Rogue Trips
“Thanks for all the hard work getting our trip together. All the hard work, advance planning, high quality gear, attention to detail, and SUPERIOR guides, made our trip STELLAR. We are tickled that the home page of your website features a picture of some of my intrepid family! I guess you only need to take a look at the faces to see what success looks like.”
“Enjoying the spectacular natural environment with two of our sons, their wives, and all four of our grandchildren, led by five young talented, hard-working, fun-loving guides who looked after us and who shared their river enthusiasm with us.”
“There were too many [best parts], but a few were
1) Billy and Zach carrying my chair, with me in it, into the creek from the hot sandy beach
2) All the music. When they serenaded my in-laws at their tent with guitar and mandolin ( it was their 50th celebration)and floating on the river all tied together and the guides playing music. “Ghost chickens in the sky” for the kids and “Cows with guns”
3) rock jumping
4) “ducky wars”
5) delicious food
6) duckying the rapids
7) sleeping under the stars with my 8 year old daughter”
“The best outdoor experience with the most knowledgeable staff to guide you to one of the most exciting adventures of your life.”
“Best family vacation we’ve been on!”
“The Rogue River is a magnificent place – and the way to experience it is with ECHO.”
“You seem to have everything down to a science, from the food to the itinerary to the gorgeous scenery to the incredible guides. This was, without a doubt, the best vacation our family has taken!”
Middle Fork of the Salmon Trips
“The best part was the rapids. The pure adrenaline and exhilaration of running those rapids was a unique and awesome experience. A close second was spending time at the camps both with our unique group of guests and our fantastic, knowledgeable and fun guides.”
“We had a great group of guides and compatible group of guests. Everything ran smoothly and I could not have asked for more. I would take the same trip with the same guides all over again. I will recommend your company to others.”
“This was without a doubt the best thing we’ve ever done together as a family. It’s the adventure of a lifetime, with great company in one of the world’s most beautiful, unspoiled places.”
“The Middle Fork of the Salmon is unlike any other river – it is simply a magical place. However, augmenting the beauty was a team of river guides with expertise, personalities, and management skills par excellence.”
“PRAISE: Lots. Your rafting equipment is top-notch and in great condition; the tents were very comfortable and we liked the idea that when we pulled into camp that the couple operating the drift boat had already set up the tents and the food was well on its way to being ready. Your staff was excellent and you could tell that they had worked together before as the team spirit was quite obvious. We have the highest respect for Ian’s leadership and his decision-making skills especially on this most difficult trip due to the creation of new rapids compliments of the torrential rains. Another group experienced a terrible disaster and Ian’s management of the situation – how we would travel down the rapids, that the “duckies” would be portaged, that he had an Iridium phone to use to call for help – so much more – a very skilled manager indeed.
SUGGESTIONS: I think you’ve been doing this a long time and I wouldn’t really change anything.
COMMENTS: It was a terrific trip; I’d done the Middle Fork 35 years ago and although it’s been said that “you can never go back again” I found the Middle Fork as amazing and special as ever.
IDEAS. Keep up the good job.”
About our Guides
“Pete- confident, willing to teach other guides, good management and oversite of trip. Excellent boat skills. He was the “Hammer” when he needed to be.
Colleen-displayed capable leadership and solid boating skills. Absolutely stellar people skills. Warm, friendly, took charge of the trip on many levels and came across well. Her influence on the boys was the glue that helped to hold them together. Being the only female- she fit in perfectly.
Alex- cheerful. As far as hiking goes…an animal. The brain.
James- a true adventurer and entertaining guy.
Dak- the boys really liked Dak with the juggling and sports stuff”
“Vlad is a very experienced whitewater river guide. His whitewater knowledge and likeable personality added an incredible sense of comfort and safety to our trip.”
“We thought all the guides were super. They were helpful. Billie, James and Adam took our grandkids under their wings and we were not worried about them what so ever. Our grandkids want to return next year with the same guides. Adam was so thoughtful one morning that he brought my husband and I breakfast to our tent. We were so surprised. They are down to earth people, helpful and friendly.”
“Each one was terrific on his or her own but together they added up to even more than the sum of their parts. They obviously liked each other and worked smoothly together as a team. They made wonderful music for us in the evenings (and at other times) and they were all encouraging and playful with the children. They provided special conveniences for my husband and me, the seniors in the crowd, without making it seem as though it was in any way a burden. A fine, talented and considerate group of young people!! We will never forget them.”
“Awesome Musicians and cooks as well as river guides..would highly recommend/especially for families with young kids…very fun!!”
“We think your guides ROCK! They have positive attitudes and are accepting of all who are on the trip, regardless of ability. We loved their playfulness and willingness to laugh at themselves. We felt like part of a big family when we all hugged and said goodbye at the end of the trip.”
“The team was well organized, worked seamlessly together and had fun doing it, while they made us feel taken care of and keeping us happy. Alex kept the 13 yr. old boys challenged with great ideas, he was super keeping them engaged. Paige did a great job with the food, everything was delicious and unexpected. Pete is a pro, all his years of training makes him the perfect lead and guide, he makes ECHO shine. We really had a great time and will do it again.”
It’s been snowing all week here in Hood River and we hear that the biggest storm in 5 years is on its way! We’re looking forward to a white Christmas and want to wish everyone out there Happy Holidays!
Matt guided on the 
Many thanks to all that participated in our Annual Name That River Contest! We had hundreds of great guesses, but only a select few correctly identified the Owyhee River. The Owyhee is located in Eastern Oregon. Our guides took an exploratory trip down it last spring, which you may have read about in the 
You may recall that the last trip of our 2008 season was in commemoration of the 
How sweet it was. ECHO has just completed its 
Down the road a bit from Ephesus is the Temple of Apollo near Didyma, and from an engineering point of view, to say nothing of the design-work, we were simply dazzled by what the ancient engineers did and how they did it. The scale of it all is humbling.
ECHO’s last trip of the season will be next week Sept. 9-12 on the spectacular Rogue River. This special trip will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 
We’re sitting around the campfire on the last night of our trip, sharing our favorite trip experiences, enjoying the company of our new friends, and hoping quietly that it doesn’t have to end when Vlad, our trip leader, indicates that he wants to say a few words. With the last rays of the sun glowing on the canyon wall, Vlad gently offers this piece of advice to the circle of camp chairs—”Don’t live a boring life.”
