I arrived Friday evening to a beautifully set-up camp, hung out by the fire with some new friends, and went to bed early.  I [...]]]>

Slalom Gate 3

A little rain didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the 30th annual Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival – two days of competition, clinics, a silent auction, vendor booths, and lots of fun.

Our campsite kitchen at Lockaby

I arrived Friday evening to a beautifully set-up camp, hung out by the fire with some new friends, and went to bed early.  I spent much of my Saturday watching competitors boat through Carter Falls in a variety of different crafts. Two folks from NWRC participated and placed in the newest event, the Sawyer SUP Mass Start. There couldn’t be a safer place to run a class IV rapid, with safety crews lining the shore braced and ready to pick up any swimmers. Most people, however, quickly self-rescued and finished the course in style.

NWRC guide, Ryan, in the SUP challenge

I had an R-2 adventure Saturday afternoon from Fish Creek to Carter Bridge with a great take-out – Next Adventure’s delicious burgers waiting for me. That was a seriously good burger. Winners of Saturday’s competitions were announced and awarded and live music by Portland’s Everyday Prophets started everyone’s evening off right.

Sunday was as eventful as Saturday with some of the more inventive competitions – Val’s Volleyball, Inner Tube Slalom, and the Cataraft Freestyle Rodeo. More chances to test out the craft of your choice and the rest of the awards including the SOTAR Cup, which went to Val Shaull this year. Congratulations and thank you!

Boat Repair Clinic by Vic LeGall of Goodwater Boat Works

Apart from the competitions there were a couple of informative clinics and the silent auction and raffle which drew lots of attention – I won a hot pink Paco pad which I’m definitely stoked about! There were generous donations made by lots of outfitters and a whole lot of folks went home happy with their new gear. Thanks to everyone who donated their time and their goods.

Zach defending his title in the Madcatr Cataraft Slalom

As always, guides and friends of Northwest Rafting Co. placed in a bunch of the competitions. I was in an all women’s boat that placed 3rd in the Open Paddle Team Slalom. A 3rd for the Inner Tube Slalom. 2nd and 3rd place in the newest event, the SUP Mass Start. 2nd place for the Inflatable Kayak Slalom and the Inner Tube Slalom. And a bunch of 1st places for the Oar Boat Slalom, the Cataraft Slalom, and the Driftboat Slalom.

Some of Team NWRC’s winnings

I drove home tired on Sunday evening. But it was that happy kind of tired where you know there’s a fantastic reason your eyelids feel a little heavier. Clack Fest, you rocked my world – see you next year!

At Northwest Rafting Company, we’ve [...]]]> We got it! After two years of a long application and review process, we’ve finally received our permit to take guests down the Chetco River. Maybe you don’t know how big of a deal this is – no outfitter has been permitted to run this river for 10 years!

Andy dropping a big rapid on the Chetco!

At Northwest Rafting Company, we’ve made it a mission to tie together our passion for whitewater adventure with conservation, respect, and protection of the environments that provide us with such incredible experiences. We also aim to have great working relations with all the players that make-up the whitewater community. Being granted this permit has proven the trust we have gained within this community.

Scenic kayaking down the Chetco

Alan Vandiver, who recently retired as district ranger of the Gold Beach Ranger District, made it his personal mission before he retired to get this permit granted:

“When I received the special use application, I considered the review and preliminary decision one of the most important of my career. I have kayaked the Chetco River from Taggarts Bar to the wilderness boundary, and I believe this stretch of river is one of the jewels of the National Wild and Scenic River system. This stretch of river is unsurpassed in its primitive nature. It has an extreme amount of natural resources highlighted by water quality, aquatic habitat, geologic features and biological diversity, just to name a few.”

Emerald-green waters, lush flora

And we haven’t only been working on the paperwork side of the permit – we’ve been physically out there doing trail-clean up from the 2002 Biscuit Fire to improve access for everyone. The work obviously paid off, and we are stoked beyond belief here at NWRC to be able to take a few guests out there with us.

Andy in the Upper Gorge

This will be a river adventure of a lifetime. A trip for those of us who want to challenge ourselves, see some stunning wilderness, and encounter a solitude very few people have the privilege to experience. The runs may be bony at times, but the tight river canyon and emerald-green waters make everything worthwhile.

The long hike down to put-in

The trip starts with a four-mile hike down old mining roads through the Kalmiopsis Wilderness to put-in, where we’ll pump up boats and camp our first night. After a simple breakfast the next morning, we’ll be on our way! Day hikes, swimming holes, wildlife, geology, flora, fauna – all of it sure to amaze and inspire.

We’ll probably only be doing one trip per year on the Chetco, with about 2 – 4 guests and 4 – 5 guides. We’ll hope to break even, but as Zach said, ”There are some things we do to pay the bills and there are some things we do because it’s our passion. This is the passion side.”

The Upper Gorge of the Chetco River

Learn more about our Chetco River Kayak Expedition.

Our expeditions to Russia are [...]]]> I’m honored to announce that this summer’s trip to Russia’s Chuya and Bashkaus Rivers was chosen by National Geographic Traveler as one of it’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime. This award is given to the year’s “most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours.”

Our expeditions to Russia are led by my good friend Vladimir Gavrilov. We met on the Cal Salmon River in 1998 and have been guiding together ever since. In the 70′s and 80′s he led expeditions all over the Soviet Union including a rare descent down the famous Lower Bashkaus River. Vlad wanted to see this river again so we planned this expedition on the easier (Class IV) Upper Bashkaus River.

If you’re interested in learning more about the rivers of the former Soviet Union, I highly suggest Vlad’s book Rivers of an Unknown Land.

A couple years later, my friend Kevin [...]]]> I first encountered Baldface Creek ten years ago while paddling down the upper North Fork of the Smith River in Oregon. Near the end of a long rainy day of paddling we stopped across from its confluence and marveled in the sheer beauty of this creek.

Confluence of Baldface Creek with the North Fork Smith

A couple years later, my friend Kevin and I made the trek to paddle Baldface, but we had to turn back due to the massive snow drifts on our way to put-in. Last year, J.R. and I tried and were sadly halted by snow yet again 10 miles from put-in.

Turned back by snow on our second attempt at Baldface Creek

The logistics of paddling Baldface Creek are challenging, to say the least, because you need water in the creek at the same time the road to put-in is free of snow. For our third attempt, we decided to go in mid-spring which would hopefully mean less snow but also less water. We waited until the Smith River was low so we could backpack down the creek bed. We brought Alapaca packrafts so we could float the final 4 miles after Baldface Creek meets the North Fork of the Smith.

Our trip started by meeting Daniel Wakefield Pasley of Yonder Journal and Joseph Vaile from KS Wild in O’Brien, Oregon. From there we drove up the upper Illinois River and past Oregon Mountain on Forest Road 4402. We drove until we were stopped by snow and then put on our backpacks and started walking.

Beginning our hike to Baldface Creek

After a few miles of post-holing through the snow, the trail started heading down below the snow line to Biscuit Hill and eventually Baldface Creek.

On our way down to Baldface Creek

When we reached Baldface Creek I was surprised by how much water was in it. I knew that we wouldn’t be able to backpack down the creek bed. If we hadn’t brought the Alpaca rafts with us, we would have had to hike right back out. When we realized we were finally going to make this run, we started inflated the Alpacas as Joseph hiked back to the truck to meet Bearfoot Brad who planned to pick us up at the end.

Put-in for Baldface Creek

Heading down Balface Creek we had two “Operational Modes.”

Operational Mode Packrafting: Dressed in drysuits and PFDs, we paddled our packrafts in the easy sections of the river and portage around any of the harder rapids. This mode was stressful because our packs were not waterproof, and we had to be careful to keep them dry.

Operational Mode “Packrafting”

Operational Mode Backpacking: We put all of our paddling gear in our packs and our hiking boots on. There was no trail and the creek was hard to cross with our gear, so we would be committed to one side of the creek.

Operational Mode “Backpacking”

After half a mile of packrafting we switched back to backpacking on the right bank. There was a nice shelf and a game trail so we made good time down to Biscuit Creek where the canyon walls start to narrow. From here we were forced to hike up high to get around some parts of the creek.

Looking down Baldface Creek above Biscuit Creek

Soon after Taylor Creek we descended down to a flat rocky beach where we camped for the night.

Our camp just below the confluence with Taylor Creek

The two miles below Taylor Creek were the crux of the trip. The canyon was narrow and the many Class IV rapids were too difficult to run in an Alpaca with a full backpack. We spent about 2 hours covering the first mile by scrambling and rock climbing down the left bank.

Scrambling down the left bank below Taylor Creek

We finally got to a place where we couldn’t hike down the left bank and were forced to cross the river in a pool between two rapids. Here we switched back into packrafting mode to make crossing the creek easier.

This is where we again switched from backpacking to packrafting

For the next mile we used the packrafts to float the pools in between rapids and to cross the river to portage the rapids. This was hard work and very slow going. It took another two hours to cover the next mile.

Packrafting / Backpacking down Baldface Creek

Portaging one of the many rapids below Taylor Creek

Once we reached a large landslide on the right, the rapids eased up and we were able to packraft more of the river. The next mile went fairly quickly and about a mile and a half above the North Fork of the Smith we noticed the canyon narrow again. The geology and the flora changed dramatically and felt much like the typical serpentine rainforest of the Smith River.

The lower part of Baldface Creek felt more like the Smith River

There was one particularly beautiful rapid in this section that approached Class V due to an undercut rock at the bottom. We made fairly good time through this section and soon reached the confluence with the North Fork of the Smith.

Beautiful rapid on the lower section of Baldface Creek

From there we had 4 miles to go and only a few hours before dark. We were making good time until we ran into a long section of difficult rapids. We spent an hour portaging through large boulders around this long, beautiful rapid.

Rapids on the North Fork of the Smith River

Luckily the rapids eased up after that and we made good time to Major Moore’s (put in for the normal North Fork of the Smith run) where Bearfoot Brad was waiting for us. We packed up our stuff and watched the sunset on our two hour drive back to Gasquet.

Learn more about Baldface Creek at RoughandReadyCreek.org.

1. Urethane: Pros: Slips nicely over rocks, most durable fabric, lightweight, best [...]]]> Picking the right raft is, like many things, complicated. Your choice will depend on the type of boating you’re doing, your budget, and even your geographic location. The first thing you want to consider is your raft material. Here are the main choices:

1. Urethane: Pros: Slips nicely over rocks, most durable fabric, lightweight, best puncture and tear resistance, durable. The welding process they use to make these boats is bomber. Cons: Fairly expensive, tough to roll and transport, difficult to field repair*.

Urethane Rafts do well on Rocky Rivers

2. Hypalon: Pros: Easy to roll, easy to field repair, and the material has a long life. Cons: Expensive, glued together (instead of welded) so it can come unglued sometimes. More abrasion and puncture resistant than PVC, but less than urethane.

Hypalon Raft on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River

3. PVC: Pro: inexpensive. Cons: not particularly durable, can crack when rolled in cold temperatures, tend to be mass produced so these boats are known for quality issues.

PVC Inflatable Kayak on the Chetco River

*Some people think that urethane is easy to field repair, but I really struggle with it. I do like that you can use Tear Aid to do a quick field repair on urethane and PVC boats.

Once you’ve picked the right material, then you need to think about brands. The first big decision is between an American made boat or one made overseas.

American Made

The American made boats tend to have better warranties, are better made, but are more expensive.

1. SOTAR works almost exclusively with urethane and specializes in well made custom boats. Their factory is in Southern Oregon, which is convenient for Oregon and California boaters. Six year warranty.

SOTAR specializes in beautifully made custom rafts

2. Maravia uses a PVC base fabric and encapsulated in polyurethane – an awesome combination. They look beautiful and are absolutely bomber but are a bit heavy and tough to roll. You’ll rarely ever see a Maravia with a patch. Ten year warranty on boats for personal use and five year warranty for commercial boats. Maravia rafts are all made in Boise, Idaho.

Maravia makes some good looking boats!

3. AIRE has a unique system of an inner bladder and an outer layer made of PVC. They are the fastest draining boats, roll well, and they have great boat designs. They have a ten year no-fault warranty and stand behind it 100%. The factory is located near Boise, Idaho, which is convenient for Idaho and Oregon boaters.

AIRE Raft on the White Salmon River

4. Wing Inflatables are made from urethane and were the bee’s knees back in the day. Now they only do boats for the military unless you can order in quantity.

Wing Raft on the Cal Salmon

5. Demaree Inflatable Boats (DIB) make high quality and absolutely bomber hypalon boats. This is a boat that will last 20 years.

Custom DIB Sweep Boat on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River

Each of these companies is actively involved in the boating community and truly care about the sport.

Internationally Made

Most of these brands are made from PVC in China or Mexico so the prices are much lower. They’re a great value but tend to not be as durable as the American-made rafts.

1. NRS offers a huge variety of boat styles made from a variety of materials. Their warranty is between 1-10 years depending on the material and style of boat.

Running an NRS Raft in Bhutan

2. Hyside makes hypalon boats overseas. They have a great reputation among outfitters for durability. Five year warranty.

Hyside Raft on California’s Middle Fork of the American River

3. Vanguard makes PVC boats and has some good designs.

4. Bullet Watercraft is a newer company that makes PVC boats with some great innovative designs.

5. Rocky Mountain Rafts is a new company that offers some great pricing. I don’t know much about their designs or durability yet.

6. Avon Inflatables made the best boats for many years. I think of them as the Cadillac of rafts. They’re hypalon and made in the UK so a bit expensive. I’ve found that they’ve had some quality issues over the past 10 years.

Avon Rafts on California’s Tuolumne River

There are pros and cons to each material and manufacturer. Remember that, like many other things, you get what you pay for!

Please note that this is a complicated topic and much of what I wrote is my opinion based on my experience. I would love for others to add their personal thoughts and experience in the comment section below. Thanks!

We are especially honored by this [...]]]> We’re thrilled to announce that Northwest Rafting Company was voted the top rafting school for the Best of the Gorge. This online poll is conducted each winter and published in the annual Gorge Guide, which highlights businesses and attractions found in the Columbia River Gorge.

We are especially honored by this recognition because it was voted on by our local community. As these folks know, the Columbia River Gorge is an amazing place to live and visit. The abundance of beautiful rivers of varying difficulty make it the perfect place to learn to raft as well. We offer year-round private rafting instruction here in the Gorge, tailored to fit each student’s skills and goals. We’d love to teach you how to raft!

Thanks to everyone who voted.