CALIFORNIA RAFTING BLOG BLAH BLAH BLOG BLAH BLAH BLOG BLAH BLAH BLOG BLAH BLAH BLOG BLAH BLAH...
just some stuff that happens on the river...
RAFTING BLOG:archive::Jan 1 - August 22, 2006
Current Rafting blog is here: http://www.raftwet.com/blogblah.html

August 22, 2006
Happy days are here at last... actually, I'm talking about the end of this season! It's not as if we are rejoicing the inevitable end of our 2006 rafting season, but boy, was it a long one. With two back to back years of high flows raging in March through early June, the season was an intense juggling game of booking trips, cancelling them because of high flows, switching people to other rivers and implementing trips in adverse conditions that wore us out by end of July... and here we are in late August... looking forward to our October vacation...

American River rafting companies will offer fall trips through September. Fall is gorgeous in the foothills. Warm days, blue skies and cool nights highlight trips in September. Back to school discounts and other incentives will be offered by most rafting outfitters. Some of the best rafting trips occur now when the crowds are gone and the river is again showing its beautiful face...

Next week, is Labor Day weekend! Put away the white shoes and drag out your fall clothes. This long weekend will highlight the South Fork American and Middle Fork American trips. Grab a friend and join California rafting outfitters on the many rivers still running this coming month!

August 15, 2006
The business of rafting is almost a misnomer since most of us got into this because of a love of rivers, rafting and the outdoors. We want to share this love and introduce this activity to other people. Sharing this joy is almost a religious calling... the rivers beckon, we hear and we go. To be in this business is a positive thing. We sell joy... we sell excitement. We sell an experience not compared to much. And it is an activity shared with many types of users. With skiing, you have to accomplish it on your own. You know, ya put on the skis and ya have to go downhill by yourself. You can't depend on anyone else, but yourself. With rafting, the beginner, the timid, the less athletic person who is spiritually and mentally ready can go rafting and conquer their fear and accomplish quite a feat in conjunction with a team. A team of like-minded individuals who are guided by professional paddlers.

The business end is filled with politics. We're governed by several agencies on our rivers that include the county, the state, the feds and others. That's a lot of agencies duplicating essentially the same paperwork and resources to mandate the same rules and regulations. We have a lobbying group who takes care of protecting our industry from overly zealous politicians in DC. We have environmental groups who look after our precious resources and help us to keep rivers flowing. We work with the utilities who control dam releases on some of our rivers as we negotiate for flows much like agriculture and municipalities... yes, water is our number one precious resource in the state of California...

Recently, we took down a group of middle school kids from a Bay Area youth group. Back to back overnighters for the entire week, and each day approximately 50 kids ranging from 12 to 14 yrs rafted the venerable South Fork American River. The kids enjoyed themselves immensely. Most were definitely priviledged young people, living a bountiful life of good schools, great neighborhoods and wonderful opportunities. Do they know how lucky they are? Do they know how many children their age that never see a tree or experience a naturally moving stream? Living in an urban setting doesn't prevent you from experiencing these things, but money does. Money for activities like this. What I'd like to ask is that those of you who have the resources; check your communities. See if there are organizations who offer outdoor activities to inner city kids... and then donate your money to them. Support them. Help them to introduce these opportunities to the less priviledge. Every year, we take our resources and donate to these groups who could never afford these trips...

W.E.T. River Trips started out as a rafting company dedicated to at-risk youth. From those beginnings, we set out to introduce the team-building aspects of rafting and paddling to those youth groups. We see it as a constitutional right that everyone enjoy a part of their lives in the great outdoors. From those introductions, young people will connect to nature and will understand how important it is to place yourself in the universe. You matter. You can make a difference. And as future voters, they will have a deep connection to saving or preserving these places in our world...

Speaking of connecting, I had some readers who were upset with the tone of the Maddox blog. Didn't like Maddox or didn't like his politics. Ok. So, don't read him...? Nothing prevents anyone from reading anyone's website or blog. And, where is your sense of humor? I like reading anything that gives me a good belly laugh. The kind where you're sitting in your chair and your head rolls back and a big ha ha comes exploding out somewhere deep from your gut. I like reading this stuff... even when it's politically incorrect... sometimes that's the funniest.

My friend who writes political blogs says some pretty damning things and I get such a kick out of his bravery and courage to post inflammmatory words about this current administration. It's flippin' funny that anyone could get so emotionally disturbed about such posts. Remember it's an opinion... a United States of America Constitutional right to write about anything we want. And that's why we all blog. The only thing that I see as a problem is that perhaps some of us and you may only read the opinions that we agree or concur with. That is limiting and could be perceived as narrow-minded. So, I even read political blogs about things that I disagree with so that I can be informed and know what the "opposition" thinks. It's important to have a balanced view. Most of us are opinionated and have a political view, but I think the majority of us all have the same hopes and dreams... a good life, loving family, the ability to make a good living and support your loved ones, a safe place to live... see we are all alike.

I am definitely a liberal leaning to the left... but only slightly to the left, because I also pay taxes and am raising children and I worry about "bad" stuff happening to my family. So political parties really don't offer much for me anymore. I've been a registered Democrat for a long time, mom was a Republican and dad was a Kennedy Democrat... so for me, political parties just don't seem important anymore. I vote for specific issues, and I vote for people who seem to have the common sense necessary to make decisions based on sound reasoning and people's well-being. So I might not vote for a Democratic candidate just because I'm a Democrat. Or I might not vote for a bond issue because I see wasteful spending in an area which is upsetting. Or, I might not vote for the liberal politician because his environmental record sucks. But there are some things that are quite automatic for me... I will vote against unbridled development in agricultural and wilderness areas. I will vote against this administration's attempts to destroy our National Parks and rivers. Because once it's gone, people, it is gone forever. And that's not what we want to leave as a legacy for our children.

August 9, 2006
AB 1234 is a new law put in place this year. AB 1234 requires that "all local agencies that provide compensation, salary, or stipend to, or reimburses the expenses of, members of a legislative body must provide ethics training to local agency officials by January 1, 2007, and every two years thereafter. This includes not only the governing body of a local agency, but also any commission, committee, board or other body of a local agency where permanent or temporary, decision-making or advisory..." California Fair Political Practices Commission

Whoa... that means me. Yesterday, I participated in the ethics training given to Sacramento City Council members and all the rest of us who sit on boards and advisory committees. Sitting in the plush new digs of the council chamber, a representative presented a long program regarding ethics and politics. Ethics is an interesting word similar to the word morals. Similar but subtley different; here are the definitions:

Ethics
1. A set of principles of right conduct. A theory or a system of moral values.
2. ethics (used with a sing. verb) The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person; moral philosophy.
3. ethics (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession: medical ethics.
Definition from Free Dictionary

mor·al
adj.
1. Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character: moral scrutiny; a moral quandary.
2. Teaching or exhibiting goodness or correctness of character and behavior: a moral lesson.
3. Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life.
4. Arising from conscience or the sense of right and wrong: a moral obligation.
5. Having psychological rather than physical or tangible effects: a moral victory; moral support.
6. Based on strong likelihood or firm conviction, rather than on the actual evidence: a moral certainty.
n.
1. The lesson or principle contained in or taught by a fable, a story, or an event.
2. A concisely expressed precept or general truth; a maxim.
3. morals Rules or habits of conduct, especially of sexual conduct, with reference to standards of right and wrong: a person of loose morals; a decline in the public morals.
Definitions by Free Dictionary

A good example is the quandry that one of our legislators is facing. His spouse collected monies legally, but the public is wondering if it was morally or ethically challenged. Hmmm... listening to the speaker, I was struck with a sense of pride. This is a presentation of ethics and how it relates to governing agencies and boards and yet, I realize how much a piece of legislation like this could impact how the public and the political glitterati behave for the future. Bribes, compensation, conflict-of-interest, nepotism are all in the back of each of our minds as we watched the videos on compromising situations that scripted actors presented. There were also several videos of real-life examples where political figures were destroyed due to their compromises and unethical behavior. There was an interesting example regarding one of the environmental groups and environmental management. And lots of examples about developers trying to circumvent the planning process and how agency members can be propositioned
to perhaps, look the other way when making environmental decisions.

I loved the test example given to us and let me paraphrase this,"...if you don't want to read about it in the paper; then you probably don't want to do it!" In other words, an entity offering rewards, goods or gifts is a red flag and ya'll should be running as fast as you can away from the offer.

Our legislators, our administration could definitely take a lesson here... The Dolittle's, Bushies' and others may understand that ethics, legalities must be adhered to when governing, but if the general public feels that a moral or ethical compromise has been implemented; then maybe ya shouldn' have dun dat! I'll be watching my and my legislators' every step as it relates to my rivers and my citizenship.

August 2, 2006
The American River team is getting grouchy. I think everyone is really tired especially after that last heatwave. Our crew has been working since mid-March nonstop through very high water, all kinds of weather and tough rapids. Everyone is tired. So it isn't surprising that the team is picking on each other. What did the fight start over? G. made a silly comment and then J. got upset. Soon the two guys were in each other's face comparing work ethic and execution... it escalated until J. shoved G. and then big daddy S. stepped-in to break it up. "That's enough! Both of you...knock it off!" yelled S. "Get back to work." and then it was over. Hugs and handshakes and it was soon forgotten.

The guides work really hard. They work through bad (cold, wet or heat) weather, with paddlers who have very limited skills, and raft in conditions that could test even the most diligent soldier. They are a team. Unlike a sports team, they never know who is coming aboard their "court." It could be a rabid group of young dudes amping on paddling with the bravado of a class 5 veteran. Or it could be young kids and grandma with no paddling skills at all. The guides are taking care of people as if they were their own children. Corraling them and signing them in at the meeting site and then quickly placing them onto the bus and then dressing them into their lifejackets ...they are like substitute parents sending the kids off to the school of whitewater!

W.E.T. had the guide party last week at Poor Red's. Everyone came except for G. who got sick from the overwhelming heat wave. He forgot to drink plenty of water that day. Even the vets forget sometimes. Poor Red's was basically deserted since it was a Sunday night and the crew arrived rather late after a long day of rafting. This restaurant is famous for its ambiance and ribs and its incredible Golden Cadillacs. S. drove and was the designated driver which allowed the entire crew a free pass to an unbridled drinking fest. Golden Cadillacs for everyone! Soon cheers and toasts brought everyone to their feet as silliness reigned over the night. Toast for the best guide paddler. Toast for the most improved rookie. Toast for the best flip during high water. Toast to the company. On and on it went and soon guides were hugging each other and swearing their undying love for the company and each other... it's a lovefest... it's a team...

Only 2 more months to go and the guides are planning their exits soon. Some will be going back to school, some will be going on to the Gauley River in West Virginia and some will be back up at the ski resorts for winter fun. Some will be joining international trips throughout the world on to Costa Rica, South America, New Zealand and other exotic locales. Ahhh, what a life. A guide's life is full of dreams, of rivers and adventure... go on... you know you're jealous.

July 26, 2006
Lots of excitement over here; I can die now. I met Maddox. The one and only. He with the Che Guevera-look, caped and crowned with the eyepatch of a pirate... you know the one... the best page in the universe. I got pictures and everything! "Snooze and Revue" interviewed us, but I just read the article.. my name is NOT mentioned... but who cares.. I met him... now I can read his book.. "The Alphabet of Manliness." The harsh blogs and words on his website and in his books and comics don't reveal the true gracious intelligence of the man... ok, so he's a little like Howard Stern... but much more interesting... but I digress... the gallery was full of young techno geeks all paying homage to his holiness... or his oneliness... as he is a genius and holder of all things true... we invited him to go rafting in the next few weeks... but that's a secret... oops.

It's flippin' hot... I mean really hot. 108 degrees is unreal, but why are we bitchin'? When people are actually dying in their ugly heat. I mean those of us here in California. Rafting, hanging on the beach and rivers. Surfing waves and staying cool. There were over 1,000 people on the river this past weekend on the South Fork American. Way too many "hot" people. All arrived sweaty and excited; dripping with the salty flow from their pores. Lots of families, corporate groups (does anyone golf anymore?) and gobs of friends came out to join us.

Rich came out with his son, Riley who is a high schooler of 14 years old. Rich was one of the original owners of W.E.T. River Trips with partner, Steve. Rich originally started out as an "old school" guide for Outdoors Unlimited when they had the permits on the American River, Tuolumne and Stanislaus. Now OU is strictly on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Rich and Steve were both school teachers specializing in high-risk students... you know, the kind of kids you're trying to make sure that your kids don't hang around with. Anyway, they rode down the river on Sunday with favorite W.E.T. guide Maggie-Mro. Pistol-packing hot, and the flow came up rather slowly in the morning.

Boat after boat rafted down the SoFo freeway as the rigatta bounced through rapids and the guests squealed with delight. Cooling and refreshing, the cold water felt just right. I love rafting. My soul needs it. If ever there was an entity called "god," he is here... right next to me; sitting on the rocks; hanging in the sky; and bouncing with me in the boats. Gotta be... just gotta...

July 10, 2006
What a weird day of calls.

A caller today was griping about non-receipt of their email confirmation. First we asked about their email address to check if we had a typo. No, the email address was correct. The gentleman became very aggravated with our staff member. He started complaining that he should have received the email immediately. Then we asked if the email might have been hiding in their spam folders. I don't know, was the answer. Please check your junk and spam folders first. A long silence proceeded with a sigh. Hmmm. Is the email there? Oh, there it is, came the reply. No apologies for yelling at us. Not even an acknowledgement that we did do our job promptly in the first place.

Is this you? Do you nit pick at your desk all day? Yelling at the underlings; demanding perfection... are you this guy? When you're at a restaurant, do you request or demand items from the server? Are you unforgiving when the retailer across the counter accidentally makes an error on your order? Look in the mirror... have you become this person? If so, you need to go rafting. You need to go outdoors. Get out of the box and enjoy a slower pace; a less demanding life.

I'm downsizing. I want a smaller house. I want a smaller car that sucks less gas. I don't want to be rich; just happy and be able to send my kids through college... and have enough to enjoy the rest of my life... just want to slow it down a bit...

I'm heading for a California rafting trip for a couple of days. Just me and a few friends to enjoy ourselves on a beautiful river out in the wilderness. Not much time... just two days of fun and relaxation. Enough time to just refresh and renew my head before I face another Monday office blues...

July 7, 2006
I really need to go whitewater rafting... stuck in the office, in front of the computer, working for the paycheck that's never enough; I really need to be on the river... Fourth of July has come and gone and I read news reports of the crazies in Sacramento on the Lower American River.

The urban giant flows through Sacramento and attracts the most hideous group of hillbilly idiots during the 4th. With IQ's lower than a potato (sorry to all the french fry lovers) the 4th draws the young and stupid out for "fun in the sun" with their inner tubes and plastic rafts, except it usually means the cops are out in droves trying to prevent the idiots from harming themselves and each other.

American River Trips

What a contrast... what a difference it makes to go from that scene to the beauty and challenge on the South Fork American River or the wilderness trip on the Middle Fork American. There, W.E.T. River Trips took several families, groups and corporate trips on various whitewater sections of those rivers during the long four day holiday (did anyone work on Monday?). No alcohol is ever permitted on the rafts and it really makes a difference in the way people conduct themselves. Paddling participants are really into the beauty and serenity of the river itself. More reflect on the challenges of the whitewater and how to negotiate the difficult rapids. The focus is on the river; not drinking or drugging yourself to oblivion.

Our professional whitewater guides enjoy the youthful exhuberance of rafting teens and newcomers who bring new eyes to the river. Those people are given an opportunity to really appreciate nature and the true beauty of dynamic rivers. Now, I'm not saying that the urban river in Sacramento is not beautiful... au contraire mon amis... it is one of the jewels of California. That broad river meandering through the state capitol in Sacramento has inspired more artists and paddlers than probably any river in the state. It's just that hooligans have disrespected its soul and have desecrated its face with slovenly behavior, dumping garbage and waste on the beautiful beaches and water. I'd like to grab all those people and drag them up to the whitewater sections just an hour from Sac... just to show them what real rafters do: respect the river, challenge it on its own value and preserve its natural state as much as possible.

Whitewater rafting has changed so many people's minds about the process of rafting. More people have had life altering changes because of a simple rafting trip. I've seen our guests challenge whitewater rapids, love the sport so much, that they go out and buy an inflatable kayak to paddle on urban rivers and other waterways throughout the country. It is a soulful endeavor and I really need to get my "fix" soon. I need to be out there paddling, rocking with the raft over the waves, lazily floating under Mr Sun and challenging a whitewater rapid. Summer is definitely here. And hopefully, the shameful behavior in the valley will either be legislated away or the river gods will finally put a stop to it.

June 27, 2006
We're in full swing on our American River rafting trips. Commercial rafting companies are busy with reservations, scheduling, employees and guides and the rafting clientele. I just got off the phone with a fellow outfitter who was grousing about unprepared clients. What's a rafting outfitter to do? Here are suggestions on how to make life smoother for you, the rafter and us, the outfitter:

* Take some time to read the websites: It helps to at least look at the pricing and the basic river descriptions
* Have paper & pen when you call: Take notes, you're talking to several rafting companies & we all have different logistics
* When making a reservation: Have your credit card in your hand and not out in the car in the parking lot across the street
* Ask questions: Let us answer them
* Have lunch before you call: Chewing, slurping may interfere with your lousy cell phone reception
* Have a calendar with you when you call: Or at least have some dates in mind
* When making a reservation: Use a credit card that's not maxed out or w/a limited credit line... like $0
* If you have a question about your reservation: Know your confirmation number or at least, the date of the trip & the name of the river
* Identify yourself by the reservation name & not as "charlie": We file by reservation name"
* Don't brag: We know you're a class 5 rafter, but you have your 8 yr old kid w/you, so take our suggestions on appropriate trips
* Don't complain about heat: We're dripping sweat over the fire you asked us to build
* Don't ask for refunds on no-shows: Having a major hangover is not a good excuse
* If you're late: Don't be surprised when the other paddlers boo hiss when you board the bus
* When boarding the rafts: Don't announce that you're allergic to water & you hate rafting
* And finally: Don't forget to have fun... it's a rafting trip; not a freeway of road rage.

Notes from the W.E.T. gallery of sarcasm!

June 14, 2006
The toilet bowl is back! The Middle Fork American was run last Sunday with a great group of hardy paddlers. Earlier reports from our kayaking crew, led us to believe that the flow gauge was a few hundred cfs off the mark. Everyone, including California State Parks could not get a read on the actual river flows. Taking the advice of our kayakers and 'ol school guides, we figured the flow out to be just below 1,300 cfs.

Saul, a 12-year veteran lead the team and here's his eyewitness report for California rafting: "Heads up for changes out there on the Middle Fork American! My first trip down the Middle Fork this year was last Sunday on June 11th. I’ve worked for 12 years out there (on this river), and have seen many changes the river has been through, but this year it’s exceptional. The flow that day varied from 1,100 - 1,300 cfs, and starting at the very first rapid, 'Good Morning,' it was noticeably different. The rapid seems to start further downstream, and is more chunky and less of a wave train.

As with any first trip of the year, scouting is a good idea. We decided to scout the 'Tunnel Chute' to see if that geologically new rapid had changed during the winter floods. It had... the entrance has widened, making the top left-hand turn more pronounced. The biggest new feature is a big pillow coming off the top left wall. Avoid that , but don’t go too far right or you will tube-stand on the right, or pinball to the left and tube-stand/wrap there... like I did. No get-downs until you make the turn. Just like old times. (Note from W.E.T.: back in the 80's & early 90's, this rapid was like this) The rest of the read-and-run rapids remain read and runnable, but to those guides who have memorized the river; there are new beach shifts, and islands where there were none before. Also 'Cathedral' has changed and isn’t what it once was. Cathedral Rapid is two rapids downstream from the Tunnel Chute, right below the cave on the left, and it used to have a hole at the top, and then pillow into the side of the river right wall (looks like it has an imprint of a cathedral on it) making a left turn off the pillow. A huge island has popped up in the middle of the river diverting much of the water and making the hole at the top less significant. The rapid was never a big deal, but it was a fun soaker of a hole.

There seems to be a lot more water going to the right at 'Ruck-A-Chucky,' and since there were no guard lines up, we portaged the waterfall. Most of the portage path is gone, but its still better than back in the old days. There is a large boulder where passengers load back up making that a back-log problem for 12 people, it could be a mess when there are more. It looks like slight changes in the rocks below the guide-jump rock, but the water was high at that point. The rapids after Ruck-A-Chucky remain the same, but the high water line at Parallel Parking should be used. All in all, it was nice to be the only boats on a weekend, maybe these changes will lower the use and keep the Middle Fork American more pristine." Saul G. Senior Headguide::Official Post from the Field

We also got an update from California State Parks at the Auburn Recreation District regarding the calibration of the gauge:

"The Placer County Water Agency has advised us that as of Monday 6/12 at approximately 2 pm, a correction was made to the CDEC flow website as the result of a recalibration, adjusting the flow chart to read the same as the PCWA gauge station at Horseshoe Bar. The level at the time was between 1500 and 1550 cfs. The relation of actual cfs to the reading on the website AT THIS LEVEL should be considered accurate according to the PCWA.

However because the river channel has changed, more recalibrations need to be made for OTHER flow levels. Until this is done, please be aware that the readings on the CDEC site will become increasingly inaccurate if levels rise or fall outside of the 1500 cfs range (for example down to 1200 or up to 1800) at Horseshoe Bar." CA State Parks Post

Time for the MoFo! Keep in mind, with the new changes, athletic users should only raft this run. Especially keep in mind the portage situations. People need to be sure-footed and agile while scrambling over uneven ground. This is the "E" in W.E.T.; it's EXPEDITION-style rafting like in the good old days!

June 12, 2006
June is in full swing and the kids are out of school. And with a promise of summer coming, families are starting to come out of the deep fog of school events, graduation, the big-day-college-dorm-move, and kicking the kids out to the curb... time to think about summer vacation with family and friends. With last month's high flows, W.E.T. River Trips asked our paddlers to wait until the flows came down before rafting with younger children. Now's the time for families to start booking reservations for the rest of our summer rafting season.

American River trips have great flows appropriate for outdoor families. On our favorite family run, the South Fork American will be at its all time best. No low water bump and grind this year. Great flows of 1500 cfs to 3000 cfs will attract many first timers to the best whitewater river trip in California this year. The SoFo was nature-designed for beginners and intermediates. The river is beautiful, long and a great attraction for quick 1 day trips, 2 day camp trips, or 2 day wilderness trips on BLM lands. For teens ages 14 and up, we highly recommend families to take a break over to another favorite wilderness trip on the Middle Fork American. MoFo should be runnable throughout July, August, September, and, maybe even October! California rafting will be at its prime throughout this summer season.

Start planning for the family rafting trips. Save money by checking out Target's new outdoor offerings. Inexpensive sleeping bags and outdoor equipment will help save the family's budget. Drug stores will have sales on sunscreen, bug repellant, chapstick, flashlights and the ever-so-useful ziplock baggies. REI, the one-stop outdoor equipment store has everything that a family will need for their rafting and camping needs. High quality and bargain prices attract the serious outdoor family with REI's house brand. Preparing in advance will take the sting out of the budget from last minute purchases.

Get off the couch... everyone! Take the kids for a walk in the evening and work up to a brisk walk. Then move it into the day time to start acclimating to the hot weather. Remember rafting and camping outdoors will put you in the sun for 4 to 6 hours. If you have access to pool; start swimming. Work your upper body and legs for paddling and balance skills for rafting. All these preparations will help you to have a great time in the outdoors.

Then call your favorite rafting company and get your reservations soon. With the biggest snowpack and the longest season, this summer's rafting trips will satisfy all the members of your family and friends!

May 26,2006
North Fork American was kicking last Sunday. Another late put-in with the flow on the downside at around 2,700 cfs. Most of our guests were great paddlers and in good shape. Only trouble we had was a language barrier. How do the guides manage guests who may have a language barrier? Basic commands are easy to relay during the safety talk through interpreters and sign language; but how do you convey all the nuances of every situation ie, falling out of a boat, high-side, flips, wraps, swimming to an eddy, etc etc. As the safety talk unfolded, each guide takes his guests into his raft and continues with more conversations involving safety and their individual styles of guiding. Each question was greeted with nods and acknowledgements as the guides ran down commands and indiosyncracies of their own particular guiding techniques.

One thing that would really help is letting us know that there may be a language barrier. It would give us an opportunity to make sure that the interpreter was there during the safety talks. Though our international participants on our trips may speak English, I wonder how many really understand all the information for our whitewater rafting trips. We ask trip leaders to give us a heads-up and also help us during the safety talks by clarifying those nuances with their friends and our guests.

This upcoming Memorial Day Weekend looks like a busy one for the American River outfitters. All three forks are looking good. The Middle Fork American is still a bit high, but both the North Fork American and South Fork are looking like great runs this weekend.

May 18, 2006
Heard some rumblings from the peanut gallery... the crew is getting antsy to get back over to the North Fork American. We've been conservative and the guides are whining. The commercial cut-off for our company is 3,000 cfs though we've all been over there at 4,500 cfs. We just can't risk commercial clients who trust us to make the decisions for them. So we wait as the flows bounce around. Last Wednesday, the crew went over and had a blast.. just a little over 3,000 cfs since the side-creeks were kicking in.

Saul, Zack, Josh and others went over and did a late put in on the downside of the flow. The people loved the late put-in's and not getting up at the crack of dawn. The morning flows have been above safe levels but by late afternoon, the naturally flowing river drops so that a run can sneak in. The crew was back at the warehouse unloaded and unpacked by 7:00 pm... before dark. Some of the rapids were sticky as Zack could attest to the nice little swim he had at beefy Chamberlain Falls. Saul had a nice entry and felt a little stick in the hole... surf action! FUN!

Drew and his yak buddies went over to do the Rubicon run. We're talking sketch. Expert run only,... yeh yeh... they're all expert runs... but I'm not sh... kidding you... this is on the verge of nuts. They had estimated the flow extrapolating the data, figuring the numbers. So they went. Naa ah. Mistake. Drew got hammered in a swim in the first 1/2 mile. He wisely chose to hike out along with other expert kayakers. Limitations. That's what it's all about for the hardcore paddlers. Testing the limits.

Back to commercial stuff... busy weekend coming up and weather is predicting some crazy sh... stuff. From 98 degrees back to 70 degrees... and a possibility of snow? Wha', are they kidding me? Unreal. At least, the cooler weather will slow this melt down. How do we explain this crazy flow pattern to our paying customers? I feel the frustration coming on as each caller in their sweet innocence try to decipher flow charts, web advice and try to apply all of this to every river system. Keep in mind that each river is unique. Each river has its on variables and parameters. One river at 9,000cfs is crazy fun while another is just deadly; and another river at 400 cfs is more deadly than when it's at 3,000cfs. Huh? That's right. Don't try to look at numbers and classifications. They are only numbers and attempts to describe what mortals call rivers. But rivers are a dynamic entity only described by gods and dieties... always changing, always hiding its primal face. We lowly mortals can only attempt to describe each circumstance as we apply it to this watery force...

Over in the urban world of rivers, there's been an awful rash of unneccesary drownings from sheer stupidity. Just yesterday, a young kid near West Sac tried swimming in the Sacramento River near Discovery Park. He was overcome and disappeared into the murky mess. No lifejacket, no wetsuit... And those kids up near Placerville who were hiking around and rock hopping above the rapids; kind of like Russian roulette, you know? That kid ended up falling off a rock and disappearing into the rush of water. And in Sacramento, a group of total hillbillies took their plastic raft that was designed for a swimming pool into the Lower American. No lifejackets, no wetsuits. Overturned in a flash and nearly drowned. And what about the mom who let her kid go down with her inexperienced friend on a raging river in a rubber ducky with no lifejackets or wetsuits? Come on people. Get a clue. I'm sick to the core of my being when I hear about stuff like this. If you can't go with a professional outfitter at least protect yourself and wear a damn lifejacket. And parents, warn your kids to stay away from the edges of moving water unless they are wearing a lifejacket.

As professional outfitters, we go overboard with safety and implementation. We have to. We have your lives in our hands. Our industry takes this responsibility extremely seriously... and believe me, we'd rather our clients be pissed at us when we cancel a trip due to unsafe levels than to have them get hurt. So when you get the call or the email cancellation, appreciate that your pro outfitter is one that makes your safety their first priority and not the bottom line.
A rant from the manager

May 10, 2006
Mike started rafting a couple of years ago. He came on a few of our trips as a paddling client. He started contacting us to get on trips as a lone reservation. He was hooked on rafting. We started referring him to other outfitter's trips because we could tell he really loved rafting & when we get that type of client we want ot share our love of rivers, too. He did all three forks of the American River with W.E.T., the Merced, Tuolumne, Yuba, Cherry Creek and many other rivers in California. He was seriously hooked. This year, he approached our staff and asked to actually train in our guide school! W.E.T. has a funny guide school... not really open to the public. If you can get passed the front desk, you'll probably get accepted into the guide school. Mike was welcomed and invited to join the 2006 guide school this early spring. Here is his personal story...

"Spring break 2006 will live in my memory for the rest of my life. In the weeks and days coming up to this time, I was filled with excitement and fear. I was heading off to guide school, but this was no run of the mill guide school. You needed to be invited and no slackers were going to make the grade. I had been a commercial paddler many times, but I knew it was different being a guide. How different? Who knows? The real question was; can I do it? I know it has to be harder than it looks. I hate to fail. I told myself I was going to embrace the challenge. Fortunately, I had paddled commercially with a great group of people and I was lucky to be accepted to a well-regarded tightly knit company's education program! At least I knew I had good support. Once I arrived at guide school, more apprehension overcame me. Will I be able to pull this off? Can I really get a boat down the river? Fortunately there were a great group of folks around to show all of us trainees/newbies the ropes. Andrew (lead guide instructor for W.E.T.), Zack, Maggie, Saul, Jonny, Justin, Ryan, Jason and many others who I have probably forgot to mention, and for that I apologize.

The first day was a blur. We all got to know each other a bit and get oriented with the great South Fork American River. I told myself long prior to the school, when the opportunity came about to be the “guide,” I was going to jump on it. Well the first try was ferrying the raft over to our great spot at Camp Lotus. What a humbling experience!!! So damn hard! Well, I told myself I was still going to jump on the stick when the next opportunity came about. Well…I did not have to wait long, the next morning the offer came to lead our crew of newbies from Chili Bar, and I seized the moment. I blurted out, “I will do it” with as much confidence as possible, but inside I was thinking, “What the hell am I doing! If I screw this up I will be in the starring role of an upcoming campfire story for who knows how long." Fear was truly a factor. Fortunately, I had a great crew, Gavin, Josh and Jeff paddled on command and somehow the river gods took it easy on me. I also knew Eric our safety kyaker had our back, thank god! We made it through the Chili Bar section without incident, but after that experience I knew just how good the vet’s really were; they made it look so easy (I so want to make it look easy).

The rest of the days were filled with various adventures. Drew was/is always trying to give us various swimming experiences, such as good swims at Blue House, Chutes & Ladders or any other good drop (all a bunch of fun). Then, there is the Guide Olympic drills we put together. Again, this just goes to show you veteran technique will always beat inexperienced enthusiasm. To Drew and his crew, one day, maybe I can get you! Drew, I still want to get you on the golf course. Then, there are the days where some folks decided taking the “right” line at Fowler's Rock would be cool. Well, I think that resulted in an “epic” swim. Thank god the SFA and the river gods can be so forgiving. Speed forward and you get those days I am convinced to take a 13 ft boat at over 6,500 cfs down the SFA (R2 style). What the hell did I get myself into? I do know this, moves need to be made very early, or you will be swimming the hole at the end of Meatgrinder and doing the taco in the hole at Maya (BTW, this SUCKS!!!!). After many fun-filled days, my fear has dropped slightly, but I have an amazing respect for the river. I also crave additional experiences. I want to hone my skills, become a better guide and really earn the title “professional.” I want to be able to bring my love of the river to others just as the great crew at W.E.T. River Trips has done for myself. I have just completed the first chapter of a life long adventure, oh what fun it should be. Thank you all for contributing to a great time and I look forward to working with you!"
Mike; our official newest trainee on staff::

May 5, 2006
Snowpack and flow updates were presented yesterday to the South Fork American outfitters by a joint meeting of agencies that included El Dorado County, California State Parks and Bureau of Land Management. Flow predictions and safety issues were addressed for California's rafting industry. Some outfitters sent representatives while other companies were represented by the actual owners; Steve Liles of W.E.T. River Trips, Norm Schoenhoff of Whitewater Excitement and Scott Armstrong of AllOutdoors were participants of this discussion. Safety in numbers ie. travel in groups, extra gear such as "cold kit" for addressing hypothermia, safety kayaker and/or safety oarboat escorts, and minimum age requirements for youth participation were addressed by each outfitter or representative.

A handout was presented outlining historical averages and predictions based on water content of the snow pack. Here is a brief outline of what was presented and a "prediction" of what's to come.

Keep in mind that other factors weigh in such as future storms, high day and evening temperatures, etc. Also, each river has its own set of parameters and variables. You can run 10,000 cfs on the South Fork American, but you can't do that on the Cal Salmon. You can run low flows on the Tuolumne in late summer, but you can't do that on the Kaweah. Call the outfitter and ask about flows. Most of the long time outfitters in the state have a good instinct about what their rivers will flow based on past experiences. Just ask, discuss and this year, make sure that the athletic paddlers are participating during the early season high flows. Have lesser athletic users paddle during mid-June, July, Aug, Sept & Oct. AND for all you high water, big water junkies; get your splash on now!

May 1, 2006
The bethren of the American River... the outfitters stick close together. No matter what back-stabbing crap goes on in the business end of this industry, or the crazy misdirects on the internet or the reality-show-type alliances, we support each other on the water.

I got the call in the office about an hour before our 3 boats were about to take-off from Camp Lotus. The crew was starting the 2nd day of a 2 day weekend trip and had just finished breakfast with a great group of people celebrating a 40th birthday party rafting trip on the South Fork American River. The crew was just bidding farewell to our field manager as he was taking off on his motorcyle after making a delivery of food, when that call came in. The call was immediately noted as the desparation of the voice sunk in. The other rafting company, we'll call them "Brand X", had somehow lost a reservation in their system. It doesn't matter how it happened; with today's technology, it could have been something as simple as a typo. The voice sounded so upset and so desparate. Don't worry, I said, we will take care of these people. I hung up and realized that we had just took on this other rafting company's predicament. Hmmm... maybe I spoke too soon!

I called Steve, got a hold of him even though he had his motorcycle helmet on; he heard his cell ring. I said, "Turn around, "Brand X" company lost a reservation and W.E.T.'s going to help them out. He turned around, grabbed a non-working guide and got another boat out of the warehouse. Then we had to go pick up these people who were meeting at the other rafting company's location. Enroute, our wetsuit dude, put together another 4 suits for these added people. Meanwhile, the food buyer added some more foodstuff to the existing lunch for the added paddlers. All was smooth except for one giant missing ingredient. The bus driver!

Now, we had to rearrange the shuttle because those extra four people from "Brand X" exceeded the spaces for the van. Call Tim for bus shuttle. No answer. Call his cell. No answer. Arrrgghhhh! Okey, drive back to Sac, get the other vehicle and drive back up the hill... at $3.10 per gallon! Ack!

As I slapped my forehead in frustration, I wondered out loud: why did I say yes? Why didn't I just let the other outfitter deal with their own problem? Why? Because, we all love river rafting, and we all want to see the clientele, our enthusiastic paddlers have a great time. No, it did not matter, at that moment, that these weren't our customers. It didn't matter that "Brand X" was one of our competitors. It didn't even matter the extra costs to our company or even the aggravation of our own customers (we had to make them wait a bit to accommodate the timing). What mattered was getting all these people on the water for the time of their lives... because, you see, the more people have a great time river rafting will be the same people who will talk about it to their loved ones, their family and friends and their colleagues. They probably won't even remember who the heck took them down the river! But, they will remember the river. They will remember that awesome first rapid and they will be back... and maybe with us next time or maybe with another outfitter. All that matters is that we've help convert more people to the sport and recreation of rafting. And that's all that matters.

April 27, 2006
Yikes, it's HOT! The weather is starting to feel more like the beginnings of summer, and the rivers are starting to really roll. Almost everyone is calling about the high water on the South Fork American. Another big water year is in store. Flows are ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 cfs daily. Fun, big water with rolling waves. Over on the Middle Fork American, flows have been fluctuating on the high side of 3,500+ cfs. Too high to run Tunnel Chute and it becomes a serious "expedition." On the North Fork Chamberlain Falls run, the flows are on the upward cycle. Also, too high for commercial rafting this weekend.

Those of you who are true rafting enthusiasts, get on the best runs this week. Best high water flow for the next week or so will be on the South Fork American and Merced River. It is going to be a blast this year! Even this summer, we won't be having low flows (like so many of you complain about during "regular" years!)

Check out this pic from last weekend's high water South Fork American River! That is a horizontal shot... no shzzzz! The holes are big and it feels like a rollercoaster ride:

Get out and paddle!
The sun is SHINING!

April 24, 2006
Another concern for the North Fork American is the inordinate amount of snowpack that we are experiencing in the Sierras (180% last count and that's not slightly above last year!). Some of the websites are claiming that the NoFo won't be runnable until late June or July... WHA? Come on... that's definitely inaccurate. If Lake Clementine flows are measuring 3,300 cfs then you know that the side creeks below Chamberlain Falls is kicking the cfs up. In reality, the flow at the put-in is approximately 300 - 400 cfs below the Clementine gauge. The NoFo is runnable today. And remember, the watershed for the North Fork American is smaller than for the other sections of the American River.

The higher flows on the North Fork do demand experienced, athletic aggressive paddlers. We do not recommend beginners at flows above 2,500 cfs or at any other flow. Respect this river... it demands it.

April 24, 2006
Another weekend of high water on the American River. Again, the flow charts were wrong for the North Fork American. We have bookmarked the CDEC flow sites so our paddling clients can find the actual flows. I'm not sure why the NoFo flows are incorrect on three of the popular flow sites, but it is imperative that we have accurate data. The flow gauge on the North Fork became problematic last year and engineers were at the gauge station trying to mainipulate and extrapolate data for their flow charts. We think there might be a problem at the USGS data feed that is skewing the data on these popular flow sites.

North Fork is finally coming down to manageable paddling levels again. Today's flow is at 3,380 cfs and dropping. Check the following links to the flows for the American River for the SoFo, NoFo and MoFo. These charts are the best for accuracy and most outfitter's also look at these sites with the most relevant information.

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/americanStages.html
All three charts are there describing stage levels and actual cfs levels.
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/rivcond.html
For all the rivers throughout the state; levels and actual cfs levels.

The USGS data site was frozen in time the last two weekends! Stuck at April 22nd like the other flow sites... someone fix this, please! We also put an American River flows chart on the website to help our readers. The chart looks like this:

South Fork American

Chili Bar Discharge

Middle Fork American

North Fork American & Giant Gap

April 19, 2006
Yesterday, we checked a well-known flow site for the NoFo. Go to index page, click on to the California West slope... just like we do everyday for the past few years... let's see... hmm the North Fork Clementine flow is gone! Weird. So we look around and find a link for other flows. Click onto that and the identical page comes up with a different URL, but there it is finally. Hmmm, weird. The flow shows a 1,000 cfs bump up from yesterday. That's really weird. What's going on here? So we go to the actual CDEC gov site and find that the flow is actually only 3500 instead of 4800 cfs. It's like the whole chart was bumped up for the last 3 days. Impossible! Weird. Hmmm... is it the Doolittle camp? Are they trying to make sure no one goes on this river? Is it an attempt to destroy the numbers of people who enjoy this run? Ooooooh, a conspiracy of sorts... by the dam builders.

North Fork American flow is actually at 3300 today. We'll keep watching the flow for the NoFo but we'll get the info from the CDEC sites. More on this mystery at a later date...

April 20, 2006
W.E.T. River Trips six day guide school, that started April 8th, officially just ended; and knowing the weather forecasted during that time, created a heightened sense of adventure and focus on the unknown (ergo: what would five consecutive days of rain provide for us?).

The North Fork immediately ran high... too high. The roads to other California rivers became blocked and travel became limited at-best. However, the South Fork of the American pulled through for us, our trainees and our clients as well. Everyday we had flows of at-least 5,500 cubic feet per second (CFS) and some days, we had over 6,550 CFS. Compare that to a good summer flow of 1,500CFS, and the ingredients for fun and excitement are obvious. Every day was a complete blast even with relentless rain and grey skies... the South Fork was prime!

Even the most seasoned and veteran guides (Andrew?!?) left the water with huge smiles and accolades for the days on the water. We did Chili Bar, the Gorge, Full River, and two day trips in every conceivable combination as we ended up spending 8 out of ten days on the water. Eric and Zack took a day off and they are back on for another long stretch. Jonny, Maggie, Saul, Jason, Ryan, Andrew, Zack, Alex W., Eric C., Justin, Steve, and Walter all had a part in the show. A fantastic start to HIGH season!!!! (Jeff, Mike, and Josh were troopers!)

Now that the rain has stopped (hopefully) we can take stock of the incredible bounty of the cold, moisture-laden snow pack. (Kirkwood has had over 800 inches of snow this season).

Sidebar: Nate called the W.E.T. office Easter Sunday evening as he sat in the patrol hut at the top of Kirkwood's chair 10 where he would have to spend the night while the resort dug out and Highway 88 was cleared (88 opened Monday afternoon). When he called we made plans for his return to duty: safety kayaking and guiding the three forks of the American and the Cal Salmon.

We'll be back on the North Fork American this weekend and up to the California Salmon as soon as we can... a straight week of clear sky's and mild temperatures will make for a great weekend to come!
An Official Big Poppa Post!

April 19, 2006
The core crew is already jaded over the high flows... it's only 5,000 cfs... March 18th was our first start date on the rivers in California. March was cool since the crazy storms hadn't hit yet. Most of April has been spent on the American River since other rivers were running so high that the flows were just not safe enough. The sun came out and most of the runs are starting to come down to manageable levels. At 150% water content in the snowpack, let us pray for a slow melt this spring... This week W.E.T. River Trips is on the South Fork American and the pristine North Fork American. Both have been at challenging levels. SoFo's 5,000+ cfs has been great for the athletic novice rafter; a great taste of Class 4minus rapids on the upper sections at Chili Bar. The NoFo flow is still too high ... even today at 3,800 cfs; tomorrow's run will probably end up on the Full River South Fork. We should be over on the NoFo this weekend with our guest paddlers.

Flows are a mysterious thing. You read the data, you look at the charts... what does it all mean? Don't just look at the numbers. Make sure you understand the parameters of the actual river. One river can be at 10,000 cfs and totally boatable while another river becomes deadly. With commercial outfitters, we have a huge incentive to run well-below the maximum flows on any river. Namely; life, lawsuits, loss of insurance, loss of government permits, etc etc. Outfitters need to be safe so that they can remain viable businesses. What good is it to run unsafe trips? W.E.T. recommends that you try to stay with proven outfitters who have been around a while. We're not saying a new outfitter may be more sketchy, but they might not have a proven track record of safe trips. Better to stick with the ol' outfitters... they've been doing it so long that you know they'll be around next year!

Our friends in Northern California have been rafting on lots of kayaking rivers. The kayakers have been creekin' like crazy for the past few months. Some of our surfer friends have been in kayaks enjoying a different type of surf action. Now that the sun has come back to life, we expect a lot more action on the rivers. People are sooo ready to go outdoors again and enjoy themselves instead of being glued to the XBox and the latest Battlefield 2.

April 18, 2006
San Francisco was in an especially dramatic mood. Sky was threatening with dark clouds. Easter weekend is a pilgrimage of sorts. Every year, our family visits the graves of our ancestors and honors them with flowers. The wind was so strong and the grass was so saturated from recent storms, that we had to shorten the visit to accommodate the younger members of our group. After our annual ritual, we went into the downtown area and shopped around. Some of the teens wanted to go to Urban Outfitters for new spring clothes. We ran into a bunch of friends there as we all compared our newly purchased stuff.

We could tell that the youthful teen group was planning to dress for the chance of the sun shining soon. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops were stuffed into bags. Squeals of delight were punctuated with comments about spring and summer plans. A bunch of us were going to Squaw this week to ski and hang out. Some of the group were combining a North Fork American River trip to highlight a skiing and rafting week. Only in California, dude... was the most common refrain.

The flows have been wild all around the Central and Northern California rivers. Storm after storm has boasted the flows up for a back to back year of high water. Most of the trips in the past couple of weeks have been on the South Fork American. This popular Class III+ river is kicking up a storm of big rapids and big holes... and to top it off; this week, the sun is shining!

April 10, 2006
Berkeley-ites descended upon us this past weekend. On Saturday, one of the departments at the school rafted with W.E.T. River Trips as part of their recreation program. A good group of paddlers, the flow was around 7,500 cfs. We had the sweep boat (oar boat), 2 safety kayakers and the paddle boats mixed in along with the guide school group. All the guides were seasoned experienced paddle captains. The oarsman was a guide with over 10 years experience. He flipped in Meatgrinder. Lost the lunch. After righting the boat and gathering back together, the rest of the crew gave him sh$%t about his flip. Lots of ragging and lots of hard teasing began. He'll never live it down!

Once they floated back in to Lotus, our field manager gathered a lunch back together to feed the hungry horde. After much discussion, the UC Berkeley paddlers decided they wanted to keep going through the Gorge section. The people were having a blast. Big flows, like the Grand Canyon rollers, met them through Haystack Canyon. Keep the boat straight when you hit the wave! Pumping at 7,500 cfs plus, the river is a giant roller coaster ride. Not as technical, but more flippy, the river moves fast.

On Sunday, another UCB group came and paddled. They just loved the good ol' South Fork American. The "class 3" river kicks butt at this time of year. Some had done this river in the summer and they could not believe it was the same section. Some even thought they were rafting on another section of the American River... ha!

Each rapid changes; some become more difficult while others become easier. And the rocks that you see during the summer, become giant waves and holes ready to swallow a raft if you don't enter straight. I love the big water. It's so awesome. The power of the river is just unbelievable compared to the mellow summer flows. Try to do all the California rafting spring runs this year. It's unreal that we are having a season of high water again. Mother Nature's gift to all the paddling enthusiasts is here for 2006!

April 7, 2006
W.E.T. River Trips is looking forward to good weather ahead. Dreary skies are gone today. North Fork American is still raging at around 4,500 cfs today. Most of our NoFo paddlers will be over on the South Fork American this weekend, though by Sunday, we should be able to have a go... as long as no new storms come in. We feel like farmers over here... farming whitewater. Watching the sky, watching the weather reports and praying like crazy that the storms will start bypassing Central California. We need a reprieve from this nutty spring. And of course, as soon as it stops, it'll suddenly become summer. That's the weather here in California. One day, cold and raining; the next 100 degrees.

We've got guide school going on this week along with great, adventurous guests who don't care about a "little rain." Hardy souls who love the outdoors and enjoy being on the river. Almost all of our guide staff are back with us. A couple have gone on to "real" jobs, but will still be out here on weekends. They just can't get it out of their systems. One newbie is a past guest who is paddle crazy. He's been hanging around our crew (uh oh... tainted already!) and enjoying several river trips with W.E.T., Trib, Echo, Sierra Mac and other companies. He's done more river miles than most first year guides. He loves rafting. He's got a real profession and doesn't need to be a working guide. He's addicted... that's what the river will do when your heart is totally open.

April 6, 2006
With a promise of better weather ahead, Mr. Sun came out today smiling. The glow almost hurt my eyes. Colors seemed harsh as the light washed out the deep colors of spring. There was an energy indescribable filling the air as we looked skyward for the new storm coming in tomorrow. Just clear, blue skies... seems unreal since we've had so much rain the past 30 days.

Our guide school starts on Saturday. Again, we limit it to a very small number. W.E.T.'s guide school is a funny one. Not really opened to the general public. Most have come from referrals from within our staff or other sources. Last year, the guide school had people that were just not guide material, so this year, we pulled back on advertising and marketing of the program. It seems that we get better student guides from referrals.

This year, we have a few coming aboard to boat with our staff the next few days. They will be acclimated first on the South Fork American and learn the ins and outs of guiding rivers. Drew is in charge this year of the school and he is a tough, disciplinarian who excels not only in river running, but he is an absolute stickler for organization. He will be demanding and up front with the newbies. He will also be leading this group towards becoming professional guides; not private boaters. They will learn the basics of packing and loading, boat repair, ropes, safety issues, reading the water, handling the guests, blah, blah,... Drew has worked for W.E.T. for a long time and he is someone who takes his profession very seriously.

The newbies will arrive excited, enthused and filled with childlike wonder. We'll all get a buzz from their energy and hopefully, we'll find some promising students for our guide staff.

April 3, 2006
Lots of action this weekend on the South Fork American. Rafters, kayakers were out in full force enjoying the high flows. California Rafting W.E.T. River Trips had a trip on the water with crew members, Saul, Jason & Jonny. People had a blast. Our trip had an adventurous group who hung with the crew enjoying the big waves on the upper section. Meatgrinder Rapid was raging with lots of big holes and surf action. One 2 day group had to be brought over from the North Fork American since the flows came up around 3,500 cfs over there. Estimates for the South Fork were about 7,500 cfs though the flow charts everywhere were stuck at 5,000 cfs. With sidecreeks, flows are usually greater than the charts will indicate. Best bet for educating yourself about flows is to call the outfitter on that particular river. We have to extrapolate and estimate the flows from past experience and historical use. Safety kayakers and sweep boats are being used now during this higher flow. It's going to be another great season this year!

Our creeking kayakers are in heaven. Lots of creeks and streams are enticing the extreme kayakers. Just heard from Ryan (he's back from Brazil) this morning; he's heading out for as many creeks as he can kayak. He'll be back at safety kayaking soon... after he gets the creekin' madness out of his system.

Another round of storms is coming in this week. We're sick of the rain; don't we live in California? Our Oregon rafting friends just laugh since this type of weather is the norm up there!
W.E.T. River Trips

March 30, 2006
Blah... the rain has stopped... for a little while at least. Just in time before the collective goes bonkers. It's been hard to write this week... a week full of sadness and despair. Last weekend, an old friend of this company experienced a horrific incident that keeps reminding me of how small and petty our daily annoyances really are. She is a retired ARTA guide from the late 70's & early 80's and also worked for W.E.T. River Trips during the mid-80's. A long time community member of the Lotus-Coloma Valley near the South Fork American River, she was in the Sacramento area celebrating a family birthday party at a local chain restaurant... how benign, how common an event...

Leaving the busy restaurant, filled with high school prom parties and their own large birthday gathering, she exited the parking area only to go back in for a bathroom break. Her brother continued behind her in his own car with his wife and two children. When she came out, a horrific scene unfolded. A crazed, meth-head, deranged freak, for no reason, had shot her beloved brother in the head. A surreal scene of CSI gore unfolded as she desparately tried to help with his critical wounds. A slow-motion nightmare, a screaming wife and our friend kicked into the lifesaving gears of a river guide who is trained in wilderness and emergency medicine.

We got the news the next morning by phone, after reading about the incident in our local newspaper... oh, yeh, another drive-by shooting. Next. Probably gang related, so the mind thinks, as we continued through our morning read. It was only after, when I heard the real news, that I went back to read the story again. A father/husband was also shot by the same insane gunman, and he died at the scene. A well-known cameraman in the local Sacramento media, he was enjoying a date night with his wife while his son was in the same restaurant celebrating prom night just a few tables from the birthday celebration. Another man was shot near a hamburger restaurant and was released yesterday. Our friend's brother; he remains in critical condition.

We ask this small community of river rafters, guides, rafting companies and all the peripheral associations to this watery world to stop briefly for a small moment and send your prayers to their devasted family... and then, grab your loved ones and hold them tight and put away petty differences, stupid arguments and love them dearly and completely. Life is just too short.
W.E.T. River Trips

March 24, 2006
Prepare yourself for cool weather rafting this spring. We suggest that if you are a serious whitewater paddler, then as an enthusiast, you should consider purchasing a wetsuit for active water sports. A dive suit is not appropriate since the thickness of the neoprene will chafe and irritate your skin while you are vigorously paddling whitewater rapids. A good whitewater wetsuit is approximately 3 - 5 mm (3/16th inch for very cold weather) thick. Also, don't buy a wetsuit with arms. Again, you need the arms to be free enough for vigorous paddling. Ask for a "farmer john wetsuit." Yee, haw! It's a wetsuit that looks like a denim overall except it is very fitted (no arms and one piece).

Under your wetsuit, you should wear a synthetic fabric such as Capilene or even an old polyester sweater. And in very cold water conditions, you might even layer an additional synthetic fleece (thicker fabric) over the Capilene t-shirt. Most rafting outfitters provide the wetsuit, but we suggest that you add the additional layers. Besides, cold neoprene feels kind of clammy! Several resources are available for these items. Your local sportswear stores will carry these items in various price ranges. At REI, you can get high tech fabrics that will help insulate you for a great price. Online, visit Patagonia for more pricey items, though the price is worth it. I still have my original Patagonia fleece jacket from the 80's and it still looks good.

Additionally, over all those layers, we'll put on the splash jacket (waterproof pullover) and add the lifejacket. For your feet, a pair of tennis shoes with wool/synthetic or neoprene socks will help keep those toes warm. Most rafting companies now use self-bailing rafts so your feet are not swimming in water all day. But remember, in Class 4 or higher, you'll be wet most of the time! (Pun intended...)
W.E.T. Rafting Consultants

March 21, 2006
First rafting trip on the North Fork American started this past weekend. Here's an update on the changes on the river: It’s true the sun shines in March. (it’s been awhile) Sunday March 19th on the North Fork of the American … it was a beautiful day...

The flow was about 1,500 cfs and the water was translucent jade and every tributary and every water fall was gushing ! The canyon looked like it had been scrubbed; the rock walls were bright and tumbled clean. The rumors of flows over 25k cfs during the December storms were true: gravel bars and major rocks had been moved and rearranged. Most rapids were unchanged with the exception of Staircase and Bogus Thunder. Staircase has a easier entrance with the same outflow… way fun!!! ... and Bogus has a single “clean” line at moderate flow vs. the previous two options. There will be a “cheat” slot on the far left at higher flows but Bogus Thunder will continue to live up to its reputation and deliver key excitement.

Headguides, Saul, Jason, Jonny, Maggie, Zack, Robbie, and Justin all came out for the opener! Perfect (nearly perfect…because the River Gods hear everything) runs were had by all! Thanks to Guy and the kayakers from SOC who paddled along with our team.

With the movement of gravel bars , the river now splits where it formerly had a single slot (ergo: just downstream of the Ponderosa Bridge) and the take-out at Upper Clementine is a huge gravel bar with a fresh deposit of about three feet of river cobble, boulders, and gravel. The dirt roads are still a mess with small slides and downed trees; however, they are the same and passable (at least on the Northfork). The Driver’s Flat Road (Middle Fork) is a wreck with major slides and debris; however, State Parks and CDF are working on it now with the understanding that the road will be passable in time for the Middle Fork season!

With over 14 feet of fresh snow and without the eminent threat of torrential warm rains, this Spring (and Summer) whitewater season looks to be epic!
An official "Big Pappa" post!

March 17, 2006
Happy St. Patrick's Day! The March storms keep coming in and can you believe it, the ski resorts are even growing weary of the snow. I took a walk yesterday around town, breathing the cold air and enjoying the springtime bloom around Sacramento during a break from the storms... daffodils and tulips were all fighting to stay upright after being pummeled by the incessant rain. I went to the store, dropped off the mail, did biz at the bank and just took it slow. Rain sprinkled gently as I picked up the pace; I didn't want to get caught under the blackening sky! Talk to some locals as we huddled in deep conversation about neighborhood politics and what our kids were doing. Enjoyable and refreshing, the walk cleared my head and took me to other places where the river runs free and wild. Believe me, it's necessary to have these moments to yourself. A time to think and dream. No wonder a good walk is so important during our hectic lives.

My friends and I are getting together for several vacation planning sessions. Some of us will be doing the college tours and visiting different campuses in California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, New York and other states throughout the country. I write this with a sense of melancholy. Our kids are all grown-up. They are soon leaving the proverbial nest... the comfort zone of parental love and protection. Where did the time go? Was our lives so hectic that we lost precious time with them? Did we miss out on important moments that we can't get back? I so want to shake time away and go back just for a few more moments with them as children. I miss those early family rafting trips when the kids were younger!

Our family will be joining several others for a summer rafting trip. The teens are griping about traveling with their folks, but I can see that they are looking forward to a "last time" with the oldsters. You see, they, too, are secretly scared of embarking on the real world. Nothing can really prepare them for what they will be encountering. We can only do our best and squeeze a few more precious moments with our children. I know this river trip with them will be imprinted in our hearts forever.

March 14, 2006
Rafting has begun in California. W.E.T. River Trips encourages paddlers to visit whitewater rivers throughout the USA. Here's info on West Virginia Whitewater Rafting: From the early spring till the leaves drop in the fall, West Virginia offers exciting fun on many rivers. Whitewater rafting enthusiasts from all over are drawn to the Mountain State to find the natural adventures they crave and to enjoy the peace of the beautiful hill country. And the range of rivers offers something for everyone from first-time families to thrashing extremists.

In the spring the New River and the Gauley River benefit from the early season rain. The New River at times flows at over 30,000 cfs during this time of year. Lucky whitewater addicts will also find bigger water in the spring on the Gauley River then during the famed fall dam releases.

Memorial Day weekend brings the unofficial start of summer and the most popular time to enjoy a day on the river. Between the end of May and the beginning of September the New River Gorge attracts both vacationers and those just looking for a cool weekend getaway from the cities. The New River treats visitors to West Virginia with varied faces throughout the summer. From a quick express trip to an overnight trip with riverside camping, trips on the New River can be tailored to the traveler’s needs. Families with younger children can bring little ones as young as 6 on the upper section of the new. And for more excitement, outfitters like Appalachian Wildwaters move the New River to a World-Class rafting trip with their “Double Run” which runs paths through the rapids which “go-for-it”.

The New River is not the only option for West Virginia whitewater rafting in the summertime. The nearby Gauley continues to run and depending on the water levels provide a thrilling trip in small rafts or ducks. Ducks are single-person inflatable boats which are open like a canoe but are paddled like a kayak. During typical summer water levels ducks are the craft of choice for others West Virginia Rivers like the Cheat and the Shenandoah.

While whitewater rafting is the most popular summertime activity the New River area of West Virginia offers many recreational opportunities such as horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing and fishing. And near by are other attractions from a Civil War Battlefield, an Exhibition Coal Mine and the Hatfield-McCoy Trail which offers a chance to try out off-road ATV riding.

After Labor Day weekend the season in West Virginia is called “Gauley Season”. Over six weekends the Army Corp of Engineers starts to draw down the water level of Summersville Lake with the result being some of the best whitewater rafting anywhere. Whitewater rafting fans from around the world come to the Upper Gauley to be challenged with the Big V. The Upper Gauley boasts five Class V rapids in a 9 mile stretch of beautiful river gorge. Of course the whitewater rafting fun continues on the Middle and Lower sections with popular rapids like “Enders”, “Heaven Help You” and “Pure Screaming Hell”. The Fall Gauley offers everything from express trips to a full 26 mile marathon. Riverside camping is also available for an unforgettable overnight experience.

The New River continues to offer whitewater rafting fun through the Fall. But of all the New River Fall trips only on the third Saturday of October can you watch BASE Jumpers parachute off of the New River Gorge Bridge. The annual Bridge Day celebrates the 886 foot span and being in a raft on the river beneath is a truly unique way to experience the festivities.

No matter the time of year you want to go whitewater rafting, if you just want to come for a quick getaway or a full vacation, West Virginia promises you lots of river excitement.
Thanks to West Virginia Whitewater Rafting for this post!

March 12, 2006
Spring is knockin'! Up to 10 feet of new snow has dropped with six inches of snow at 1000 ft. The North Fork American, Middle Fork, and South Fork American Rivers (Class V, IV, and III respectively) are dusted in a new form of whitewater....SNOW!!! The high Sierra is deep and fluffy: Kirkwood has over 20 ft. on top of the mountain!

The native Red Bud trees are starting to bloom all through the foothills. Highway 96 along the Trinity on the way to the California Salmon and Scott Rivers is lined with a blazing border of magenta. The bloom is now set against a backdrop of blinding white snow and the rivers are beginning to swell... it's time for the 2006 California Whitewater rafting season to begin.

It's an amazing time to experience the outdoors in California... snowboard in the morning and catch a quick afternoon run on the North Fork American on the way home. Or... take a full day on the slopes and drop into another day of whitewater. In about 10 days, you can take your pick of runs as the low elevation snow run's off and paves the way for the real deal: full-on Sierra melt down!!!! Toss in the Trinity Alps, Lower Cascades, and count in the East Slope of the Sierras and call it all-good. The North Fork, California Salmon and Scott and the rest will ramp-up and run solid throughout the Spring... the snowpack is that good!

W.E.T. River Trips is ready. We're on the American River, Cal Salmon, South Fork and North Fork American and Scott in the next three weeks. The gear is dusted of, the rigs are ready, and rumour is: a few guides have even hit the gym!
Thanks to "Big Pappa" for this post!

March 9, 2006
Congratulations goes out to Coloma.com! Donna McMaster's American River site has just won the annual Dottie Awards. Dan Bolster from El Dorado County Parks and Recreation received the award in her behalf today in Sacramento. Her site has been around since the late 90's and is a descriptive website of information and photographs about the South Fork American, Middle Fork American and North Fork American rivers. Some of the beautiful photographs are from a local artist and photographer, Betty Sederquist. On the site is a complete list of rafting outfitters for the American River. W.E.T. River Trips congratulates her on her award!

California rafting trips on the American River will be starting next week. Give us a call for reservations on this beautiful river system. 2006 river rafting season has started!

March 8, 2006
March comes in "like a lion!" Storm after storm has hit California with low elevation snow. More snow equals more runoff for rafting trips. Here's what we hope for, of course, for optimum flows on the American River and other rivers in California. We have a nice, slow warming this spring so that we don't flood Sacramento and other outlaying areas. A slow warm-up will bring a gradual melt cycle where the rivers will be higher than summer flows for those of us who crave more intense whitewater rapids. With a slower melt cycle, Mother Nature produces a longer season for the rafting and paddling community.

Rivers like the North Fork American will benefit since that system has no dams and depend on the melt cycle. Today's flow shows a big bump up because of recent rains and should not be seen as the normal flow. Commercially, we like to run between 1,000 cfs to 2,500 cfs though we have had river trips at 3,000 cfs with very experienced padders.

Group rafting trips have already started organizing for the summer months. Because Saturdays are the prime dates, we ask those of you who are organizing to keep that in mind. In other words, Saturdays are the most popular, so try to book early. Keep in mind, too, that we run everyday, so there's something for everyone. We know that it is hard to organize a group of people when our worlds seems to be filled with "procrastinators," but with our new online store, we hope that it will relieve some of the organizors duties.

February 28, 2006
Photos and pictures of rafting and nature in general have really livened up all adventure sports websites. Looking at photos of rivers, streams and more really support the old adage,"A picture is worth a thousand words!" In the lastest edition of Outdoor Photographer, David Meunch is featured along with his latest book,"Our National Parks," a beautiful picture book about our national treasures. He talks about his favorite places to work and photograph and the imagery is just stunning.

Our National Park system was started in 1916 when Congress placed Yellowstone National Park under the protection of the National Park Service. What makes this book so important now, is the proposal from our current adminstration to actually "sell-off" National Park lands to pay our current debts in our country. This is alarming in that these National treasures will never be replaced.

Photographers and our National Parks and all natural places in our country have worked hand-in-hand to bring imagery to the populace. For those of you who may never see all the parks in your lifetime, Meunch's book is a revelation. We need more photographers to help remind the public how precious our natural resources truely are, and nudge us gently towards protecting these resources for our future generations.

February 24, 2006
Rafting and the Zen of making bread... I came across this interesting article about Zen teacher Edward Espe Brown, an author of many Zen-inspired cookbooks. Here is what he writes,"When I first started cooking... I had a problem. I couldn't get my biscuits to come out the way they were supposed to. I'd follow the recipe and try variations, but nothing worked... Growing up, I had made two kinds of biscuits. One was from Bisquick and the other from Pillsbury. For the bisquick you added milk in the mix and then blobbed the dough in spoonfuls onto the pan... the biscuits from Pillsbury came in kind of a cardboard can... I really liked those Pillsbury biscuits. Isn't that what biscuits should taste like?... Finally, one day, came a shifting-into-place, an awakening. 'Not right' compared to what? Oh, my word, I'd been trying to make canned Pillsbury biscuits! Then came an exquisite moment of actually tasting my biscuits without comparing them to some previously hidden standard... These occasions can be so stunning, so liberating, these moments when you realize your life is just fine as it is, thank you... Trying to produce a biscuit - a life - with no dirty bowls, no messy feelings, no depresssion, no anger, was so frustrating. Then savoring, actually tasting the present moment of experience - how much more complex and multifaceted."

Mr. Brown goes on to say,"We've all done it, trying to look good as a husband, a wife or parent. Trying to attain perfection. Trying to make Pillsbury biscuits." As W.E.T. River Trips enters its 29th River Rafting Season, we still try for perfection on our river trips, but even better, we try to enjoy life and rafting as it is.

February 21, 2006
Nice weather we're having... what a blast of winter that just went through Northern California! More snow and more rain to saturate the grounds. This means even more runoff for springtime rafting. Saturday was a cloudy and rainy day as we traveled to San Francisco for the annual teen rafting consultant event. The party bus picked us all up in Sactown and traveled to the Bay. Lucky 13 and all teens were ready for their party. As we watched and observed, these teens got together and shredded all the gift packages and danced all the way to the wharf. The energy level was astounding. Disco lights, music was crankin' and the plasma screen was showing Tim Burton's latest DVD release, The Corpse Bride. Squealing with laughter, they piled out at Crossing the Bar and entered their new domain. The table was set just so to avoid the 30-something's at the bar. Dinner was ordered in advance to help out the wait staff and chef. Hors d'houevres were set out quickly and then the vegan, vegetarian and chicken meals were set forth in an Indian/French cuisine. These teen rafting consultants loved every bite!

Celebratory mood set in as they all talked about the upcoming season and their past travel escapades. L talked about Costa Rica rafting and building homes for school teachers in a small village. B had several travel stories from the East coast to Asia. K who could not be there, was in Europe doing a school exchange program and learning everything about the culture there. C related her experiences with theatre work and traveling to NYC for shows. H talked about working with her parents in their business and how to apply it to the rafting programs. These teens are sophisticated, well-traveled, well-educated and bring a level of adventure travel to almost everything that they do.

This year's teen rafting trips will encompass all W.E.T. River Trips. There will be a teen program on all the rivers that we run. Our teen consultants will design programs to suit American teens and for teens from around the world! Best bet for the first time teen rafter is the South Fork American River. Paddling skills will be honed on the Class 3 to 3+ sections to prepare yourself with the more advanced skills on Class 4 runs.

February 13, 2006
We've been watching the Olympics and marveling at the athletes. This is armchair activity at its best! Not many of us can ski like Bode Miller or snowboard like Shaun White. So we watch and we are amazed and we dream about those past athletic accomplishments in our own time. We like to keep a hand in the thrill by taking a whitewater rafting trip, or kayaking in the ocean, or crawling up a climbing wall, or just going fast on a motorcycle. We are all thrill seekers. Seekers of adrenaline.

This spring, W.E.T. will start on the North Fork American on March 18th which coincides with the start on the South Fork American. Spring weather has already arrived and the anticipation of whitewater thrills is closely approaching. We are looking forward to greeting our past guests and friends.

February 8, 2006
Unusually warm days are occurring in Central California. Yesterday reached 72 degrees in the valley. Blue skies, sun and daffodils blooming everywhere! Spring is coming fast. This year, W.E.T. River Trips is featuring several wilderness river trips including the 2 day Middle Fork American for a great introduction to whitewater rafting and camping trips; 2 day South Fork American on the BLM campsite for families with children who are gearing up for multiple day river trips; 3 day Middle Fork American for camping, hiking and rafting trips; and the 5 day Klamath River in the Great Northern California region.

Overnight wilderness rafting is a total joy from the first dip of your paddle into the river, to the star-filled night on the beach while camping, to the wonderous sound of silence where no auditory assaults enter the ears; the only sound you hear while camping on the river is the roar of the whitewater while it cascades over the rocks. River time approaches and each participant slows down to the gentle bobbing of the rafts. No watches, no cell phones, no blackberries and just you and your loved ones and friends floating and rafting with each other. This is a wilderness river trip.

Best bargain this year is the 3 day American River Combo or 3 day Middle Fork American River trip. Just enough time to experience a real river trip and just enough to acclimate for the longer rafting trips in other parts of the country.

February 6, 2006
W.E.T. River Trips is gearing up for our first rafting trips next month. This will be a great year for families with active athletic teens and kids. A few of our teen rafting consultants are helping out here as we create new activities and rafting programs for them. The other day, two of our teen consultants, were running through town doing errands for the company. Busy day made for a lot of errands while we bundled our activities so that gas was saved and time was used efficiently.

The two were in an older vehicle with stickers in the back window advocating the environment, vegetarianism, favorite bands, bicycling, rafting and the ubitquous Apple sticker. No political statements except for the total attitude that, of course, these teens were flaming liberals. They had just left the post office and were sitting at the light, when a very well-dressed middle-aged woman (at least that was the description given to me... could have been in the 30's since all adults look middle-aged to teens!) driving a Lexus SUV pulled up behind them. The woman was sneering at them and the teen driver could see that she was mouthing something and pointing. Our teen driver couldn't figure out what was wrong, so as a newer driver, who has been told by experienced drivers not to make eye contact with the weirdo driving population, our teen just focused ahead waiting for the light to turn green. The woman behind her proceeded to go around and pull up beside the two teens. This woman then proceeded to yell at them and point to their stickers. The teens couldn't understand what was wrong except that somehow this woman was really offended. When the light turned green, the woman rolled down her window, stuck her arm out and proceeded to give them the flying bird!

Both teens sat there shocked and when the SUV drove by, they realized that they were still sitting there just stunned. When they got back to our office, both came running in talking about this strange event. Both were first year drivers, and both teens live in sheltered affluent lives. While the flipped bird is used frequently among teens accompanied by the 'F' word, they were just shocked that an adult would blatantly do this to young teens. We all had a laugh, but some of us were actually scared for them. Why in the world would an adult assault two young people over their car stickers? Was the woman so challenged by these teens youthful forays in trying to understand this complicated world? Is being a vegetarian something to be scared of or insulted by? Is advocating for a clean and healthy environment by encouraging bicycling some kind of attack on someone's poltiics?

What a sad state when our youth cannot even experiment with new ideas and thoughts. The funny thing is that these two teens go to private Christian schools. Their school focuses on giving back to the community in way of donations and time. These teens participate in soup kitchens, they donate their precious time while helping with non-profit organizations in town, they collect coats for kids, they go to foreign countries to help build homes for the poor, and they are normal teens who've been blessed with a wonderful life.

As adults, we need to respect teens. Their lives are filled with turmoil. School, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, boy/girl relationships, pending college apps and parental relationships make it difficult to transcend into adulthood. Respect teens for they are our future. W.E.T. sees them as being our future paddling clients and our rafting guides. You will be hiring and working with them. You will be including them into your family when your child marries them. They will be your new young neighbor. They will elect our future politicians. As a rafting company, we see them as an exciting addition to our river trips. They bring such excitement and joy with their new eyes. They aren't jaded as the rest of us, yet. Let them enjoy life and, please, respect them.

January 31, 2006
Wow! Who wrote yesterday's blog? I got the calls and the emails yesterday afternoon. Most thought the blog was harsh, but also, most agreed privately with the sensibility of the tone. But I want to apolgize to our readers. You don't need to read about the gripes of the business of rafting. Most of you just want to join in on the fun. I wrote that after being very upset about my local grocery store leaving, Yahoo throwing in the towel on search, and finally, seeing our marketing efforts being used by competitors in an ackward attempt to confuse the paddling public. That was the last straw. It's all about business. The business of screwing your competitor. This country was born on the backs of small business overtaken by big business. As each small company is swallowed up by larger ones, a dreadful homogenous vision begins for that particular industry.

Driving on the freeway... anywhere in the country, one can find the "pleasant" McDonalds at any exit. Clean, shiny and oh so, comforting... you know this cheeseburger will be the same there as in your own hometown. Going to Walmart, we are comforted by the largeness of the choices and the low cost. The store in Kansas is the same in Texas. It's a oneness of mind and body and spiritual satisfaction... NOT. It is flippin' boring. Those of us who crave adventure may stop off at the local burger joint where cars line up with the locals biting into giant juicy burgers dripping with someone else's secret sauce. Or you might visit the local grocer who specializes in Italian cuisine where you can get the best bufalo (sp?) mozarella in town. It's the same in the rafting industry.

One outfitter specializes in wine tasting trips and another emphasizes women's empowerment. Others focus on one river where the difficulties command all their attention. And still another, focuses on adventure trips using climbing gear and rivers. These are the rafting companies who come from another place besides just business. W.E.T. River Trips specializes on the American River since 1978. Their love of their small companies and the love of teaching the public outweigh all the stupid marketing techniques out here. Go rafting with these special outfitters who bring their own personal character to their companies; I guarantee it that you won't regret it!

January 30, 2006
My grocery store is closing down. And another big chain will be closing throughout California, too. Both were major grocery store players here in the West. Both gave consumers fair prices. Mine was just down the street. Close enough to walk to or ride a bike. It had all the sundry items that run my household. The store, also had bulk items. I preferred to purchase there because I got tired of the Costco-warehouse concepts since I usually purchased too many unplanned items that ended up costing me more money than necessary. You know what I mean... lots of wasted cheese, bread, produce... more than my family could ever processl Sure the paper goods were available at less than the cost of the grocery store, but who wants to waste an entire pantry to store toilet paper or sacrifice your small garage to stacked boxes of canned goods? So, I always bought from my local grocery store. According to the store's representatives, the bottom line was affected by the WalMart phenomenon. The two stores could no longer compete with the giant retailer.

Now what does this all have to do with the rafting industry? In California, there are two major players in this industry. Both are swallowing up every mom and pop rafting company in the state. Both have spread their wings and purchased permits and other companies to position themselves as the numero uno force on their respected rivers. The only difference between the two is that one plays fair and the other is the WalMart of the rafting industry. The white hat one has a great rafting company with a great website. They market and position themselves well in the search engines. The other wears a black hat. They create marketing that fools the public and causes harm to the industry itself. They find loopholes in the government's permitting system that allows them unfair advantages and skews their river usage. They have worked the industry to a point that no one dares to go up against them. Even large rafting outfitters fear them.

So, why is a small company like W.E.T. River Trips posting this diatribe? Because we are a true mom and pop company... been around since 1978. We are so proud of our size and what we do for our clients. We have this funky website because we can't waste our money. Sure, we have some great positioning on the web... but probably because our site is soooo old. We put the money in the best gear, boats, vehicles and our employees. We pay our staff very well, and we don't save money on their backs. We work with our government agencies because we understand that the rules are there to protect the consumer and us. We don't try to circumvent their efforts and we don't try to fool our paying public.

he consumer is not as unsophisticated as so many internet marketers believe. The consumer is smarter than you think. They know when someone is "mess'n" with them. Those of you who have supported us; we appreciate it greatly. You have allowed us to cope with the daily assaults from the WalMart-rafting-company. We continue to grow slowly without fanfare and without destroying our competitors or our precious rivers. We don't need to take everyone down the river... just those of you who have the same sense of community and giving that our society so desparately needs.

And by the way, on your way home today... stop by that coffee kiosk that's owned by the friend of your neighbor or stop at the community-based grocer who grills the best tri-tip... just quit frequenting the starbuck/walmart/bigassrafting company out there in your universe... and we'll see you all soon on the river!
PEACE: Mom and Pop at W.E.T. River Trips

January 24, 2006
Saul, senior headguide for W.E.T. River Trips has announced his engagement to the most lovely lady. Their tale is a river story in itself. Meeting on a 12-day journey through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River, it was love at first sight. Well, maybe not quite that corny, but it is definitely a romantic beginning. The Grand Canyon is famous for romance.. you have great looking, athletic guides, a mesmorizing environment, multiple days on the river and vulnerable clients. A perfect setting for love to bloom. How many times have I heard this: "... he/she was a rafting client and we met and we rode off into the sunset?"

The river is a special place. Love blooms just from being there. I remember clients who left their careers and lives to ride on the waves and dream with their guide. What makes a reasonable person leave all behind? Magic... it is pure magic on the river. Multiple day trips should be done with the mindset of a life changing event. By day three, you are on river time. Everything slows down. Everything is amplified. Emotions... joy or sorrow is magnified and dealt with in a reality setting unseen by any tv show. It's a oneness with your surroundings... yeh yeh... hippie jargon rears its ugly head! But, I'm not kidding... that's real. Of course, a night in Vegas will cure that and bring you back to your own reality.

The mutiple day trips are booking now from 3 day Middle Fork American River tours, 5 day Klamath River, 4 day Rogue in Oregon and the grand-daddy of them all, the 12 day Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Plan early for these popular river trips. Colorado books almost a year in advance and many Europeans and East Coasters come to the wild west for all of these trips. Try to do them all in your lifetime. To start with, begin your river rafting journeys on the American River trips first.

January 19, 2006
Whitewater rafting has begun! The world of paddling sports is not confined to the summer months only. Hardcore paddlers using kayaks and whitewater rafts jump on the rivers when the water is there. Today on the North Fork American, we have flows of over 1,800 cfs. An awesomely great flow for paddling Class 4+ rapids. Our crew has been ecstatic over the winter flows this year. They are looking forward to Spring training in March and April when the snow starts to melt. Every year, W.E.T. travels up to the Northern California rivers to acclimate everyone before our commercial rafting trips. The Cal Salmon, Scott, Smith, Sacramento and other smaller esoteric runs are favorites of our crew. Due to recent storms, we are predicting a normal to above-normal year for our rivers.

Snow was raging these past couple of days. The summit was a total white-out as skiers swarmed with the pent-up energy of little kids stuck in the house during a rainy day. The snowpack is here with Sugar Bowl (summit) at 66 feet at the base and 100 feet at the top; check out Kirkwood at 113 feet at the base and 222 feet at the top! ...looks like we will have a great spring runoff and we all look forward to springtime runs.

This year, W.E.T. will be taking our crew to the Illinois River for a private rafting trip prior to the beginning of our regular commercial season. Very challenging at high flows, this river commands excellent paddling ability. I still remember the meadow where we camped. A mist languished over us as we ate blocks of chocolate. Very surreal setting. This time, we will enter "Green Wall" with the boat pointing straight! Can't wait to get back there!

January 17, 2006
California's state budget is finally addressing Sacramento's levee needs. With all the talk about the Auburn dam and necessary flood control, it is welcome news that our state legislature is looking at the long range needs of our waterways. The govenor increased the current levee budget from 49M to 84 million. Fred Klass, the program budget manager for the Department of Finance says,"It's a fairly substancial increase." This money does not include the bond measure that adds another 2.5 billion to flood protection improvements. This money is also being used to leverage the federal and local governments for another 2.5 billion.

Protecting our levees throughout the State of California will save billions of economic impacts from flooding and water management. After seeing the damage done by Katrina, federal and state government representatives finally realize that catastrophic financial impacts far exceeds any preventative measures such as fixing our aging levees. These extra dollars will support the following salaries:

* 14 people dedicated to levee maintenance
* 8 engineers to evaluate levees & management of 80 statewide agencies
* 9 staff members to work on emergency needs
* 1 person in charge of updating floodplain maps

Also, much of the monies will go to support new gear such as bulldozers, dump trucks and equipment for monitoring rainfall and river depths. Approximately 17M will go towards Delta levee maintenance alone.

Cheryl Bly-Chester, VP of State Reclamation Board says,"It's one thing to tell us to get more levees built... It's quite another to back that up with the staff and the money that we need to get the work done. He's (Governor Schwarzenegger) doing both." Ms. Bly-Chester says that the added monies will help their board to process levee repair applications in a more timely manner.

Voices throughout the State have weighed in with positive responses to the new levee budgets. Careful spending is necessary to fund the much needed levee work throughout the state. Dave Schmidl, superintendent of Levee District 9 north of Yuba City, is glad to hear this news. His district borders along the Feather River. The levees there have been so poorly maintained that burrowing rodents have become out-of-control and have threatened the levee's stability.
Thanks to Deb Kollars' research from the Sacramento Bee

January 14, 2006
Whoa! EIGHT hour meeting with California State Parks. The entire California rafting industry attended the Annual Outfitters meeting on January 12th. This is a mandatory meeting with the regulatory agencies of California's rafting industry. Here, we discuss specific problems on the whitewater sections of the American River. Or we give kudos.

Kudos to the State for maintaining and designing a great egress at Salmon Falls take-out on the South Fork American River. That's mile 21 on the river. Or for those of you who have been there; that's the take-out for the Gorge section. Its good to see our user fees put to good use! Problems on the South Fork are usually regarding overuse. Thresholds were created so that certain areas were not adversely impacted by the number of users. In the last few years that threshold was met on specific days and times. That's why you'll see some bottlenecks on the river during high season. One of the reasons why W.E.T. River Trips tries desparately to stay away from the Gorge run on Saturdays is because several mega-large outfitters run that section every single Saturday. So there we are on the technically challenging upper section called Chili Bar. Our clientele love the fact that we can create a better experience for our users. Of course, if we have a group who wants to do the Gorge, we try to do a later or earlier start time depending on time of year. El Dorado County is strongly encouraging ALL outfitters to consider doing just that.

Middle Fork American was pretty much business as usual. Mostly boring stuff. Some of the new programs include a new regulatory system. A concessionaire concept has been introduced with some very interesting proposals. Rafting companies are currently looking over the new system and are hoping that business will proceed as normal.

On the North Fork American, W.E.T. was pleasantly suprised to see that we had the largest number of guests last year. And the year before. And the year before. This places us in the largest outfitter category on this river. On the most difficult section of the American River, W.E.T. River Trips has consistently provided the public with a safe and fun trip on this beautiful Class 4+ river. What we do promise, though, is that we will never pump up the numbers like over on the South Fork. That beautiful, Class 4+ river is too precious to impact in that way. Many of our early recommendations are now being implemented by all the outfitters. Wetsuits, helmets, safety kayaks are all part of this river now and W.E.T. will include them with every springtime river trip.

Price increases look inevitable since most of our governing agencies are increasing our fees. With California & our federal budget in dire straits, we understand why these agencies are looking for more revenue. Their own budgets have been decreased dramatically. What we do promise, though, is that we will package our trips in the most economical fashion to allow our users to get the "biggest bang for their buck!"

January 11, 2006
This is a plea to our Governator: please stop riding your motorcycle... especially with your 12 year old son! 40 years old and up is the largest accident demographic for motorcycle riders. Men who reach ages from 40 to 60... boomer age... are looking for thrills. Many rode during their youth, gave it up when "adult" responsibilities kicked in and now, are purchasing motorcycles faster than the younger riders. This group, unfortunately has a lot of accidents. This is the second time our governor has had an accident. We understand. We are in the business of thrills... except we provide it in the safest way possible. Those of you who are loyal readers know how crazy our staff and our guides are when they go out during extreme conditions to do the whitewater rapids. Private boating is one of extremes. They push the limits so that when our clients come out for their commercial rafting "thrill," we know that it is a very controlled setting of normal flows in below extreme conditions.

Last year's boating public got a taste of high water. The highest flow last spring on the South Fork American with clients only reached 10,000 cfs. This year, kayakers and rafters did the same stretch at 42,000 cfs last month. Keep that in mind... and Govenor, if you want a great thrill without clunking your body onto the pavement, come out again and go rafting!

January 9, 2006
This past weekend, I read Gail Sheehy's article in the newspaper insert, Parade Magazine. The article promotes her new book, "Sex and the Seasoned Woman." The gist of the article and book talks about the resurgence of a woman's second life... you know, pre, during and post-menopause. This resurgence occurs with many women from the baby boomer era. These women are 41 to 60 years old now. They are the ones who actual make decisions about the spending in the family budget. They are also the ones who may have already raised their children, been divorced or widowed by their husbands and have started new businesses, careers or have gone back to school! I would definitely rank these "seasoned women" as the new movers and shakers of our economy.

You've met these women. They are the ones who are starting businesses faster than any other demographic in this nation. Not just babysitting, child care businesses... they are opening up online stores, services in their neighborhoods, freelancing their skills to corporate America, organizing and implementing political networks and truely becoming a force to recognize. Sheehy call this the "Pursuit of the Passionate Life."

The passion that these women have for life is inescapable. It is contagious. Yes, they garden, bake and participate in knitting clubs; but they also, go to the gym. They worry about their health. They live well and they eat well. They also like to play well.

One of our oldest groups of rafting clients, is a group of boomer-age women who come out every year to do one of the forks of the American River. The group started as a women's softball team back in the late 70's. These powerful, athletic women would organize a river trip just to satiate the passionate desires for a whitewater thrill and the outdoors. Athletic, aggressive paddlers, they accomplished the South Fork American with ease. Then onto the Middle Fork American River for the Tunnel Chute thrill. Only a few of them did the North Fork American and some even went up to the Cal Salmon. They did the Merced and the Tuolumne Rivers and some even went on the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Now most of them are in their late 50's and 60's. They are bringing their grandchildren and their own kids on our trips. Last year, one of them shared the experience with their favorite grandson.

If you know a "seasoned woman," let her know about whitewater rafting. For the passionate woman who loves life, this is a thrill that will add much to her memories. Come out and go rafting with your favorite friends. Join us this spring and bring other "seasoned women" with you!

January 5, 2006
Just a couple of weeks ago, we thought we would have a short spring season this year. We thought we would only be on dam controlled rivers. And then it started snowing. And the storms moved in. And more are coming. They just measured the snowpack yesterday and the "water people" are now saying that we are at 110% of normal... and it's only the first week of January! Yowza!

North Fork American River should be optimum around mid-March through May. Days are usually sunny and mild and there are hardly any rafters there at that time. Last year, we had a lot of very athletic users who didn't care about the milder weather. They just wanted to river raft on this premier stretch of whitewater. Class 4 to 4+ over polished granite rocks with very technical rapids have kicked butt on many experienced users. This is a favorite run for serious rafters and kayakers in Northern California.

This river has a wild history. In the early 60's, there were some paddlers in Sacramento who first did this run in rubber duckies! Can you imagine? They got thrashed and their boat did not survive. In the 70's, kayakers abound, but the kayaks then were not as refined and negotiating the tight rapids took quite a bit of skill. In the 80's, the commercial rafting companies came out in droves. Unfortunately, some of these companies did not have the skill level and there were some awful moments over there. I remember rafting there with clients and watched as BrandX rafting company flipped in Chamberlain. Fortunately, we had an oar-boat and safety kayakers with us. We corraled those paddlers safely back to shore, but the guests refused to go with BrandX company. So we distributed the people among W.E.T.'s rafting trip and we proceeded downstream.

The other company's guides were glad that we took charge. And we were glad to help out. On the river, there is no competition among the companies. We all just want to provide safe and fun trips. Every rafting company out there will stop and help any user on the river. That is our moral obligation within this tight river community!

January 2, 2006
...having a hard time typing in "2006" today... weather has been slammin' the past few days and rivers came up to last spring's high water levels. Lots of rumors and news are swirling around the rivers since the rains started. There was a posting on CaliProducts from members regarding the far North rivers such as Cal Salmon and Klamath River. Read more kayaking news at CaliProduct's Forum. Roads washed out, bridges bent and bowed, extreme flows... you know, the norm for this type of weather. And over on the American River; the North Fork posted flows at 60,000 cfs <for real!>, the Middle Fork came up to 32,000 cfs and the South Fork on New Year's Eve was around 35,000 cfs.

Hilde, a long time kayaker and rafter in Coloma noted a successful kayak run that day by Jared N. <former guide for W.E.T. River Trips; now a rep for several kayak manufacturers> and a group of kayakers as they floated past her deck on the South Fork. We received a phone call in the office right after Jared got off the river and he stated that he was heading for more action on the water. On river-right at Troublemaker Rapid, part of the road was washed away. By today, the rivers have receded to "normal" high flows. These flows are accommodating to the advanced enthusiast, and the magnetic draw of the river has already begun for 2006!

A word to the rafting public as you all plan for river trips this year. Be on the alert to several new rafting websites that seem to sell only passes or tickets to trips. Booking services can be really time saving; but if I am planning a trip for my family, I want to know who the heck is taking me down the river! It is much better to have a dialogue with the actual company that is providing the rafting trip for you. Email, phone or write to the rafting company. Ask about permits, insurance and safety record. If the company can not provide this information; paddle to the nearest rafting website where you can get this info.

Note to all regarding the "Chasing 50" crew: Ryan reports their first descent in Brazil for January 1st. The rest of the crew will be there around January 11th. Photos and videos should be awesome and we pray for their safe return back to the Lotus/Coloma Valley this upcoming spring.

Rafting has begun and we are selling our May and June weekends first. Those are the hottest dates and most corporate and family groups are vying for space now. Always ask for Group Rates for the best savings. For the more advanced paddlers, we recommend coming out this March and April for higher flows on the rivers such as the North Fork American and the good ol' South Fork. We hope to see all of you on the river in 2006. Happy New Year and God bless all you crazy boaters!

For more Blog Blahs, click here for the 2005 Rafting Blog ARCHIVES:
Current & New Posts Rafting Blog after August 22, 2006::NEW!
Stuff from 2005: More blogblahs!
W.E.T. River Trips = RAFTWET.com
copyright: 1995 - 2006::Update: November 8, 2006

Do ask us questions, but please let us answer them fully. We want you to be an informed paddler.

Do the right thing by being organized. Keep all confirmation materials including emails, driving directions & fact sheets. Again, we want you to be prepared.

Do be patient when timing is off. If we are at fault, please contact us and give us an opportunity to make it right.

Do put your best foot forward. This is a rafting trip in the outdoors, not a carnival ride.

Do get plenty of rest before the trip and avoid partying hard the night before. Hangovers are not fun on the river in 100 degree weather. OUCH!

Don't take drugs or drink alcohol on the day of your trip. We need you aware and coordinated.

And please, don't bring your dogs, guns, radios, valuables, car keys or any glass items on the rafting trips. Believe us; it's one less thing to think about.

Do let us know if you appreciate a well-orchestrated trip or if you have a complaint. Call us or email us with your feedback. We need your suggestions and criticisms. Your feedback will make us a better river rafting company!
W.E.T. STAFF

Nirvana is found on the river. Raft with us and see why W.E.T. is the premier California whitewater river company for California whitewater rafting.

Established in 1978. Running whitewater rivers throughout California. Permitted by United States Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service, California State Parks, El Dorado County & other governing agencies.

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