling trucks for W.E.T. River Trips on the Merced near Yosemite, my fellow shuttle mate and I were moving a van and a truck to the take-out or egress point. Movement was slow as we had gear in the vehicles, and we were trudging along coaxing our tires to remain full over sharp debris.

So many rocks along the narrow, winding road, prevented us from traveling more than 15 mph. The heat was stifling as we drove, and I could see the water vapor evaporating above the heated rocks near the river, turning into a ghostly mist.

March Fun on South Fork American River!

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the road. Just stepping from behind a boulder, a grizzly older man in non-hipster torn-up jeans, a wife-beater and a rifle in his hand. He raised the barrel and pointed it directly into the front of the window. He said, "What are you doing?"

My heart started pounding. Is this where I am going to meet my maker? What the hell...

He asked both of us to get out of our vehicles. At that point, my anger took over and I told him, "No." I said we were in a hurry to make the egress point. We told him that a large group was about to get off the river, and they were to meet us at the take-out point. I also told him that they would be floating by shortly.

He lowered his rifle and started laughing. "Ohhhhh, you are rafters." And, then he started talking about his mining activity. I let out an audible sigh, and knew we had to do a bit of community conversation that all of us rafters do when we meet the locals near the river.

We chatted for a few more minutes and then we were back on the journey. As we arrived to the egress point, we found a semi-shady spot to wait. I got out of the truck and set up my Therm-A-Rest pad, the self inflating pad that always brought comfort to anyplace that I laid my head down. My shuttle mate did the same, and we proceeded to relax by the river.

"Crack! Boom!, " a very large bang exploded the silence in that rocky canyon. I jumped up and, both of us turned to each other and said, "What was that?"

Then something whizzed passed above my head. OMG! Someone is shooting at us. We quickly hid behind boulders, heart exploding in unison with the whitewater rapids hitting the rocks, and at that moment, I went into survival mode.

Forget the cell phones. This canyon prevents them from working well. I grabbed a large boulder and hung onto to it as the only weapon available.

Then the noise stopped. I could hear someone's laughter echoing in the canyon. Very funny. I suppose. To scare a couple of girls in this lost canyon. I swear, if I had a gun or rifle, I think I might have re-enacted all those silly westerns. Bang, bang, bang...

We got Whitewater!

The majority of communities in California are used to rafters floating past their homes, businesses or driving populations into their communities to spend hard cash at their restaurants, bars and lodging accommodations.

We are finally welcome in most communities. Our whitewater rafting industry is a clean one. We shuttle our guests in vans or buses. We recycle the majority of our waste products such as plastics, paper, aluminum and garbage. Our community leaders fight for our planet to save rivers and the riparian life.

We believe in water. The act of paddling on the river is so primitive to our human species, that we can witness the impact when we take our guests down the river on multiple-day trips. After a couple of days, most are on "river time." The guests slow down, they relax and the type-A personality turns into a type-B very quickly as each of us become tuned to the flow of the river.

For those of you who are ready to release from your hectic lives, call us (888.723.8938 yes, we are plugging it)  and we will help you to create that magical sense of flow on our rivers. We are now an oldster company, founded in 1978 and still helmed by the original owner, is ready to embrace the challenges of business, community and river life itself.

Spring rafting is here!


Written by: ~ EL
All photos: W.E.T. 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

Rain, Snow for California

"Don't complain about this rain," the mother said as she chided her young son.

Rain, snow in California

Her son was stomping his feet in the small puddles forming on the sidewalk. I could tell he was mad about something...

I chuckled under my breath as the fat rain drops hit my eyeglasses. Usually an annoyance, the drops looked like jewels against the glass. Brilliant white crystals of water refracting the light; making everything look psychedelic and wonderfully splendid.

Mother Nature at its finest. Rain and glorious snow in the Sierra Nevada. California has received the gift of water for 2014.

Don't get me wrong. I know we have a very long way to go. We need a minimum of (5) more storms like today just to catch up. The weather is on everyone's mind. Each day, when I am out and about, I hear the refrain of weather complaints. Or the lack of...

More rain, more snow, more storms. Smile when the clouds burst open with the splash of rain. Smile when the trees bend heavily with snow. Smile.

...wondering if the North Fork American is up?

Thanks to WET River Trips Flickr for photo
Thanks to Google images for raindrops pic!

We Got Whitewater!

We got whitewater is our rallying cry! Rain and snow hit Northern California and soften the impending cries of "foul" towards Mother Nature. Yes, Mom took care of our world with a good shower of water and snow in the mountains.

We have flows this year... period.

WET Guests on South Fork American River

Flow schedule:

South Fork American River : everyday except for Tues and Wed!
Middle Fork American River : everyday!

Thanks to our representatives for their timely update!

"...hydro licenses on the South Fork of the American...  Those negotiations concluded back in 2007 and, though the new license is just being issued this spring, the flow regimes that were agreed upon have been followed by those two utilities since then... Chili Bar run on the South Fork ... Please note that in even the driest of water years (which this year is looking to be) we will still be getting 5 days of good water (with Tuesdays and Wednesdays dry) from Memorial Day all through the summer until Labor Day."

Now back to the river!
Call us and let's play on the river with all those rapids!
We got whitewater for 2014!!!

Call 888.723.8938 to make your reservations.
If you call, we will offer a better rate or discount!

W.E.T. River Trips has whitewater!
All pics by WET River Trips in Flickr

RAIN This Week!

The rain gods have heard us. The weather predictors are asking us to believe them when they say that rain is coming this week. Sigh... how many times have I heard that? The sky was promising this past week. Each morning, I would wake up to a sky full of wispy clouds. Then the last couple of days, the sky was dotted with fluffy clouds creating a grid-like pattern. Hmm... maybe rain.


I took a walk this past weekend to attend the Sacramento Bacon Week's offerings at Sellands Cafe. Good eats with a nice bottle of wine only set us back $25 for the two of us. We all walked over to share in Sellands promotion, and all of us hung out there for quite awhile sipping wine and talking about the weather.


Most of the neighbors had brown lawns or had already converted their water-hogging lawns to a xeriscape. Drought tolerant plants along with rock gardens made my day as I walked along appreciating what everyone is trying to say and do.


California is a desert. Yes, we have snow and rain that create the spring runoff and placates us with the allusion of a lot of water.


It's only the reservoirs and storage systems above those rivers that help to create the steady flow for Agriculture, Energy and Recreation. Wiser people than me have created that system. And, this year, with so little rain and snow, we all begin to hear the cries of "drought."

We should all do what we can to prevent the wasteful distribution of this water. Stop running the faucets for every flippin' reason. Wash your hands, but turn off the flow until you are ready to rinse. Wash your dishes only once a day. Don't wash your car in the drive way, please! Save it for a once in a blue moon, and wash that car at the carwash where they do recycle the water.


Politicians are looking at taking Northern California's water to the Southern California to redistribute the abundance (well, not this year...) of our water to the mostly desert environment of the southern part of our state. Let's nix that idea until everyone of us has a curb on our swimming pools, our water sucking lawns, our wasteful use of any water and our penchanct of keeping everything uber clean (a little dirt won't hurt you).


Drink your water. Taste that delicious liquid. This is the nectar of the gods. Seriously.


Next time you are on the river with us, thank the Gods that you are privileged to enjoy this whitewater trip with your family and friends. We do... we thank them everyday!

Praying for more rain and snow,
W.E.T. River Trips staff


written by ~ el
all pics by WET River Trips
xeriscape lawn pic by Don King Landscaping

2014 Flows on California Rivers

I was reluctant to post anything about the news we received last Thursday. Thursday was the day that every California outfitter arrived with clipboard, ipad, cell phone and reading glasses to gain an inkling of knowledge about the river flows for 2014.



South Fork American River and Middle Fork American River stream

We are going to have flows on (3) of our rivers this year. Here is the flow regime as outlined by our representatives and the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) contracts for South Fork American, Middle Fork American and Klamath River.

FLOWS 2014: California Rivers

• South Fork American River : Sat, Sun, (3) midweek dates tba (mid-May through Labor Day)
• Middle Fork American River : Sat, Sun, (3) midweek dates tba (Memorial Day through Labor Day w/ possible earlier flows)
• Klamath River : 1,200 to 1,500 cfs daily (June through August)

The political arena should be a hot bed this year as less rain and snow have fallen. The Southern portion of the state is already burning due to very dry foliage and winds. 

Yesterday, I went out to Folsom Lake to see that reservoir very dry. South Fork American is out and flowing all the way past the old, historical Salmon Falls bridge. That means this year, we will be encouraging our paddlers to float the "Gorge Run" for a longer whitewater trip.



Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute rapid with WET River Trips

Pray for rain and snow... Miracle March has happened before way back in 1991, and we hope it happens again.

Thanks to W.E.T. River Trips for their photos from Flickr.

Sunny with Clouds

Early morning sky ~ mid-Jan California

January 20, 2014 welcomes with another tortuous day of sunshine! Where is the rain and snow? Dry year but we will have water on South Fork American, Middle Fork American and Klamath River!!!

Schedule for 2014:

SFAR - every weekend + 4 midweek days

MFAR - every weekend + 3 midweek days

KR - natural flows everyday

Thanks to EL for pic!

All content belongs to W.E.T. River Trips

Drought : Critically Dry or Super Dry?

California here we come... right back where we started from...

That little ditty was running through my head when I received the email this morning from Noah. In the email, was a single link to an NPR (National Public Radio) radio show this morning. Oh, Noah... such an appropriately inappropriate name for this message.

I turned the radio to the NPR morning show. A show about California's low snowpack and lack of rain presented several scenarios on what to expect this year. Agricultural, energy, riparian habitat and recreational concerns were all addressed in an hour long show.

One of our representatives from the whitewater industry was also there. The representative also feel that we will have boatable flows on the South Fork American River this year. We tend to agree with them, as we know that all the reservoirs above the whitewater section are currently at 70% or more.

With that said, we should have flows every weekend. Now, we can not know what the political agenda may prove this year, but, after May 1st' snowpack evaluation, we will know definitively how much water will flow.

Current storage (percent of average historical storage: (Dec '13)

 SFA:

1. Caples Lake: 124%

2. Slab Creek: 81%

3. Union Valley 94%

5. Ice House: 117%

MFA:

1.French Meadows 70% 

2.Hell Hole 81 %

3. Loon Lake 96%

Resources for the whitewater paddler:

American River : http://www.theamericanriver.com/rivers/american-river-watershed/

Reservoirs : http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action

Chris Shackleton's Dreamflows : http://www.dreamflows.com/graphs/day.075.php


W.E.T. River Trips on South Fork American



Thanks to W.E.T. River Trips Flickr for the photos!

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+

Give, Ski and Dream of Rafting

Bear Mountain Ski School

Oh, yes, there is skiing in California. We just had real weather. The kind of weather that chills you to the bone. East coast kinda weather with parkas, headgear, Uggs on our feet, and wool scarves. Holy moly! We all looked like a bunch of New Yorkers walking the streets of Manhattan...

Weather rules. Skiing is taken for granted every winter. Sierra Nevada mountains are glorious with the cap of a deep snowpack. That snow draws so many skiiers and recreationalists. The mountains are so beautiful that many tourists have ended up living on the summit drawn by the allure and mystery of Gold Rush history, Donner Party tales and the Sierra Nevada.

I love skiing. It's a sport that is as 'lonely' as surfing. You do it alone. I drive up to the mountain with friends or by myself, as I got tired of skiing friends who just didn't want to get up early to hit the slopes.

When I ski, I dream about the river. I dream about the snow melting in early season and turning into that crystal clear water flowing down through the mountaineous terrain, and cutting deep into the sediment and rock and changing the river.

Friends, Family Rafting

I dream about my friends and family getting together to celebrate the river. Celebrating the river rafting together is a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors. California whitewater rafting is an outdoor sport to be shared together!

That is why, I run rivers every year. The river changes every spring and continues to change based on flows. The river is dynamic. And, in it's dynamic plunge towards the ocean, the river is a spiritual body of living particles and life that reminds each of us that the river remains forever if we allow it to flow.

GIVE to others!

Peace out.
Merry Christmas.
Remember the poor; donate to the food closests.
Invite an older, housebound neighbor to dinner.
Bring Christmas dinner to anyone in your neighborhood who is elderly or ill.
When giving gifts; think of our world and all the children.
We will remember each of you with our prayers and thanks.

Happy Holidays! Goodness, it is almost time for Christmas!


Much love,
W.E.T. River Trips
RAFTWET.com
since 1978 in California, USA


All photos belong to W.E.T. River Trips.
Bear Mountain pic; thank you to Bear Mountain!
Greater Good pic;  thank you UC Berkeley!

W.E.T. River Trips Photos

Hey all! Just posted a bunch of photos and pics into our Facebook page here : http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

Check them and dream about the river...
And, pray for rain and snow this winter!

Thanks for being our friends all these years... we love ya!
Your support has been so awesome.

Youth groups, family trips and friends call us soon to start organizing your trips.
888.723.8938
Here's a pic to keep us in your mind.

Looking forward to 2014,
W.E.T. River Trips Staff

All photos and text belong to W.E.T. River Trips
All photos can be found on Flickr, Google+ or Facebook.

WET River Trips Website for 2014

Back to the website... finally. Yes, everything on the internet has changed, much to our chagrin... but, we look forward to connecting to our community and our friends who have made such an impact on our company, W.E.T. River Trips, with a brand new website.

We are doing business next rafting season a bit differently. We have things in place now that prevent us from breaking our own rules. Yikes! Yes, systems are ruling the roost in 2014.

Anyway, back to the website (really?), that cumbersome, gigantically created stinky site using several systems including PageMill, Adobe, Macromedia, Adobe again, then hand-coding, and now networks (waves to all the big networks out there in the universe including Google).

First things first: images

How do ya like this one?

Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute rapid w/ W.E.T. River Trips

Do you wanna see this on the website?
Say YES or NO about this October 2013 post from our California Whitewater Rafting blog by visiting us at our WET facebook page: http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips and comment a YES or NO.
Thanks for your help peeps...
I want the rafting community to help us create the website we know we should have... carry on with your day after you vote.


Photo by: W.E.T. River Trips on our WET Flickr site.
Will Google ever like us again?

It's raining/snowing again, finally! We will be posting a bit more regularly...
Oh, yah, before I forget... we are taking group rafting reservations now.
Call us in morning from 9 - noon for group information: 888.723.8938

And, Happy Halloween!

Weather and Rivers in September 2013

"What's the weather like up there?" she queried. And, with that question, we went into our weather spiel.

"Blah, blah, blah... we can't predict the weather, but if the air temperature is below 83 degrees, you will need a wetsuit, " I answered. I could feel the next question coming, so I answered before it was asked.

"You can check with a search for 'Coloma, CA weather' and receive quite accurate weather reports on various sites" I claimed.

Pumping up the Rafts

The caller, said thank you and I was off on another call answering similar questions for another guest.

The weather is very important to our guests. They want to know how to prepare themselves for their whitewater trips on American Rivers. They want to know if it is raining or if it is blistering hot. With the weather being so strange, that has been difficult. Wetsuits? or not? Most likely not as the air temperature keeps rising daily.

We had a great winter and then a lousy end-of-winter pattern. No snow, no rain for weeks until finally we had a big storm in April. Was it enough for the state of California? No. We need more snow and more rain for Southern California and the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. We also could have used more in the Northern California regions, too.

Bachelorette Party w/ WET River Trips

Best flows in the state is on Central California's American River. South Fork American, Middle Fork American will have flows through September 2013. Remarkable, since there is no water on the Kern River or even the Tuolumne River for whitewater rafting.

And, most of the early spring runs were done very early this year around March. What a strange year! This weekend will be in the 90's. Time to go rafting on the river... again! Whitewater rafting will be great at the end of this season for all of you who were too afraid to hit the higher flows in spring or too squeemish for the colder temperatures. September is an uber warm month with lots of friends coming out to go rafting with WET River Trips.

This year, 2013, we introduced a lot of beginners and novices to our whitewater sport. This is definitely the best year for groups, families and novices on either run on the South Fork American River or the Middle Fork American River.

North Fork American in March!

Call your California outifitter! Get on a whitewater trip this year before it's too late!


Trip List : September 2013 Whitewater Rafting Season

• 1-day South Fork American Chili Bar Express 10.5 mi, 9-1pm, no lunch; beginners, novices 
• 1-day South Fork American Chili Bar run 10.5 mi, 9-3pm, lunch, novices
• 1-day South Fork American w/ 1-night camping + (4) meals
• 1-day Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run w/ lunch 18 mi, 8-4pm, intermediates or athletic novices
• 1-day Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run w 1-night camping + (2) meals
• 2-day Middle Fork American Wilderness Trip w/ 1-night camping + (4) meals

For best rates: call 888.723.8938
We are doing super discounts now!
And by the way... pray for snow this winter!



Thanks to W.E.T. River Trips for their flickr photos.

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...)

Northern California Rafting Trips - Spring 2013

Hello Boys and Girls... Heffe wrote this one!

I once again had the opportunity to go on another W.E.T. River Trips sponsored rafting trip to the lost corner of California. Just about every year I have been employed by WET we have made to pilgrimage up to Northern California. Sometimes we go to the Smith River drainage, sometimes we go to the Trinity drainage, sometimes we go to the California Salmon drainage, and sometimes we go to them all. We always charge hard and get on more rivers then days in the trip. This is no easy feet, but is accomplished by a very knowledgeable captain, Steve.

This year was no exception, we met at the warehouse on Monday morning. I wasn't sure who was coming along, but was greeted by Logan, Danger Dave, and John C. We packed the van with all the the equipment necessary for a three day camping, rafting trip with the strong possibility of rain. The van was loaded and ready to go, with only two more real stops before we would be setting up camp at Nordhiemer camp ground. One of those stops is of course the grocery store, for food and a small bit of fire water. The other stop is of course Petro, the ceremony stop made by whatever W.E.T. trip travels north past it. We were pleasantly surprised when Steve received a phone call from one of the new trainees, Daniel. Daniel lived near Petro, and would be more then willing to join us on our trip north. We all were also pretty stoked, because having Dan along meant there would be three paddlers, instead of just two.

The WET van pulled into Cal Salmon Nordhiemer camp at 5:30, after road scouting some of the larger rapids on the Nordhiemer run. The weather being unsettled and wanting to enjoy the evening we decided to not put on the river. We all enjoyed a pleasant evening of a pasta dinner and a very small portion of fire water. (WET office staff says "lol!")

The next morning came early the smells of breakfast cooking, and coffee. We put on the river early with the hopes of heading all the way down through the Ikes section of the Klamath River.

The last time Jon and I had run this section flows were in the 5000-6000cfs range, everything looked much smaller, several rapids above a rapid called airplane turn, Jon gave me the signal (arms out stretched like an airplane). He thought the next one was airplane turn, it was not, nor was the next one, or the next. Airplane is not usually one of the rapids I scout on this run, but after watching several fully loaded oar assist rafts come through and flip (at higher water), we were very concerned about this other wise benign rapid. After a short scout, I stayed to take pictures, while the raft consisting of Jon as the all powerful guide, Logan, Danger Dave, and New guy Dan picked the best line of attack. Jon came in with a left to left movement, dropping the front left corner deep into the pocket, stalling the raft long enough to move everyone from there seated positions, throwing Dan and Danger Dave into the water. The first two swims of the trip out of the way.

We continued down river not stopping to scout again until we reached one of the biggest rapids on the California Salmon on this section, Cascade. There is a hiking trail in on river left, so Steve was there to take pictures and judge the performance. After a very short scout for me it was off to river right to have a better look at my favorite line in the rapid, a simple boof off the center/center right line. I like this line because the angle Steve is able to take pics is one of my favorite pictures. I picked my line peeled out into the eddie and sent myself off the 10 foot ledge, into the soft landing below, a near perfect line. I really enjoy a good scout followed by an exact performance of what you had in your head. I eddied out below and waited for the raft. I decided to stay in my boat in case any carnage came floating down. The raft pulled out into the current, had the perfect right angle for the entrance lateral, quickly charged away from the wall with a few powerful stokes from the boys, the raft was in the clear. I think it was one of the smoothest lines I have ever seen run at cascade.

Below cascade are a few fun but insignificant rapids, before you reach Freight Train. In my opinion Freight Train can be one very intimidating rapid. After a very long scout and a small break, I decided it was time to run it. I pulled out into the current, and was sent hurdling along towards my fate. I had picked a good line but still felt out of control, nearing the bottom the crux of the rapid I was stalled out on my stern and no longer really had control of where I was going to end up. Once the bow of my kayak had settled down I was on top of the coffin rocks I had been trying to avoid from the top, but to my amazement I just slid right over the top of them. Having escaped with my pride, it was the rafts turn. Once again to my amazement Jon has picked another nearly perfect line down the biggest rapid on the section of river. After Freight Train things tames out a little bit and turns into a very enjoyable class 3 section of river called Butler. We all had very clean fun lines in this section.

The choice was made at lunch a little earlier in the day to continue down the Cal Salmon all the way to the Klamath river. Once on the Klamath the flow goes to almost 5 times the level you have on the Salmon. You go from a fairly low flow rafting to big water. There is two very large rapids on this section of the Klamath. Big Ike, and little Ike. After a short scout at big Ike the boys decided they were going to run the meat of the rapid. We discussed how big the hole was, and decide from this vantage point it was a little bit over six feet trough to top. I ran through first skirting the biggest part of the rapid and was still very surprised how big the waves were, I would say they were in the 8-10 foot range. My thoughts quickly turned to the boys in the raft, did they really want to try and plug a 10-foot hole? At this point there is no way to communicate with them as they are already just about to enter the meat of the rapid. As they neared the top of the hole it looked as if they were on the verge of surfing back down the face, just as it looked like it was all over their fearless leader, yelled “paddle bitches” thus saving the raft from flipping and sending everyone swimming in the cold brown water. The rapids after big Ike down and just fun large waved rapids. After about 15 minutes of flat water we were all very relived to catch site of the W.E.T. van parked on shore. After more then 25 river miles, three different sections of river, and countless memories, we were all very stoked to get into some dry clothes and maybe a firewater or two.

After a short drive we all arrived back at camp. Once again Steve made us a quick satisfying meal of chili stirred together (with) mac'n cheese also called chili mac. The weather had once again held off for us and we were able to collect a small but acceptable amount of fire wood. At the Nordheimer Camp there is a herd of wild horses. Right before it got dark we were able to spend sometime petting the older horses. Once the horses were well-watered it was time to enjoy another river evening around the fire sharing the days embellishments.

The next morning at was a quick breakfast, and an even quicker team effort of breaking down camp. We all knew we had a big day in front of us(well at least the half of the group that had been up this way before). We were on the road and make a quick stop off in Happy Camp for some ice cream and morning snacks. With a little more then an hour and half of driving in front of us we would be at the put-in for the Scott river at about high noon.

The section we did on the Scott is a very enjoyable class 4 section. There are several large boulder gardens, with quite a bit of read and run class 4. There are 3 bigger class 4 rapids on this section. This day on the Scott was my day to guide the raft, and let my good friend Jon safety kayak. After running several fun read and run rapids we came upon the first large rapid, called White house. After the scout it was quite clear, the easiest and safest line was down far river right, with slight left angle. W Punching through the second smaller hole at the bottom with a good amount of speed. The line was fairly straight forward but if we did find ourselves off line there would be a good amount of thrashings for everybody. Jon was the first to push off, as we were still getting settled in the raft. I worked the raft around a fairly shallow entrance and down the left side of the river, finding the tongue through the first hole, getting a couple good paddle stokes in from the boys, and raft boofing the second hole into the pool at the bottom, where I expected to see our friend Jon C waiting in his kayak. Instead I couldn't see my friend, then a few seconds later I see him, at first I think he is getting his monthly bath in, turns out I was wrong. My good friend Jon had taken quite a beating in the second hole, and was trying to swim after the missing paddle. He gave a the signal that the paddle was floating down stream somewhere and we were off to chase after the missing gear. We were lucky enough to find the paddle in the next rapid called Thompson creek, where Logan made a super good grab of the paddle at the last second as the raft and paddle were just about to float apart. We waited for a short while, as we walked the paddle back up to the winded Jon C.

We were quickly back on the water enjoying several other class 3 and 4 boulder gardens. Not to far down river the sky darkened, it looked like the sun was going down. Then it started small hail at first, then slowly the hail got bigger and bigger until it was slightly bigger then a marble. We paddled quickly hoping to see the take out soon. Before we know it we were at takeout, where just as fast as the hail had started it stopped and once again the sun came out. We quickly loaded up the gear and changed into warm dry clothes. We also watched the swimmer of the trip drink his ceremonial booty beer. We were on the road home with several hundred miles separating us from the warehouse parking lot. We made a quick stop in Yreka for 2 large pizzas. Back on the road we made great time home with Steve behind the wheel. We arrived in the warehouse parking lot about 9:30pm. Having driven several hundred miles and rafting three different rivers in two days, I am pretty sure everyone had a great time.

I always look forward to these trips up north with the WET boys. A big thanks to Steve and W.E.T. River Trips for leading us on another journey to the lost corner of California!

Jeff Heffe

Director Of Good Times at W.E.T. River Trips

Thanks Heffe for a story well-told! We liked the part about the wild horses...
WET River Trips office staff
Photos by W.E.T. River Trips

LATE GUESTS...Late Arrivals

Sun is streaming through the trees, bathing the sidewalk in a bright light that is almost painful to view after months of dark clouds and gray fog. The neighbors are having their annual spring sidewalk sale. Cars zipping up to park and people milling around as I could hear their voices this early morning. Peaceful day, and I was drinking my tea and peering through the window glass at the shoppers.

Brring, brring... the phone. And, for me, the early morning ring can only mean one thing. A guest is lost or late. Every single day. Someone is late.

Thanks to markedlines.com for this pic

When the guest calls, they usually say, "Hi, I am so-and-so... and we will be there in 10 more minutes. Please wait for us."

I am instructed to ask the caller where they are, so I can get an accurate timing on what to tell the head guides and our greeter on the guest's arrival time. Sounds simple, right? Wrong! The guest does not know the route!

Guests are coming here to Lotus Coloma from all locations of the universe. Some people are neighbors in the local area. Others are from Sacramento, just about 45 minutes away and other valley towns like Lodi, Modesto, etc. While most may come from the Bay Area such as San Francisco, San Jose, and all other bay area locations approximately 3 hours away. And, of course, all our Southern California friends who drive all night or fly-in to Sacramento International Airport, and then drive-in on the morning or the night before.

So, how do we expect ANYONE to arrive on time?

Here is what we suggest:

1. Read confirmation as soon as you receive it; be prepared, check your links, and plan ahead.
2. Trial drive; for those who are nearby and can take a day to "practice" that drive (lots to do and see up here! pack a lunch and picnic at one of the locations in the area near the river)
3. Google maps; no excuses, peeps! Maps galore on the internet and we give you the address in your confirmation.
4. Plan your timing; if you know the kids/friends/group procrastinate, plan for that.
5. Japan time; ok, but that is what my mom called it (Japanese mother who always claimed that she was late due to "Japan time" so everyone at my house had to get up 1 hour earlier than necessary).
6. Consideration; for your fellow human beings, and it's called good manners.

Do what it takes to arrive on time. Why? Because the other guests do not like waiting for you, and neither does the river. Relax and enjoy your day by planning ahead and being on time. I guarantee you will be more light-hearted when you arrive... and that is where we want the river to take us, if you allow your heart and soul to receive that precious gift.

Ok, now I ragged on you all... but, keep in mind. Once you get on that beautiful river, nothing will matter. That harried morning, the crazy drive... the morning will fade away as you will slow down to river time. And the rush of whitewater? Oh, what a thrill! Nothing matters anymore... except your loved ones... and spending this time on the river with them is pure joy!

W.E.T. paddler on North Fork American River

God bless, Namaste
I'm on the phones!
Blogging from the office...
Thanks to markedlines.com for their photo
Thanks to W.E.T. River Trips for their photo