Guide: Karoline Woodhead

Years spent guiding: 7

Favorite regional river: Salmon River

When you find something you love in the outdoors, it’s a joy to share it with others. Karoline Woodhead started her rafting career at age 17 which gave her a chance to share her love of rivers. “My favorite thing about guiding is introducing people to new, wild places that I care about and watching them fall in love with them,” she says.

Woodhead started out working as a “swamper” on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, helping guides set up camp on multi-day raft trips. She progressed to leading half-day trips on the Payette River just outside of her hometown of Boise, Idaho. She was then drawn to ROW Adventures because of the many rivers that they run, and the relationships that they promote between the guests, guides, and the wilderness they recreate in. This will be her second season with ROW.

Last season, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, guiding brought Woodhead a small sense of normalcy and peace in a difficult year. “River guiding last season was different than normal years, especially knowing that we were coming in contact with guides and guests from all around the country,” she says. Guides adopted extra precautions like mask wearing, cleaning regimens, and social distancing both on and off the river, Woodhead explains. “Even with the changes, I never felt like the experiences or memories of the river were affected.”

This season, Woodhead looks forward to guiding new rivers, taking on new leadership positions, and continuing to hone her skill of gear packing.

Guide: Tom Scarborough

Years spent guiding: 19

Favorite regional river: The Rouge

For Tom Scarborough, whichever river he’s currently rafting is his favorite. This seems a suitable answer for a seasoned river rat.  Following his guide training in 2002, Scarborough has worked as a regular guide, a returning guide leading trips, the manager of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and is in his 11^th season of managing ROW’s Rouge River outpost.

Scarborough’s favorite thing about guiding river trips is the simple clarity that comes from connecting with nature, both for himself and his guests. “[There’s] the feeling of living at the river’s pace, and being in the moment. I can forget the rest of the world for a little while,” he says. “What goes hand-in-hand with that is the disconnection from the now commonplace connection of email, phone, Internet, and the modern distractions that they create. On a river trip you get to slow down and interact with people the old-fashioned way, face to face.”

That face-to-face interaction was of course a bit different on the river in 2020. Last spring, when the pandemic broke out, Scarborough says everyone was quite nervous, not knowing if the things they were doing to contain the virus would be enough. With the introduction of vaccinations and an increased knowledge about the virus, he is feeling hopeful and better prepared for the 2021 season, though he says he knows it will be important to stay vigilant in the outdoor industry.

“People have seemed very appreciative to have a safer, outdoor vacation to participate in,” says Scarborough of the previous season amongst COVID. “We get to be part of making memories for our guests, and with the in-real-life experiences we take people on being harder to come by, we are helping to ground and connect people a bit more than they have been in a while.”

This season, Scarborough looks forward to building a new crew of river guides and working as a team to bring people those authentic experiences. His favorite part of being a ROW manager is that he gets to teach, mentor, and also participate on the crew trips.

Guide: Kim Cunningham

Years spent guiding: 5

Favorite regional river: St. Joe River

After hearing the story of Kim Cunningham’s first rafting trip, you might not assume she’d end up working as a guide. In November 2016 Cunningham embarked on the Yaak river in Northwest Montana with some friends. She wore mismatched and borrowed cold weather gear and didn’t exactly know what she was in for. As her friends approached a large rapid they planned to portage, they hit a bump and Cunningham flew out of the boat.

“I managed to have my first swim on my very first day of rafting above a big rapid in one of the coldest water temps I have rafted in less than optimal gear, and somehow I still loved it enough to decide to become a river guide,” she says.

Cunningham lives and teaches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which puts her at convenient proximity to her favorite river, the St. Joe. She is starting her fifth season with ROW Adventures and has led guided trips all over Idaho. “I love getting to see people experience the river and push themselves to try new things,” she says. “The most challenging thing is managing groups with varying levels of river experience to make sure everyone has fun at their own level and pace.” Last season, there was the extra duty of managing the social dynamics of the trip while maintaining social distance. Kim continued to encourage guests to get to know one another and have fun.

In 2021 she looks forward to traveling more and is eager to grow as a boater and learn the technical rapids of the Middle Fork in her second season on the Salmon River.

Lisa Laughlin is a freelance writer living in Spokane. She enjoys paddleboarding, trail running, and backpacking. She wrote about hiking Beezley Hill in the Nov.-Dec. 2020 issue of Out There.

The post River Guiding in the Covid-19 Era appeared first on Out There Venture.

If you are looking to float one of these rivers with a guide, little to no experience is required. On the other hand, to captain your own private trip, you should have experience successfully navigating a boat around rocks and other hazards and through a sequence of rapids, knowledge of river safety and rescue techniques, and experience camping in the backcountry. The beauty of a multi-day rafting trip is that it allows you to experience some of the most scenic places on earth from a unique perspective and with enough support gear that you can camp in relative luxury compared to a backpacking trip.

Trips of this nature use the same style rafts that you may have seen paddled before, with the difference that a metal frame is strapped to the top. This frame replaces the thwarts in the center of the raft to keep the boat structurally rigid, and also provides several bays in which to store needed camping essentials in coolers and dry boxes. It also comes with a tractor style chair and oarlocks so that the raft can be captained by a single rower instead of a team of paddlers. With the forward and aft compartments available for storing a large quantity of drybags, everything needed for a group of people to live outdoors in comfort for 3-7 days can easily be accommodated. Like most outdoor pursuits, the acquisition of this equipment represents a significant investment, but local universities rent out everything you need so that you can try your hand at it before making the larger investment. There are also numerous rafting outfitters in this region, and making an initial trip with professional guides is a great way to sample what this sport has to offer in a way that is both safe and informative for those wanting to get started. If your interest has been piqued, these three rivers offer a progression of trips from easy to more difficult.

The Grande Ronde River

The name is French for “big round” river, but the experience is quintessentially American. This river put-in, where you need to fill out a self-issue permit, is located in northeast Oregon’s Blue Mountains, a little over a four-hour drive from Spokane. The raft trip actually begins near Minam, Ore. on the Wallowa River which drains the Eagle Cap Wilderness and connects with the Grande Ronde just a few miles below the put-in. This mountain stream flows quickly through a canyon with open stands of yellow pine and open grass hillsides that constantly provide pastoral scenery on both sides. Shortly after the intersection of the two streams, all side roads come to an end, and the rest of your trip will be in a roadless portion of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest with the take out near the town of Troy, Ore. The relative remoteness means this river never fails to produce wildlife sightings. Eagles and osprey are common, and during our most recent trip we saw a bald eagle hauling a large fish up the bank on one day only to see another one attack a flock of geese that flushed on our approach the following day. You will certainly see deer and probably bighorn sheep. Once, we even saw a mountain goat right on the river bank.

There are ample campsites along the river that are first-come, first-served, and the only time you may have trouble finding one is during the busy Memorial Day weekend. This is a perfect river for beginners because the scenery is wonderful, the logistics are fairly simple, and the rapids are mostly mild. The rapids on this river are class II at normal flows, and the gradient of the river makes it easy to accomplish the 45-mile run in just 2-3 days during the season, which starts in May and can run through early July depending on river flows. The Grande Ronde River is where our sons learned to captain their own boats for the first time, and you could too.

The Lower Salmon River

This section of river begins a few miles downstream from the town of Riggins, billed as the whitewater capital of Idaho. Indeed, this is a great place to catch some really exciting rides through fun rapids on day trips. But if you are looking to extend the fun over a few more days, then start further downstream near the town of White Bird, Idaho, and float 74 miles over the course of 4-5 days and take out at Heller’s Bar near Asotin, Wash., at which point you will have been floating on the Snake River for roughly 22 miles from where the Salmon River joins the Snake in the lower reaches of Hell’s Canyon. This multi-day section requires a self-issue permit available at the Hammer Creek boat launch.

The Lower Salmon is larger than the Grande Ronde, and it drains such a significant area that it has enough water for rafting throughout the summer. This is a family favorite because the water is typically warm enough to make swimming a true pleasure, and there are huge white sand beaches for camping. This river is not in a designated wilderness, but there are so few access points that it may as well be. The canyon in this stretch is quite arid and there is a scarcity of trees, but the scenery is no less stunning because of it.

The rapids on this river are a noticeable step up from those on the Grande Ronde. There are numerous class III’s, two of which require careful maneuvering. There is one class IV on the river named Snow Hole because the large reversal created by the submerged boulder creates a frothing, churning mess that is as white as snow. If you enter this rapid correctly, the rapid is rather straightforward, but if you enter too far left or right you will quickly find yourself in a serious situation. This is not a river for beginners, but a boatman with developing Class IV skills would find this a good river a good test.

The Main Salmon River

The mighty Salmon River is the one that Lewis and Clark chose to bypass because it was considered un-runnable, but fortunately the inflatable boats of today are quite a bit more capable than what they fashioned from logs during their expedition. This is the same river as the Lower Salmon, only further upstream with a put-in near the town of North Fork, Idaho, and a take-out located about 30 miles upstream from Riggins. This trip, which requires boaters to put in for a lottery-based permit, represents 80 miles of Wild and Scenic River running through the largest designated wilderness in the lower 48 states, the Frank Church ‘River of No Return’ Wilderness. Running this river would be a logical next step in the progression after having completed the Lower Salmon, because the river is more remote and there are numerous Class IV rapids to navigate that are of greater complexity than the single one found on the lower section.

The Main Salmon starts at a high enough elevation to be enshrouded in evergreen forest, but over the course of 5-6 days, as you lose elevation, it transitions into the desert canyon climate familiar to those who have been to Riggins. I always enjoy witnessing this transition of habitats and catching glimpses of the different flora and fauna, just as much as I enjoy soaking in the natural hot spring at river’s edge part way through the trip. This river is also noteworthy for the extensive pioneer history at the various old homesteads, which are amazing testaments to the hardy people who first homesteaded this rugged region. A multi-day raft trip through the heart of this wilderness on one of the most iconic rivers of the West will be a memory you and your family or friends will never forget.

Each of these rivers has a different character and a different required skill level, so the motivated rafter should be able to find something that is a match. But be careful because once you start rafting you will likely find that it gets in your blood, and you will spend a lot of your spare moments dreaming of your time on the river.

The post Wild & Free—Classic Inland Northwest River Trips appeared first on Out There Venture.

A short boating season and strictly limited access on several of these rivers mean that boaters speak of successful bids for lottery spots like fish stories. But with a pair of boots, adventurers can enjoy these same rivers with no reservations.

River hikes bring unique pleasures. The low elevations in otherwise-arid country mean early hiking seasons; hikers in Hells Canyon, for example, might be clad in shorts and spotting wildflowers in March when snow still blocks the high country for months to come. River trails also make for family-friendly first hiking destinations, with the potential for rock-skipping on sandy beaches an enticement to coax tired feet onward.

Best of all, unlike hikes with a fixed destination, river trails lend themselves to treks tailored to the abilities of a group, so they’re great spring conditioning outings or road-trip leg-stretchers. Go with the flow on these five classic river hikes – no permits required.

Rapid River Trail

The Wild and Scenic Rapid River in central Idaho forms a gateway to Idaho’s Seven Devils, which lord over Hells Canyon. Popular with residents of Riggins and McCall, the trail paralleling the river hosts hikers nearly year-round, although springtime highlights its wildflower charms. Beginning near the Rapid River Fish Hatchery – the small waterway provides breeding grounds for chinook salmon – trek through a narrow chasm with an intimate view of the pools and riffles of the river. Watch for deer on the high slopes and hawks overhead. Typical of the variety of habitats encountered on river trails, hikers will find gnarled mountain mahogany reminiscent of the Great Basin one moment, and round a corner to pacific yew the next. Woodland flowers – bleeding heart, phlox, glacier-lily – abound, and early spring sees entire slopes awash in the white blooms of serviceberry. The junction with the West Fork Rapid River Trail at 4.5 miles makes a good turnaround point. Ambitious trekkers can continue on for early-season, high-country probing in the Seven Devils.

Camping/lodging: The broad sandy beach at Shorts Bar on the Salmon River just upstream from Riggins offers easy tent camping near town. Travelers can also find several motels in Riggins.

Driving directions: From Riggins, Idaho, drive 4.3 miles south on Highway 95 to Rapid River Road. Turn right and drive 2.4 miles, past Rapid River Fish Hatchery, to the trailhead.

Wind River Trail

Even by the scant standards of the other hikes featured here, the Wind River trail upstream from Riggins receives little traffic, overshadowed as it is by the world-class whitewater rafting on the Salmon River nearby (the take-out point for the life-list Main Salmon River float is just upstream from the trailhead).

But hikers who leave the boaters far below will be treated to outstanding vistas of wild country little changed from when Lewis and Clark deemed it nigh-impassable. From the Salmon River, cross the Wind River Pack Bridge and immediately enter the 206,000-acre Gospel Hump Wilderness. The trail leaves the Salmon River behind and follows Wind River north through a pleasant canyon. After a level mile, climb to a balsamroot-bedecked hillside for fine views and a decent turnaround point for a quick leg-stretcher. For a better vantage point, descend to a second footbridge and then climb 600 feet up a sun-baked slope for a postcard view across the Salmon River canyon to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, which, along with the Gospel Hump and Selway-Bitterroot, form the largest wilderness complex in the lower 48 states.

Camping: The Forest Service operates a fee campground at Spring Bar, 8 miles downstream from the trailhead. But campers who can live without picnic tables can pitch a tent on several stretches of beach with pit toilets nearby.

Driving directions: From Riggins, Idaho, drive east on Salmon River Road. Follow the paved road (it eventually turns into a well-graded gravel road) 18.4 miles to a T-junction, just beyond French Creek. Stay left along the river and follow the road an additional five miles to the Wind River Pack Bridge and signed trailhead.

Snake River Trail

By some measures, Hells Canyon claims the greatest chasm in North America. By any measure, the Snake River National Recreational Trail along the river rates as a must-do Inland Northwest day-hike. From Pittsburg Landing – a popular staging area for long-distance treks into the Hells Canyon Wilderness – the trail winds approximately 26 miles on the Idaho side of the Wild and Scenic Snake on tread that alternates between surprisingly green grassland and vertigo-inducing rock ledges. Serviceberry, sumac and the twisted trunks of hackberry hide an array of wildlife: prepare to be startled by chukar partridges exploding from cover. Canyon wrens and rabbits inhabit the lush, narrow creek draws. Early spring brings surprising color from phlox, paintbrush, brodeia and others; early June bears prickly pear cactus blooms. Hikers should be on the watch for poison ivy year-round. Hike in the morning for comfort; once the sun rises above the canyon walls, shade is scarce. Historic Kirkwood Ranch – which boasts a small museum in addition to historic ranch houses and an orchard – makes for a popular day-hike destination of 12 miles round-trip.

Camping: Upper Pittsburg Landing features free trailhead campsites, but Lower Pittsburg Landing boasts a better campground complete with sheltered cooking areas, picnic tables, and a fee.

Driving directions: From Grangeville, Idaho, drive south on Highway 95. At 1.2 miles south of Whitebird Junction, turn right (west) toward Hammer Creek Recreation Area. Cross the Salmon River and turn left toward Pittsburg Landing on Deer Creek Road (#493). Drive 17 miles over Pittsburg Saddle and down to the Pittsburg Landing area. At the paved junction, turn left toward Upper Landing and drive 1.7 miles to the road’s end and trailhead.

Selway River Trail

Part of the original Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Selway River in north-central Idaho remains one of the most pristine waterways in the lower 48; to keep it that way, the Forest Service allows only one permitted boat launch a day. Hikers don’t need to cross their fingers for a chance to explore this passageway into the heart of the 1.3-million-acre Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, although herpetophobes should beware: the Selway’s rattlesnakes are legendary and legion. The 56-mile Selway River Trail parallels sand beaches and sculpted boulders along its length, with the steep, fir-cloaked canyon occasionally narrowing enough to necessitate a climb away from the shore. The Selway swelters in mid-summer, but spring is pleasant. Six miles in, Cupboard Creek rapids rates as a good turnaround spot for a long dayhike, although groups with young hikers may choose to stop at any of the beaches before then.

Camping: Race Creek Campground at the Selway River Trail terminus makes a fine staging point for hiking trips.

Driving directions: From Lewiston, drive 114 miles east on Highway 12 to Lowell. At Lowell, continue east across the Clearwater River onto Forest Road (FR) 223 (Selway River Road). Proceed 18 miles (past Selway Falls) to the trailhead at Race Creek Campground and road’s end.

Wenaha River Trail

The Wild and Scenic Wenaha winds its way across the heart of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, which encompasses almost 200,000 acres of rugged ridges, flower-filled meadows and deep river canyons in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon. The Wenaha River trail meanders 22 miles along the river, alternating between ponderosa and black cottonwood flats and narrow causeways blasted out of the rock high above the water. In addition to being a blue-ribbon trout stream, the Wenaha is a wildlife-watchers delight: scan the steep slopes for black bears, elk and bighorn sheep, but keep an eye on the trail, too; rattlesnakes are rife here. Fragrant coyote mint and other hardy rock-garden plants enliven the trail in the spring, although poison ivy is also plentiful. Numerous side trails climb the 2,000-foot canyon to the broad tablelands above and beckon backpackers, but day-hikers can aim for the wilderness boundary at 4.5 miles or Crooked Creek at 6.5 miles.

Camping: Fields Spring State Park, just across the border in Washington, is one of the state’s finest parcels, with plentiful tent sites and a shower facility. Save time for the short hike to Puffer Butte, which boasts an unbeatable view over the canyon country below.

Driving directions: At the north end of tiny Troy, Ore., drive west on Bartlett Road, following signs toward Pomeroy. Drive 0.3 mile to the trailhead at the road’s first switchback. //

Rattlesnakes & Poison Ivy

Rattlesnakes: Keep an eye out for snakes along the trail or near creeks and shady areas on hot days. Use a walking stick or trekking poles to poke around rocks and tall grass and help let any resting rattlers know you’re coming. Tune your ears to listen for the unmistakable, high-pitched rattle. Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless provoked and bites are rarely fatal if treated properly.

Leaves of three, let it be: Poison ivy grows along many of the Inland Northwest’s more arid river canyons. Look for the signature three shiny leaves on bushy plants along trails and creeks (sometimes with small white berries bunched up near the stems). Avoid brushing up against poison ivy, as the oil from the plant is known for causing a rash on most people who touch it.

The post River Time: Go With the Flow on These 5 River Hikes appeared first on Out There Venture.

Wakesurfing (similar to, but not the same sport as, wakeboarding) is taking off all over the country and now represents the fastest growing segment of all boat-based water sports.  How does someone surf behind a boat you might ask? Typically, the rider trails behind the boat, surfing the boat’s wake without being directly attached to the boat. With the use of weight created by the boat’s internal holding tanks, the wake coming off of the rear of the boat is maximized and mimics the look and feel of an actual ocean wave. After getting up on the wave by use of a tow rope, riders drop the rope and surf the steep face below the wave’s peak in a fashion reminiscent of ocean surfing.

Sitting in the warm summer water of the Pend Orielle river, I get my feet set on the board, position my body directly behind the boat, grab the rope and yell “hit it!”  The boat powers me up onto a plane and within seconds a massive wall of water is building off of the toe side my surf board.  And then that magical moment happens:  the face of the wave grabs the board, the rope goes slack, and you are free from the boat, riding purely on the power of the wave.   Staying within the small window of the wave’s power is no easy feat though.  A delicate balance of weight distribution is needed to hold your position on the face—especially as you begin to explore the crest and trough of the wave.

After holding steady on the wave for a few minutes, I’m feeling a little confidence, so I inch my weight to the front of the board and begin to descend down into the trough of the wave.  Easing off the front of the board, I quickly ascend back to the crest of the wave.  Feeling exhilaration and accomplishment, I’m ready to hit the trough again, but even faster and deeper this time. “Keep your weight forward” Chris yells from the back of boat.  I shift my weight aggressively to the front of the board this time, and it darts directly down towards the trough.  Gaining speed quickly, I somehow know that this is not going to end well.  Just then, the nose of my board dives underwater and… SLAM!  I hit the drink. Ride over.

The origins of wakesurfing are somewhat disputed with multiple people and companies claiming to be at the genesis of the sport. Footage from the 50’s and 60’s shows ocean surfers experimenting with regular surfboards behind motor boats, but at the time it was more of a gimmick than a serious attempt to develop a new genre of surfing.  Nevertheless, the sport never really separated itself and remained a quirky appendage of ocean surfing until wakeboarding began to grow in popularity beginning in the late 80s and early 90s. As a result of technology to increase the size of wakeboarding wakes, the opportunity to reintroduce wakesurfing to the mass market was seized upon by several sport pioneers starting around 2002.  The sport gradually gained momentum with each passing year as several inboard boat manufacturers began marketing boats specifically used for wakesurfing.

Wakesurfers generally use special boards, usually five feet or shorter.  In fact, wakesurf boards have now become a major category for watersports retailers across the country.  “Wakesurf boards  represent at least 30% of our total watersports sales for the season” says Eli Coski,  Manager of Wintersport, one of Spokane’s leading water sports retailers.  “At least 50% of our customer base are now participating in the sport, and they are purchasing multiple boards as part of quiver for different surfing styles and abilities” adds Coski.

So of course, a major barrier to participating in this sport is having access to a surfing specific boat.  If you are not quite ready to drop 50K on one of these beauties, you can always hit up Gared Schneider of “Hayden Wake” watersports school in Hayden Lake, Idaho.  Gared charges $125 p/h (minimum 2hrs.) for use of the boat, gas, gear, and surf lessons.  You can go solo or you can split the time and cost with your buddies (up to 13 a time).  “We have taught a ton of people to wakesurf,  from ages 4 all the way up to 70,” says Schneider.  Hayden Wake, in their seventh season of operation, also runs various kids camps throughout the summer.  For more info call: 208-659-4411 or info@haydenwake.com

It should be noted that the only boats that are safe and legal to surf behind are inboard boats.  Inboard boats have a prop orientation that is directly under the middle of the boat.  Surfing behind a stern drive or outboard boat is extremely dangerous as the rider is exposed to the prop in the event of a fall.

While boat and other cost barriers have made this sport somewhat limited to the masses, wakesurfing has given many landlocked folks the opportunity to experience the excitement and exhilaration or “stoke” that can only be found in the power of a wave.

The post Surf’s Up On Inland Waterways appeared first on Out There Venture.

IN SEARCH OF PEACE

Avery Blakely was reported missing in Whitman County on a Thursday afternoon in late March. The two-year-old boy’s parents called 9-1-1 when they could not find him in the yard where he had been playing. Deputies, firefighters, volunteers from local towns and two helicopters were called in to help comb the area.

Avery is thought to have fallen into the swollen creek that runs through the family’s yard. In the absence of a local water rescue team, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Department called on the Spokane County Water Rescue team to search Pine Creek. Eight rescue team members immediately left work to respond to the call, making the 40-mile trip to Malden, Washington. The dive team battled a strong current and muddy, debris-filled water for hours that evening, returning to Spokane well after nightfall. Still, the boy had not been found. [He is still missing at press time.]

Water Rescue team members returned to Malden twice more in April, meeting at 7:00am on Saturday mornings to get an early start on the all-day searches. After covering 150 yards east and about three miles west of the home from which the boy went missing, the team suspended the search, hoping to resume looking when the high waters subside. If Avery did fall into the river, the team is his family’s best chance at finding resolution for the uncertainty regarding their loss.

Jim Uttke is one of the divers who spent his April weekends searching for Avery. When asked why he dedicates his talent to the tough, often thankless work of volunteer rescue, he has a ready answer: “I guess it comes back to: if you don’t do it, nobody’s gonna do it.”

The Water Rescue team relies on dedicated, compassionate volunteers for its success. Members find their way to the team through Spokane’s network of water recreation enthusiasts, or as a natural extension of their involvement in land-based search and rescue. Some come equipped with decades of diving experience; others simply come willing to learn.

RESPECT YOUR SURROUNDINGS

Those new to river sports often underestimate the water’s power and do not take proper precautions before going out, says Northwest Whitewater Association president Paul Delaney, who notes growing enthusiasm for water sports in Spokane. The Water Rescue team seldom receives calls to assist experienced rafters, canoers and kayakers.

A lifelong river junkie who spent his childhood poking around the banks of Riverside State Park, Delaney is the Spokane’s biggest fan. He is also the first to warn about its risks. Inadequate safety knowledge and inappropriate equipment often contribute to fatal swift-water mishaps, he says. His conviction for river safety is an outgrowth of lessons learned the hard way.

One day in a 1982 paddle rafting class, he found himself assigned captain of his 5-person paddle boat. Under a bridge towered a standing wave, which he tried to instruct his crew to paddle through. But the group was inexperienced and uncooperative, and before he knew it, his boat stood up on end and his four crewmembers shot out over his head into the rapid. Now he was alone in a boat to confront hundreds of pounds of water. Delaney and his friends managed to come out of the river intact, but the scare gave him new reverence for its power.

Two of the Spokane River’s best known rapids, The Bowl and Pitcher and the Devil’s Toenail, are thrilling adventures for those who are prepared to negotiate their ever-shifting challenges. But for the ill-prepared boater, their strength can be fatal. “You have to know where to run them and you have to know where not to run them,” says Delaney, and the situation varies with changing water levels. Delaney gushes with excitement for the oversized creek flowing through his parents’ backyard. “It’s been said that [the Spokane River] is the most unique urban river in the world,” he says, and offers simple wisdom for safely enjoying it: “You have to have respect for your
surroundings.”

When a body is found, it almost always belongs to someone who was not wearing a life jacket, says Delaney. The Water Rescue team has reams of stories about boaters who keep life jackets at their feet, expecting to have time to put one on if caught in a dangerous situation. “Last year there was a canoer,” recounts Water Rescue diver Darren Prouty, “An 18-year-old kid. We found his life jacket, we found his canoe. It was a month later that we found him.”

In May of 2008, the weight rushing by a given point in the Spokane River each second was equivalent to about 120 elephants, to use an illustration Delaney shares as if it were the river’s gospel. Caught underneath all that weight, it is too late to put on a life jacket—or call for help.

Prouty confesses he never wore a life jacket before joining the Water Rescue team. Now, having witnessed others’ devastating consequences resulting from that choice, he never goes on the water without one on.

UNCOVERING THE EVIDENCE

Although the river may seem like a safe escape for those in trouble with the law, most fugitives who flee on the water do not get very far. “A lot of criminals trying to run from the police downtown jump into the river to get away,” says Prouty. “They get away. We’ll find [their bodies] in snags down in [Plese] Flats.”

Criminal evidence finds its way to the bottom of the river, too, usually around Downtown Spokane. An alleged gang member accused of violent crimes tossed his sawed-off shotgun into the river along with all his ammunition. Police investigators called the Spokane County Water Rescue dive team to help recover the evidence.

“To make [the charges] stick, I guess, they wanted all they could get on him,” says Prouty. Tumbling like rag dolls in the strong currents, Prouty and his dive partner clung to the river floor and embarked on the tedious task of scanning every inch of its surface. The pair painstakingly packaged each piece of evidence underwater to prevent oxygen from damaging potential fingerprints. After several long stretches underwater, they had all they could get: the gun and every shotgun shell that had been dropped into the water.

In March of 2006, Prouty responded to his first call for a body recovery. Two young men had murdered a 45-year-old acquaintance over a dispute and dumped his body at Boulder Beach in the Spokane River. Prouty was the first to discover the body, a sight no amount of training could have prepared him for. “You can see the white and it materializes into a person,” he says. The body was bloated almost beyond
recognition.

A suspect in the case was arrested later that day. “Nightmarish” underwater video footage taken by the Water Rescue team was presented as evidence in the trial that eventually led to the murderers’ conviction, says Prouty.

DON’T PANIC!

Learning to cope with grim scenes like Prouty’s body discovery is essential to success as a search and rescue diver. Panicking can be dangerous so deep in the water, both to the diver and her partner. “There are not a lot of people you should ever send down into the water to do something if there’s any possibility of them panicking.”

Witnessing a recovered body deeply disturbs some new team members who do not know what to expect. Three years after seeing that body, Prouty still recalls every emotion and detail from the scene. Even those who work or volunteer in situations where they often confront death—Uttke works in the county medical examiner’s office and another team member volunteers on a ski patrol team during the winter—bodies decay differently underwater than they do on land.

Many new volunteers leave the team after witnessing their first water-worn corpse, says Nelson, and the team works to offer emotional support after a jarring first experience. Even after years on the team, Uttke says he often dreads what he will see in the water. “The things that you think are twenty times worse than what’s actually down there,” he says. “But don’t get me wrong; I’m still down there going, ‘This is gonna suck.’”

DON’T FEAR THE REAPER

Uttke responded to a call at Mission Street near the Avista Utility headquarters when he was new on the team. The task was recovering a vehicle from a drunk driving accident.

“We get out there and the river’s just warping,” he recounts. In order to pull out the car, the divers had to navigate through a mess of trees growing in the water—“just the most insane place to go through.” Finally reaching the sunken vehicle, he hooked it up to the strap with which it would be hauled out.

Mission accomplished, he turned to make his way through the branches and back to the shore. But Uttke’s partner became entangled in the branches underwater and was attempting to wrestle himself free. Struggling in low visibility against the water’s overwhelming force, he collided with Uttke, knocking the oxygen regulator out of his mouth and dislodging his mask. Uttke made a beeline for the surface to get air, with one fin lost and his mask filling with water fast.

Exhausted and traumatized once out of the water, he retreated into his car to collect his wits. “There ain’t no way I’m going back in that damn water,” he remembers deciding. “I’m like ‘This is crap. I’m just gonna quit. I’m never gonna show up again.”

But perhaps the decision was too rash. He turned his keys and the radio came on, blasting him with Blue Oyster Cult lyrics (and cowbell) that he took as a sign: “Seasons don’t fear the reaper / Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain / we can be like they are / come on baby, don’t fear the reaper.”

A LIFESTYLE CHOICE

As volunteer work goes, water search and rescue is a far cry from serving dinner at a soup kitchen. Support from family and employers is essential to succeeding as a search and rescue volunteer, given the time commitment, financial cost and personal risk involved. “When it comes to these types of teams, whether it’s the ground search and rescue or the water rescue, it’s kind of a lifestyle choice,” says Nelson. Volunteers’ daily routine, including work, sleep and social life, are liable to being interrupted by calls for assistance at
any time.

Particularly in the river, tasks assigned to the Water Rescue team can be extremely risky. “We don’t get to select when and where we dive; the victims do,” says Uttke, who considers entrapment, usually entanglement in debris, among the greatest threats to rescue diver safety. The team rattles off a bizarre list of items they commonly encounter in the water. Rebar, chunks of concrete, motor vehicles, barbed wire and trees top the list of items no diver wants to befriend in the river on a 2:00am search for a missing person. Nelson says he hears about at least one Water Rescue volunteers who dies in this line of work each year.

Most of the team’s current divers took recreational diving seriously long before volunteering, says Nelson, so they had already invested the money in the necessary equipment. Scuba diving gear can run anywhere from $1,500-$6,000. In addition to benefiting from already having the necessary gear, local divers and rafters are toughened up by outdoor recreation experience in the Northwest. “That doesn’t mean they fly to Mexico and go diving,” says Nelson, “It means they dive in this crummy cold water we have here.”

Although experience helps, it is certainly not required. Those interested in joining the Water Rescue team as divers, surface or ice rescuers must become certified in their areas of interest. Various dive schools in Spokane offer beginner diving courses, which cost around $200 and last about five weeks. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the county’s council of search and rescue teams, provides ice rescue and swiftwater rescue training free of charge for Water Rescue team members. The Sheriff’s Department also provides CPR, blood-borne pathogen, first-aid and helicopter training for search and rescue volunteers.

Nelson emphasizes that not all volunteers need to specialize in swiftwater, dive or ice rescue. Equally important to the success of any rescue or recovery operation are shore support volunteers. Their role is to tend the lines divers use for communication, judging their location in the water and towing recovered objects from the water. All volunteers are trained to perform this vital function and some choose to specialize in this area, known as shore support, rather than pursuing any certification.

NOT A SPORT

Spokane Water Rescue offers exciting opportunities to learn and contribute to the community. Water Rescue is a big investment in training sessions and classroom time with no promise for action-packed return, so those seeking an adrenaline rush should pursue adventure elsewhere. Recounting the experiences that have impacted them most as Water Rescue volunteers, the crew makes it clear this is not a sport to them. Their task is to help save lives, recover valuable evidence and help find answers for families seeking closure concerning lost loved ones.

The team tells about many volunteers who have lost interest during years where the need for Water Rescue assistance is scant. “Sometimes we’ll go a year or two and really not have a call-out, and then some years we’ll have seven in a season,” says Prouty. According to Nelson, all the search and rescue teams combined responded to 111 calls in 2008. He estimates an average of three calls from neighboring areas like Whitman County each year.

Volunteer officers organize monthly meetings and training, raise funding for equipment and get the team involved in community events like the Shriners’ duck races and the annual Spokane River Cleanup. Spokane Water Rescue is currently chaired by Elizabeth “Turtle” Nelson, who is also a certified search and rescue diver. The team welcomes volunteers who wish only to help with administrative tasks, says Deputy Wade Nelson.
As the Spokane County Search and Rescue Coordinator, Deputy Nelson oversees and advocates for the county’s entire network of search and rescue teams. Comprised of 350 volunteer members, the Search and Rescue Council’s 12 teams include ATV, snowmobile, mountaineer and ground teams, with whom the Water Rescue team shares rescue equipment and training material.

$25,000 in grants will soon allow the Search and Rescue Council to purchase first aid equipment, ice rescue equipment, pagers, sheltering equipment for searches in inclement weather, and up to 30 GPS devices, he says. In early 2009, the Sheriff’s Department assigned three Emergency Operations Deputies to the Search and Rescue Council to provide volunteers additional support.

The team members shared their stories inside a fogged-up diner on Silver Lake, defrosting over burgers and coffee following a snowy ice rescue training early one Saturday morning. Their eyes reflected sorrow as they recounted stories of loss and zeal for always improving the indispensable service they provide.

“If [a prospective volunteer is] a thrill seeker looking for a fun ride, this isn’t where they need to be,” says Nelson. “We’re really looking for professional, dedicated, community-oriented volunteers.”

Spokane County Search and Rescue is always looking for volunteers and sponsors. Current sponsord include: Avista, Spokane Yacht Club, Knight Construction/EZ Dock, Precision Propeller, Elephant Boys, Sure Fit, Aspen Sound, Trudeaus, Cabelas, Atlantis Aquatic,
Fesco Fleet & Marine, Roosevelt Recreation, Scuba Center, and Les Schwabb on Francis. They are looking for equipment donations and funds. For more information contact Darren Prouty at:precisionprop@comcast.net.

The post Water Search And Rescue: Do You Have What It Takes appeared first on Out There Venture.

Because when you talk rafting for the masses, many will consider the Wenatchee as “the river” for Washington whitewater. Sure there’s many other great rivers from which to choose in the state-the Skykomish, White Salmon and Tieton immediately come to mind-but when you add it all up, the Wenatchee offers something for everyone.

Just as many people associate the Salmon or Lochsa with Idaho and the Rogue or Deschutes in Oregon, so too do Washingtonians with the Wenatchee.And despite having maybe a dozen more rivers from which to choose where a commercial outfitter can guide you down the rapids, the combination of weather, location and rapids most likely put the Wenatchee at the top of the list for the number of trips it sees in a season.

The City of Cashmere, which charges commercial outfitters a per-person fee to exit the river at the city’s Riverside Park, estimated some 6,400 people rafted the river in 2006. This figure does not include private rafters, but one can figure that the number might be close, making the Wenatchee one of the most-if not the most popular raft runs in the state.

Drive up Highway 2 on any day from May through July and you’ll see the popularity of the river by the dozens of colorful rafts that bob down the river with guides shouting instructions and paddlers trying to follow those orders. In all of its four distinctive sections, the Wenatchee serves up nearly 60 miles of every conceivable level of difficulty. From tame Class I and II runs at both top and bottom that are perfect for beginners; the fun Class III water from Leavenworth to Cashmere or the suicidal Class V to VI churning washing machine that is tumultuous Tumwater Canyon. U.S. rivers are ranked on a scale of Class I being tame to insane at Class VI.

The Wenatchee is just one of a number of raft-able rivers within a relatively short drive. The only other commercially-run river that is easy to reach is the Methow to the north outside of Twisp. The Stehekin River at the end of Lake Chelan has offered some commercial trips in the past.

What makes the Wenatchee so popular is that it has everything for everyone, according to Terri Sarver of Seattle-based Blue Sky Outfitters. “It is located just on the East side of the Cascade Mountains. So it’s not to far for the folks who are coming from the Seattle area (right around 2.5 hours) and equal distance for the folks coming from Spokane,” Sarver says. An added bonus Sarver says is “For the west-siders it’s nice to be in the nice dry hot weather.”

And it’s not just all rafting. “Leavenworth is great outdoor paradise,” says Sarver. You have white water rafting, hiking, rock climbing and anything else you want to do in the great outdoors.”

Of course, Leavenworth offers that unique taste of Bavaria with dining and shopping for those post-rafting activities.

Sarver said most companies start running the Wenatchee in March and run the river until August. Traditional high water flows happen between the last couple of weeks of May and the first couple weeks of June.

Because of its width and the presence of few big rocks, the Leavenworth to Cashmere portion of the Wenatchee rarely gets more than a Class III+ rating. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s by any means tame. “It has some of the tallest rapids in the entire state,” Sarver says. “Some can be as tall as 10 to 14 feet.” One of those waves is at Drunkard’s Drop. It’s HUGE at high flows and routinely pitch passengers into the drink. To add insult to injury-or in some cases bragging rights-a commercial photographer is stationed in a tower on the right side of the river snapping lots of photos of every boat.

Rod Amundson of Wildwater River Tours based in Federal Way,WA quits rafting the Wenatchee when flows drop to 1,700 cfs. “We raft it up to 25,000 cfs at high water in May and June.” Amundson cautions that below 1,700 cfs cubic feet/second) the Wenatchee is pretty much a Class II rock garden. The White Salmon River and the Upper Skagit River are better whitewater rafting trips in late July and August according to Amundson.

Amundson, like many of those who run the Wenatchee, loves the BIG water it serves up at certain levels. “I like big water volume on the Wenatchee, Skykomish or any challenging river,” he says. The Wenatchee between 6,000 cfs to 18,000+ cfs is the perfect flow range.

The Wenatchee is suitable for most folks between age 10 and 85. At low river levels in July/August younger kids down to 6 years would be okay on trips, Amundson says. The bulk of those runs take place from Leavenworth to Cashmere, one of the prime apple producing areas in the world.

THE LEAVENWORTH TO CASHMERE RUN. The Wenatchee is just as popular with the private rafters as it is with commercial operators. Trips on the Leavenworth to Cashmere section begin at a developed launch site just upstream from the Highway 2 bridge that crosses the river on the outskirts of town.

Turn left before crossing the bridge and follow East Leavenworth Road for approximately .06 of a mile according to Jeff Bennett’s A Guide to the Whitewater River of Washington. Look for a fishing access to the right. The launch has a boat ramp that can accommodate large rafts.

The fun comes right within the first mile with Boulder Bend, a sweeping right curve in the river that at higher flows if chock full of boat-eating holes. One of those, according to Coeur d’Alene rafter Larry Gaddis, is called O’Geary’s hole. He flipped there a few years ago and had a long and memorable swim at 15 to 16,000 cfs. Not only was Gaddis, a 25-year rafting vet trying to survive in the cold Memorial Weekend water but trying to keep his swim trunks up and his life jacket attached to his body. He was successful on both challenges. The river mellows for the next 3.5 miles before reaching Peshastin. A mile and a half downstream from Peshastin comes the next set of rapids, Rock and Roll, a big and lively wave-train. According to Bennett, the best-and safest-run is along river left, avoiding Satan’s Eyeball, a gigantic hole that develops at center-right.

It isn’t long until you see Peshastin Creek entering from the right. Peshastin Creek itself a challenging expert run in kayaks and small catarafts when the Wenatchee is at 10,000 cfs. “Fresh Squeezed” is the perfect name for one of the key rapids on the run.

Just down from Peshastin Creek exit the river in order to portage the diversion dam. The L-shaped structure is sometimes run on the left but it is really not recommended. There is a surprisingly powerful reversal on the right side or main face of the dam. According to Larry Gaddis he’s watched a commercial paddle raft portage the dam, yet get pulled back into the dangerous water and flip, spilling its passengers for a long down-stream swim. A dolly is available to help wheel heavy rafts across the parking lot and back to the water.

It is possible to sometimes put in at the dam but never count on it. The Wenatchee’s best water really lies ahead with the rapid to river mile ratio increasing greatly.

Gorilla Falls just under the Highway 2 bridge below the dam is the first notable rapid, found amidst the tangle of bridge piers. Next up is one of the Wenatchee’s most popular spots, a surf wave that is routinely populated by dozens of kayakers. That population increases significantly at Wenatchee River Fest, a kayaking and rafting competition this year set for June 9 – 10. The wave that forms here grows with the flow, reaching three feet when the river hits 14,000 cfs.

Not far below the play wave is Drunkards Drop. You’ll notice it as the river makes a sweeping right bend before breaking back left as it scrapes past a large dirt cliff. The rapid can be skirted to the right if you are not into tempting fate with a run down the gut. Mellow water follows until you begin to approach Cashmere. Then the Wenatchee finishes with a big bang.

Snowblind is appropriately named. In higher water it is a series of mesmerizing waves and holes. If you’re rowing you’ve got to be on your toes and ready to move quickly. As a paddle captain, you’re just as likely to be dragging swimmers into your boat as well as barking out commands to keep the boat upright. If you’re swimming here, you might be in the water ’til the end as Granny’s Rapid, a string of big waves-and at high flows some flipper waves-follows Snowblind. Just past the Cashmere bridge comes the take-out ramp on river right. This can be a real traffic jam as it is the only place to exit the river unless you flow on down a few miles to Monitor, which you don’t want to do because it costs to use the ramp.

The Cashmere’s Riverside Park is a great place to get the gear sorted out and relax while you await your shuttle. Inside the park pavilion you will find refreshments and souvenirs, including those photos that were snapped as you ran, swam or were catapulted through Drunkard’s Drop.
This is also the place where much of the activity takes place at the Wenatchee River Festival.

The park is reached by taking the Cashmere/Division Street exit off of Highway 2. Turn left onto Pleasant after crossing the river, right on Woodring and left on Riverside with the park just ahead.
With the city of Wenatchee ten or so miles downstream, and the Bavarian clone of Leavenworth 13 miles upstream, the area boasts accommodations for every taste and budget. In addition, camping is both plentiful-and beautiful-up along Icicle Creek, west of Leavenworth. Icicle Creek rivals, and in some ways surpasses the run in Tumwater Canyon. It contains steep, car-size boulder-choked drops that should only be attempted by the best of the best in the boating community.
The Wenatchee as noted is just one of many notable rafting rivers in Washington State. And then there’s Idaho, and that’s another story.

Paul Delaney has been an avid whitewater rafter since 1980. Paul helped found and is currently president of the Northwest Whitewater Association (www.northwestwhitewater.org), a Spokane-based club for self-outfitted river
rafters. He runs river all over the northwest, including the Wenatchee.

For further information on Washington whitewater: http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/Activities/rafting/rafting.htm.

Following are commercial outfitters that run rafting trips on the Wenatchee River:

BLUE SKY OUTFITTERS:
P.O. Box 717, Peshastin, WA 98847. Info: (800) 228-RAFT or rafting@blueskyoutfitters.com

OSPREY RAFTING COMPANY:
4342 Icicle Road, P. O. Box 668, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (800) 743-6269 or
reservations@ospreyrafting.com

ALPINE ADVENTURES:
894 US Highway 2, P.O. Box 253, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (800) 926-7238.

ENCHANTED WATER TOURS:
P.O. Box 611, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (888) 723-8987 or
ewtours@enchantedwatertours.com

GO BIG WHITEWATER, LLC:
P.O. Box 365, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (888) 979-9600 or dan@gobigwhitewater.com

LEAVENWORTH OUTFITTERS OUTDOOR CENTER:
21312 Hwy 207, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (800) 347-7934.

NORTH CASCADES RIVER EXPEDITIONS:
P. O. Box 116, Arlington, WA 98223. Info: (800) 634-8433 or rafting@cftinet.com

RIVER RECREATION:
P.O. Box 2124, Bothell, WA 98041. (800) 464-5899 or office@riverrecreation.com

RIVER RIDERS:
P.O. Box 666, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (800) 448-RAFT or info@riverrider.com

ORION EXPEDITIONS, INC.
12681 Wilson Street, Leavenworth, WA 98826. Info: (800) 553-7466 or info@orionexp.com

WAVE TREK, INC:
P.O. Box 236, Index, WA 98256. Info: (800) 543-7971 or info@wavetrek.com

WILDWATER RIVER TOURS, INC:
P.O. Box 3623, Federal Way, WA 98063-3623. Info: (800) 522-WILD (9453) or
info@wildwater-river.com

Other NW Rivers

METHOW:
The commercially rafted part of the river is a Class III to IV section, usually the last 15 miles or so of the river before it flows into the Columbia River at Patreos. It’s a great stretch for beginning to intermediate rafters. Most trips start off in calmer water with mostly Class I and II rapids, making for a good warm up. The real action starts with Engle’s Slide, a Class III rapid. The most challenging section of the river is next, a Class IV drop named Black Canyon. Here Black Canyon Creek flows into the Methow and the river narrows within the canyon while dropping quickly in elevation, creating fantastic waves and The Black Hole. Directly following is the ledges of Staircase with its powerful waves. The action continues with Corner Rapids and Another Roadside Attraction.

SKYKOMISH:
Just an hour from Seattle, the Skykomish River is considered the most challenging commercially run river in Washington State. The “Sky,” as it’s called by those that frequent this river, provides plenty of heart-pumping action for even the most seasoned rafting pro.

While most of this river is Class III to III+, the highlight of the trip and the draw for adrenaline-seekers, Boulder Drop, a Class IV+ rapid. This rapid contains house-sized boulders and requires intricate and precise maneuvering to navigate and make it through. While there are many other rivers in the state where rafters wear helmets for safety, this is the only one that the State of Washington steps in and requires helmets by law.

TIETON:
The Tieton River is located on the east side of White Pass, near Naches, just 45 minutes from Yakima. Rimrock Lake Reservoir is the main source for the Tieton’s water. The Tieton has very little water for most of the year, but once September comes around, the gates to Rimrock Dam are opened and, for the month of September, the Tieton has the best whitewater in the state. And, to make this river even better, the water from Rimrock Lake has spent the entire summer warming up, making the Tieton’s water the warmest in Washington.

With an average drop in elevation of 55 feet per mile, the Tieton also claims the “fastest” whitewater in Washington State. Volcanic basalt cliffs surround the river making for awesome rock climbing among elite climbers.

This river is considered the last “official” trip of the rafting season and rafters from all over Washington make their annual pilgrimage to the Tieton in September.

WHITE SALMON:
Federally protected as a Wild & Scenic River, the White Salmon River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Washington State. The water in this river is provided by melting glaciers and underground springs, supplying the White Salmon with some of the cleanest water in the country. Lush greenery and trees complete this picturesque river.

Most trips start out in BZ Corner, a little town whose recognition is known for its access to the White Salmon River. The excitement of the White Salmon begins right away as the BZ Corner put in is actually in the middle of Top Drop, a Class IV rapid! The river continues in a “pool and drop” pattern, with exciting rapids that drop down into calm pools, like Corkscrew and Waterspout. Stairsteps is a favorite, with a series of one to three-foot ledges like a set of long, wide stairs.

About two thirds into the trip is Class IV+ Husum Falls, a 14-foot waterfall. On most trips, rafters get out here to stretch their legs, view the falls, and watch the boats as they’re “lined” (floated empty at the end of a long line of rope) over the falls. Only a few outfitters are permitted to actually run the falls and for rafters on those trips, running the falls is an unforgettable thrill. From the bottom of the falls, the river finishes its journey to Northwestern Lake with Class II and III rapids.
(Courtesy of Blue Sky Outfitters)

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