Do It Right — Consider Adding These Experiences To Life’s Must-See List

None of us gets enough time on this planet.

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Written by Reid Williams

Reid has guided whitewater and taught swiftwater rescue in the U.S. and Central America on 13 different rivers, after brief turns as a chemistry teacher and a newspaper journalist. These days, he tries to turn people on to active, outdoor lifestyles as an executive at WELD.

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Wondering where to start? Perhaps you've done a one-day rafting trip and you are looking to extend the excitement. Or, you want to get back to nature–maybe reconnect with family or friends. Here are our top multi-day trips for first-time adventurers.

Why not try…

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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THERE'S ARGUABLY NOTHING BETTER THAN A COLD BEER AFTER A DAY ON THE RIVER.

Until recently, that meant reaching into the cooler or drag bag for a can of Bud, Coors, or Miller. Today, cans are becoming the preferred vessel for a range of tasty American craft beers. We asked Mutineer Magazine’s online editor, Brian Kropf, to share his thoughts on the virtues of canned beer.

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Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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Lower Klamath River, CA

Families love O.A.R.S. Lower Klamath River rafting trips. This scenic, forested river trip features beach campsites and rafting and inflatable kayaking in warm gentle water.

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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In July 2011, we sent 15-year-old Sarah Faller down the Snake River through Hells Canyon with a challenge to describe, in her own words, an O.A.R.S. rafting trip. (Sarah is no stranger to the river life—or to O.A.R.S.  —having rafted the Main Salmon River with us in 2010.)

Written by Sarah Faller

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I started rafting the Main Salmon River in 1992 – it was my first multi-day wilderness trip and I was very excited and a little intimidated!  The put-in point is a long drive from the town of Salmon, driving alongside the river the entire way. The North Fork joins the Main just outside town and many miles downriver, the Middle Fork enters and about doubles the size of the river.

This is Lewis & Clark country as this river canyon turned them away from attempting to canoe down the canyon and they turned and went into Montana. There are many historic sites commemorating this event on the drive to the edge of the wilderness. This is the Frank Church – River of No Return – Wilderness which is adjacent to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.  Together they form the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states. Outfitters put into the river at Corn Creek which is where the road ends and you enter the magnificent river canyon.

Written by Nancy Harrison

Adventure Media is the brainchild of founder Nancy Harrison. Nancy only started adventuring at the age of 40 when she learned to ski, whitewater raft and horseback ride while living in Winter Park, Colorado. Moving to Wyoming gave her the opportunity to enjoy fly fishing, hiking and camping, sea kayaking, and many other nature-based activities. Nancy has two grown children and four grandsons, all of whom enjoy the outdoors - fishing, hiking, camping, water sports and snow sports. Nancy is a true Citizen of the West who has lived her entire life in the Rocky Mountain States. She has become an expert in her field of media relations and spends a good deal of her time each year teaching and lecturing on PR to groups such as The International Ecotourism Society, America Outdoors, the Adventure Travel World Summit and many state and regional conferences and international gatherings.

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“The boat slid down the Boundary Creek ramp…” – or some variation can begin the tale.

Each river has a point of reference, which triggers memories grown dim with the distractions of daily living. Around the Grand Canyon, a mention of Lee’s Ferry can make a normally reserved acquaintance into a raconteur. In the Salmon River country, referring to the Boundary Creek put-in ramp could lead to such an earful of adventures from a Middle Fork veteran that you may decide to disappear from ‘civilization’ long enough to gather a few stories of your own.

Written by B. Frank

Author of Livin' the Dream: Testing the Ragged Edge of Machismo (Raven's Eye Press, 2010), Brad Frank has done time as a: Colorado native, sawmill savage, fruit picker, artist, wanderer, poet, seasonal worker, commercial driver, photographer, traveling coffeehouse proprietor, outdoor guide, river rat and writer. Since 2005 he has been listed as a contributing editor and senior correspondent for Mountain Gazette, a magazine that sagely advises, "When in doubt, go higher." More stories from B. can be found at bfrankbroadsides.com.

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A Salmon River run offers something for the whole family – berry picking, campfire singing, cave exploring…even pedicures.

When the cool, deep shaft of the abandoned copper mine ended in a wall of rock, guide Mike Thurber turned to the group and said, “Turn off your flashlights.”

We were about 100 yards into an Idaho hillside. The lights went off as instructed, and in a moment of solemnity, 19-year-old Thurber quietly asked us to contemplate the phenomenon of utter darkness. For that instant, each of us was an island, alone in the black tunnel.

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Click here to view the video version of this interview.

Stephen Kenney is one of our top river guides on the forks of the Salmon River, the Snake River through Hells Canyon and on the Colorado River (both in Cataract Canyon & the Grand Canyon). Considering his diverse boating capabilities, Kenney gets to enjoy a multitude of watersheds – the best the West has to offer in terms of alpine scenery and wild landscapes! He also has a big sense of humor, wide range of educational experience, and can occasionally be found dressed in women's apparel while cooking on the river. Get to know this well-educated, Kentucky native in our ninth episode of guide interviews!

Written by Lauren de Remer

O.A.R.S.' Sales & Marketing Coordinator

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What a way to end a trip!!! 

A perfect morning in camp starting with yoga and coffee, a good breakfast and back on the river. Perhaps a little hungover for some of us. That had been one amazing party.

This morning was awesome. From the minute of our departure from camp, to our lunch stop several hours later, we had continuous whitewater. Again, all four of the ducky’s capsized at least once. We were all getting use to this daily dose of ice cold water. One duckier (I won’t mention her name) aimed directly toward a boulder in the center of the rapid. Caught in the current and unable to veer away, hit the boulder and wedged itself there. Climbing out of the boat and standing on the rock, not knowing what to do next, CQ instructed her to stay put. Luckily, our raft was near enough to turn, paddle furiously up stream and get her off of the rock.

Written by Beth Robbins

Robbins is a Philadelphia native who grew up loving culture and the excitement of city life. She attended undergraduate school at the University of the Arts and received a master’s in Fine Arts at Temple University and The Tyler School of Art. Robbins taught art history for 16 years and sponsored off-campus trips for high school and college students. Her interest in travel sparked when she backpack and trekked on her own throughout England, France, Spain and the Mediterranean for five months. She later started an interior design business and art consultation company. She has two children and currently lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado within the Rocky Mountain high country.

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