GUIDE POST from Berkeley (Bezerkeley)

Well, now that I have a little time in between working all day on the river, and writing papers all day for school, I figure I will take a break to briefly document some of last summer’s better adventure rafting trips. The year started off very well for the W.E.T. crew, completing the 2 day run of Generation and Giant Gap on the North Fork American River. Along with several other W.E.T. guides, notably J. Orban and Data Dax, we made the 5 mile hike into the Generation Gap with some Kayaker assistance (Heffe, fem Alex, and The Wolf), and put on at a perfect spring flow on a perfect spring day.



The Generation Gap has been run multiple times before in rafts, but was still a very challenging class V run, involving a few good portages, some quality boxed-in canyons, and Wolf-scouted rapids called “lefty lefty, scrapey scrapey.” (Note from WET staff: LOL!) On the second day we reached the confluence with the North Fork of the NoFo, and got a healthy boost in water to run the Generation Gap with somewhere a little under 2000 cfs. (For the record the Kayakers portaged Locomotive, and we styled it in the raft with Orban guiding). The run finished with no mishaps, a few sketchy backwards moments, and a bunch of tired, cold, hungry, and happy guides.



The highlight of summer boating was without question Wolf and my descent of Upper Cherry Creek. With little argument about attempting to make the six to ten mile hike, and nine mile high Sierra run, The Wolf and I set out in the Toyota searching for steep drops, big hits, and granite super highways. After receiving great beta from veteran rafters such as Guy (“you’re going to die”), we were fired up to check out what the upper Tuolumne tributary had to offer.

Along with us, and central to the success of the trip, was Fem Alex and adventure dog Marley, who provided quality ground support and photography. To my best knowledge, Upper Cherry has been run maybe three other times in rafts in the last five or so years. While we were not the first raft to make it down the run, I am almost positive that we did make the first decent in a bucket boat. The Wolf Special, a 10 foot, superlight, all black, two thwart, PVC bucket boat, was the perfect inflatable to boat this run in.



We set out early in the morning with a heavy load and a long day ahead. Before leaving on the trip I struck a deal with Wolf, where I would carry all gear for the trip (food, sleeping bags, first aid, throwbags, repair, top-off pump, ect.), if he would carry the boat. Good to his word, Wolf hauled the raft with a camstrap like a purse, while I managed the hike in with a hefty drybag load. Without any major incidents we hit the river around 3:00pm, and then made the hike up into Cherry Bomb gorge to begin our run.

Due to anticipated lower flows, we opted out of hiking into the section above Cherry Bomb because we didn’t want add miles of additional portages to our trip. As expected, we had a fairly low flow, which made for a great amount of water for exploring the run. Our first set of rapids involved a 200+ yard slide, into a boxed-in teacup section. Luckily both Wolf and I have had extensive slide and waterfall practice up on South Silver Creek, so we were fairly prepared for how the GI Jane bucket boat would handle down the drops. Even with our foreknowledge, I think we were both surprised at how deep you can go in a raft when you’re full of water going over teacups. After an extremely long first day, we camped just below the drop known as “Dead Bear,” and enjoyed a spectacular high Sierra evening.



The next morning we awoke like little kids on their birthdays to about a mile and half of read and run class 4+ slides and small drops. The highlight of day two was probably a 35 ft. off-vertical falls, into a picturesque, Shangri-La pool. This one was so fun, Wolf and Fem Alex hauled the boat back up the granite cliff for another run.

The entire trip went without mishaps. While there are several significant portages on the run, (dependent on flow), we were probably able to boat about sixty percent on the water, which was much better than what I had in mind when we set out. We managed to make it to Cherry Lake around 5pm just in time for a healthy three mile paddle across the flat-water. To top the run off Wolf ran the seven mile shuttle up the ridge to our cars, cruising in to pick us up at 9:30pm, just in time to make the 1:00am Denny’s crowd in Jacksonville, and our 8:00am South Fork American rafting trips the next morning. All in all it was an outrageous summer full of good times on the water.

Hope everyone had a good rest this fall and winter, so we can gear up and go big this coming spring. Also mad props to Wolf’s Tunnel Chute flip for some of the best rafting photos I’ve ever seen.



Note: Thank you Alex for the memories! WET crew is ready for rafting! Cya all on the water!

North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run - NOFO

"We're all just rocks on the beach waiting to become gravel and sand ... life is in the tumbling!" ~~ Words of Wisdom by Big PoppaJah ~~

It's snowed down to 3,000 feet and the W.E.T. River Trip guides are off the couch and just did the Class 4+ North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run at 1,600 cfs! Woot!



Country Mike, Heffe, Kyle, Booty, Alex H., Bird, and some other kooks hit the NoFo a few days ago after the big storm. Mack went kayaking on Shirt-tail Creek (Shirt-tail is a little class V run that flows into the North Fork American River right above the NoFo at Yankee Jim's Bridge (about mile 4.5).

So, I reported recently: It's on! The buzz in out there: the 2009 whitewater season is up and running and will just get better and better. The first weekend of this month, we're taking a sprint up to the far North to hit at-least two rivers in three days and do some scouting for Spring Training and Guide school.



Back to the "rock" comment: we just don't realize our potential unless we shake (tumble) it up a bit. We'll never get a polish or become what we are destined to be unless we shift, move, and change. Whitewater does that. Even Stephen Covey of the "Seven Habits" genre, now attributes his interpretation of "Permanent Whitewater" and an explanation of a healthy lifestyle and mind-set.

"Permanent Whitewater: We live in a constant, churning, changing environment. In turbulent white water, every single person must have something inside them that guides their decisions. They must independently understand the purpose and guiding principles of the team or organization. If you try to mange them, they won't even hear you. The noise, the roar, the immediacy and urgency of all the dynamic challenges they face will simply be too great."... Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit (recently released: "Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs.")

Jump on a river, a mountain, a wave, a trail, or just move. You might get "tumbled" and hopefully you will ... knocking off the rough edges, giving you a balance, and a nice shine! Bring that group of friends! Shine on! Rock on! Keep tumbling ...until the sand won't move anymore!

In the immortal words of Wolf (hanging in Belize right now): 'WHITEWATER!"

GO WITH THE FLOW CALIFORNIA!

California is amazing. Go with the flow....and "flow" happens.

The rest of the US is locked in ice, flood, and freezing wind. This past week California weather has enjoyed high temperatures in the mid-to high sixties and even the Sierra Nevada have seen highs in the 50's. The skiing and snowboarding is great. Rafting trips and kayaking adventures are happening everyday. 2009 rafting season is starting up! We have more rain and snow is coming our way.

In the meantime, we're loving the weather and sipping the lemonade that the planet has produced for our geographic corner of the world. Even the ski resorts have gone with the flow with sundecks and "beach-style" recreation like volleyball added to the lodge activities, skiing and snowboarding.

The whitewater season will be big fun in the " Warm California Sun" (the Ramones version)! Hey Ho, Let's go!

Lyrics:: Ramones - California Sun
Well I'm going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I Shimmy and They Shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, I'm going out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I shimmy and They shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go

And I walk and They walk i twist and They twist
I shimmy and they shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

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!

W.E.T. THROW DOWN : Rafting

I know it's been a lazy winter when I'm ready to quote Bobby Flay from the Food Network: "Are you ready for a Throw-Down?"



Except we're not talking about ribs or apple pie... we're down with white water rafting!

No more talk and no more posing.  Sooner than you know and the Party starts. Plan now for those group trips and and early runs on the Class 4+ North Fork American. With our "Perfect Storm" under our belts and on the upper slopes, we know we'll have run-off from the snowpack and melt will make our spring rivers a gush and foam with whitewater. (Note: check Leon's site for incredible shots of North Fork waterfalls & conservation info)

This is also a time for us to look to our guides and staff to gear-up for the "throw-down" that the Sierras, Cascades, and Siskiyou Mountain ranges have in store for us. Veteran and new guides can't just jump into a raft from the couch (Ok...I do; but, getting off the couch is major work, and I get warmed up that way). 

Rafting guides, drivers, food buyers, managers, and sales staff need to get psyched for the Big Show and 2009 river rafting looks to be awesome. Our Guide School for rafting will take place early in the Spring and will allow even 1st year guides to become seasoned veterans by May and June. Schedule dates are posted and some will start as early as March 13, 2009.

The Guide School allows the veteran staff to share their acquired knowledge and skill sets with new and old guides alike (yes...and have a freakin' awesome time while doing it!). And we also take care of your outdoor gear, too... though, as a guide, you really should have your own, puppies).

By all accounts, our guide school last year was Epic (wasn't it K-Dawg?). 2009 rafting can only be bigger and better (except, Wolf is not allowed to chew open any more glow sticks!). We'll even have plenty of propane (we had a little propane-prank last year...). 

W.E.T. River Trips' date schedules are flexible and reactive to flows and snows (last year we did five rivers in six days). So if you want to gain the skills of a commercial river guide or you are a guide that needs to get to know us, the Guide School is for you!

Bring It! Throw it Down! Less than three months to lift off!

Now, let's see what the Iron Chef is cooking with tonight!

The Perfect Storm

Ok ...check this: 13 feet of snow in 13 days and the storms stop two days before Christmas Day. The next 10 days are forecast to be clear and mild....Perfect timing. Perfect storm(s). Perfect...Just perfect. The 2009 whitewater rafting season looks to be solid!

Last year at this time, the snow pack was 56% of normal. The snowpack that feeds the North Fork American, Middle Fork American, and South Fork American Rivers is now at over 86%...30% more water than last year and last year was pretty awesome!

The news from the Northern rivers is even better with over 100% of snowfall on the Siskiyou and Lower Cascades Mountain Ranges that feed the Klamath, and California Salmon Rivers. Again...perfect!

Keep on eye on the snow packs @ Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl..for a few really good reasons: to plan you next few months of Boarding and skiing and to Book those early group rafting trips on the North and South Fork American Rivers. Also, the Middle Fork kicks in when the run-off starts to subside. The California trips fire up in March and then it is simply....ON!

Perfect Storm?...Bring it!

Life Begins & Winter Begins, too!

"....this just in, Ashley joined the party at 3:14 a.m. Friday morning at 2 lbs 14 ounces and 15 inches long. She is a healthy 30-week preemie. Mom is rocking the hospital in record time and doing well with a Monday discharge looming. After a few flat wraps, tube stands and complete dump trucks, the team at Kaiser busted out the z-drag early Friday morning and, in perfect, harmony, dismantled the seal-a-meal wrap in 14 minutes with a healthy Ashley! We now appear to be in nice, big class 3 wave trains, and as long as we keep it tee'd up, I think we are gonna have a good time from here on out. We are sooooo stoked and have everything we could have dreamed."

Family Rafting Trips

Life begins again. Mike and his wife have the best Christmas present any young couple would want. As you see, his enthusiasm for living is apparent in his description as he relays the blessed event in terms of white water rafting nomenclature. He is one of our best guides. He is a professional man who doesn't need the weekend work as a white water rafting guide. His job puts him in an economic bracket enjoyed by few. He is there for us purely out of his pleasure for the extreme sport of rafting and sharing with others who love the lifestyle.

Big Poppa, just in from the mountains of Donner Summit ... yes, the snow is happening ... and winter begins...

It's Freakin' ON!!!!!!!!!!

It's cold, it's raining, and the snow is coming down up high...that's how we like it!!!!

After an early rain and a long stretch of dry, warm weather...the real-deal cold weather has fired up and we're looking at a series of winter storms that promise to pile it up and prep the dry ground for a spring run-off to guarantee a fabulous (yeah ...I said "fabulous") rafting season for whitewater trips and group rafting.

Get out your boards, sticks, blades, layers for winter rippin' and in just three short months, the men and women from W.E.T. River Trips will be enjoying the new season on the awesome whitewater rivers of California!

So as you Get out...Get on it...and then Get in it!!

GoodOnYa!

Team Building

Wow... it feels like we just closed the door on 2008, and here we go again into 2009. Life begins again for WET River Trips with this latest storm! Congratulations to Mike and his wife for bringing the ultimate lifestyle choice into their world. And, for the rest of us... it's slope time, then river time and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Merry, Happy, Joy and Peace to all!