So you booked your first Class III Rowing School? Awesome! Whether you have a few questions or you are wondering how the daily rhythm works, you are in the right place. Here is what to expect before, during, and after your week on the Rogue River. Before Your Rowing School After signing up, you will receive an email with a link to your online profile. This is where you can complete your registration and waiver. Please finish those as soon as possible (or at least a… Read More
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I believe a four-day trip down the Rogue River is one of the best family vacations you can take. This is not because it has the biggest whitewater or the most remote wilderness. Instead, it is because the Rogue strikes a rare balance: adventure without being overwhelming, structure without rigidity, and just enough challenge to make everyone feel accomplished. For families looking to spend real time together outdoors, the Rogue has quietly been getting it right for decades. Warm Water You’ll Want to Swim In Not… Read More
The Middle Fork of the Salmon River flows through a canyon that has held human stories for thousands of years, long before rafts and permits. The first people to live here called themselves the Tukudeka, or Sheepeaters, a small band of the Northern Shoshone who made the Middle Fork their home. Who Are the Tukudeka? The name Tukudeka means Mountain Sheep Eaters (tuku for sheep and deka for eaters). They were a peaceful people known for a melodic and sing-song style of speech. Historians believe there… Read More
We’re lucky to spend our days rafting and kayaking some of the most beautiful rivers on Earth. On our trips we follow the 7 Leave No Trace principles in an effort to leave the places we visit better than we found them. This article shares the “LNT Principles” and how we adhere to them. 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare Organizing a legendary river trip starts long before we hit the water. Each river has its own rhythm, rules, permits, and weather patterns, and our guides are… Read More
From the instant we landed in Bhutan, my brain was on overdrive. Everything was beautiful and new, and I wanted to soak up every detail. It felt incredibly overwhelming, in the exciting way that has come to define the experiences I cherish most. I wanted to stare at the Himalayas, learn Dzongkha (the national language), smile at everyone, spin every prayer wheel, learn about every Buddhist deity and historical figure, and most importantly, pet every dog. Buzzing. Eventually, I started to become familiar with a handful… Read More
This article recaps the “Guide Training & Global Best Practices” presentation I shared at this year’s IOGA Annual Meeting and America Outdoors Conference. Quick Links 👉 Guide Training and Global Best Practices Slide Deck (PDF) 👉 CPR and Drowning Lesson Plan (PDF) 👉 Beneficial Risks by Steve Smith 👉 Results of Best Practices Survey The goal of this presentation is to share some things I’ve learned about guide, rescue, and first aid courses used to train river guides. Since the content of these courses can vary… Read More
When you show up at the start of your Middle Fork trip whether it’s Boundary Creek or Indian Creek your eyes will probably land on a massive raft loaded with dry boxes, kitchen supplies, and other gear. Someone always asks the same question: “What is that thing?” That, my friends is the sweep boat. You won’t find the quiet workhorse of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River anywhere else. While you’re soaking up sunshine and rapids in a paddle raft, the sweep is already miles… Read More
My 75-year-old mother is dressed in a swimsuit and a hula skirt she has handmade from leaves and grasses collected from the side of the river. She’s swaying across the sandy beach at our campsite on night three of a six-day float of Idaho’s strikingly beautiful Middle Fork of the Salmon River. It’s talent show night, and her talent is: river fashion. After my mom displays her various outfits (which includes one made from a drybag), it’s my 11-year-old daughter’s turn to go. She and a… Read More
When I travel and guide in Bhutan, one figure I encounter again and again in temples and monasteries is Vajrakilaya (in Sanskrit, वज्रकीलाय). His paintings and sculptures are everywhere, and once you know what to look for, you start to recognize him immediately—fierce expression, multiple arms, surrounded by flames, and holding or embodying the ritual dagger known as the phurba. Vajrakilaya is a wrathful form of Vajrasattva, the deity of purity. While Vajrasattva is peaceful, Vajrakilaya shows compassion in a more forceful way—using power and intensity… Read More
There are a lot of things to love about river trips—they just might be the best kind of vacation (okay, we’ll admit we’re a little biased). But the truth is, different people enjoy river trips for different reasons. Some come for the whitewater, others for quality family bonding time, and plenty for the chance to unplug. Here, we break down –in no particular order– what guests say they love most about their time on the river. Spending Time in the Wilderness There’s a difference between just… Read More