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Our good friend Laurie Lewis just posted this wonderful video to her song “I’m in Love With a River Guide” featuring many ECHO guides. You’ll probably recognize Ian, Maggie, Heidi, Zach, Krista, JT, Kelly, Vlad, Dick, Joe, Dewi, Jeff, Dale, Adam, Martin, Audrey, Anthony, and Brian. There are also a couple of great shots with long time guests and friends Margie and Don.
Parts of this song were written on our annual Bluegrass Rafting Trips!
Shawn, Maggie, Tom and Laurie on the Rogue River
We all have heard of Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, but how many among us have heard of the Orange Man?
If you were at ECHO’s 40th Reunion Party, you would know what we are talking about. But for those of you who were not, the attached picture will have to suffice. However, the picture does not fully tell the story.
The Orange Man
It seems the evening’s line-up of entertainment was proceeding nicely, until the Orange Man arrived on stage, front and center–his front and center. Mothers put their hands over their children’s eyes, and adult murmurs became groans, which in turn became shouts. No one was paying attention to what the Orange Man was saying until “the problem” was solved by Dave Houghton. He spotted an upright bass (musical instrument) and placed it in front of the Orange Man, somewhat like a dance partner. Mothers calmed down, adults settled in, and the evening’s entertainment went forth in fine fashion. In fact, it was a grand night.
We celebrated ECHO’s 40th anniversary with a great two-day party on the South Fork of the American River last weekend. It was a grand affair. Around 130 people showed up. They ranged in age from six months to seventy years, and came from as far as Australia and Montana. Two of our first three guides were there, and every era was well represented. We have to admit that the younger guides tended to outlast the old timers, but the old timers did themselves proud.
Group Photo from ECHO's 40th Anniversary
One of the many great pleasures of owning ECHO has been the wonderful people who have worked for us, and the sense of family that they have created. There is definitely an “ECHO type”. No one has been able to pinpoint just quite what it is, exactly, but we have a name for it: ECHOTIVITY. It was so very fun to watch the generations come together so well, to sing, play instruments, dance, and tell stories. As several people said, this was like a family reunion, except EVERYONE wanted to be there and there was no cranky old aunt.
A wise woman once said: “What I love most about rivers is, you can’t step in the same river twice. The water’s always changing, always flowing.” Although this “wise woman” might actually be the animated Disney character, Pocahontas, she does have a valid point. One of the most exciting things about rivers (and river trips for that matter) is that no two days are ever the same.
Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to raft one of my favorite stretches of water – the Smith River in Northern California. In addition to the Smith River’s beauty and awesome whitewater, it is California’s only major undammed river. Timing, therefore, becomes an added challenge when looking to boat the Smith, as the river rises quickly with rain and drops out just as fast. Hopeful for good weather and flows, some friends and I took a chance and made the seven-hour journey to Northern California.
Emma Guiding a Raft on the South Fork of the Smith River
We were rewarded with three days of awesome whitewater –mellow rapids and gorgeous scenery on the South Fork, and stomping holes and waves through the steep, narrow gorges of the lower South Fork and Oregon Hole sections. Each morning we bundled up and slid our boats to the river down a snowy slope. Throughout the day we were thankful for our helmets for warmth and marveled as the surrounding hills received a fresh powder dusting.
Hauling rafts up the beach at the South Fork Gorge take-out, I was reminded of the same spot last summer, when the ECHO Oregon crew ventured to the Smith on a day off. The same small, pebbly beach where I jumped to stay warm in my layers of long underwear had, in the summer, been a huge, inviting beach where we lounged and cooled off in the refreshing green water. Although completely different experiences, the beauty of the river in both conditions remained unchanged.
Having Lunch Along the South Fork of the Smith River
One of my favorite things about boating all year is getting to experience the changes of a river through every season. There is something special about winter boating. In the winter cold, most commercial operations stop running and private boaters are few and infrequent. The solitude on the river is an amazing experience, allowing the day to be a true exploration. A river trip takes on a new sense of adventure when the riverbanks are covered in snow, and the hills are hidden in mist. Heavy rains allow for new waterfalls to emerge and side creeks to transform into raging tributaries. With that said, summer rafting is pure, simple fun– blue skies and hot sunny days allowing for water fights and lots of swimming, cherishing the splashes in rapids, and enjoying long, relaxed evenings at camp. As winter winds down, I am excited to hang up the dry suit and prepare for the summer season of boating.
Kayaking Oregon Hole Gorge on the Smith River
Whatever the flow, the season, or the river, every day on the water holds a surprise. As I come up on my fourth season guiding, I’ve come to realize that it is the uniqueness of each day on the river that keeps me coming back for more.
Textbook River Guide Ingenuity on Bear Camp Road
by Hata Hill
This year we ran a couple of 5 day Rogue trips, which we love because they afford the option of a layover day and more time to enjoy the beauty of the Rogue. Our July 3rd launch was one of these, which meant that we took out on the same day as our July 4th 4 day trip. Our former guide and longtime river running friend Peter Fox had organized the July 3rd trip, and brought along three of his own catarafts. This meant that at Foster Bar we had 10 guides, 39 guests, and 25 boats including all the rafts and duckies! Suffice to say this required both of our trucks to bring all the gear back over Bear Camp Road.
Both trips reported good times had by all, but the shuttle drive was when things got interesting. Our trusty older truck, affectionately known as Charlie Brown to the guides, lost the alternator belt and stopped running once the battery wore down. Geoff and Billy identified the problem and 10 improvising minds set to work. The initial solution was a makeshift belt fabricated out of duct tape. They jump-started Charlie with Howie, our newer diesel flatbed, and got going again. It worked great for a few miles but eventually the friction proved to be too much for the duct tape and they broke down again. This time James suggested they use parachute cord, the stout nylon cordage we use for oar leashes and miscellaneous repairs. (This was appropriate as James’ nickname has been P-cord since guide school in ’06.) They jumped Charlie Brown again and made it home with an alternator belt made out of string.
ECHO Guides Set New Record For On-Time Performance!
by Dick Linford
ECHO is adamant that our guides be on time -or early- when they load their boats the first morning of a trip. Our guides for our August 22 Rogue River trip set a record for promptness that we think will stand for years to come. On Tuesday, August 21, the crew of Zach Byars, Billy Miller, Colleen Winters, Colleen McNally-Murphy and Allison Ahlert were up at 6 AM as usual, and on the road to put-in by 7. Retired Rogue manager Adam Farmer was filling in as manager for Hata Hill and Maggie Hodges, who were on a private Grand Canyon trip. He was making sure things ran like clockwork on his watch.
The crew whipped through getting the boats in the water and rigged. Zach, as lead guide, left at 8:30 to meet our guests at the Galice Lodge. He stopped on his way at the US Bureau of Land Management office to register the trip. The BLM officials informed Zach that ECHO didn’t have a trip starting that day. Our trip started on Wednesday. Zach drove back to put-in just in time to catch Colleen, who had set off in her raft to secure the first night’s camp. After a good laugh, the crew decided to keep the boats in the water and camp at put-in. Someone ran back to the house to get kayaks to play in on the upper river.
Here’s a glimpse into the lives of some of our river guides during the winter months. Over the years we’ve found that most guides travel, teach, ski patrol, or hole up in a shack in the San Juan Mountains during the Fall and Winter months.
Shawn White decided against going back to her real job and instead has been preparing her sailboat for her eventual sailing trip around the world. She’s planning to sail from San Francisco to Baja after the 2007 river season.
Adam Farmer and Zach Collier have been integrating into the Hood River, Oregon culture over the past few months. Adam’s been slowly working on his ping pong skills and hopes to soon be the Hood River ping pong champion. Zach is trying his hand at kayak water polo and is just trying to stay in his boat.
Geoff Phillips just returned from Nicaragua where he was doing electrical work for the past few months. He’s trying to avoid working until the river season so he can plan a rafting trip in Croatia.
Colleen Winters continues to ski patrol at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah where she is working on her poker skills.
Dewi Butler has structured is life to maximize his love of the outdoors. He and his girlfriend Lynn spent September mountain climbing in southern France. For the winter Dewi is living in Park city where he skis, manages some properties (including several that he owns) and bartends for a caterer. In the spring they will spend a month or more climbing in Oregon before Dewi guides and manages for us in Idaho.
Jim Toney has been skiing the mountains around Salmon, Idaho all winter. Every time we try and reach him his wife (and fellow ECHO guide) Kelly tells us he’s off in the woods. The last we heard he was headed to interior British Columbia for a ski trip.
Vladimir Gavrilov continues to share his passion for astronomy and physics with high school students in Sacramento. He’s planning several rafting trips in the Altai Mountains of Siberia this summer.
Megan Anderson is in her first year of law school at the University of Utah.
Maggie Hodges and Hata Hill, who have been sweehearts since grammar school, almost grew up and took serious jobs last year. But a rafting trip down the Tatshenshini River in Alaska convinced them that they still had some river running to do. They are currently living in California, where Maggie can be close to her first nephew and Hata works in “green” construction. They plan to move to Hood River, Oregon, so they can run rivers with Adam and Zach before the ECHO season begins. They have a private Grand Canyon trip planned for late summer.
Tessa Sibbet has been helping ECHO with the web site and writing for this blog since the river season ended. Next week she is headed to Argentina and Chile so that she can raft the world famous Futaleufu River and do some backpacking trips.
Rio Jose Hibarger has spent is winter in the typical Rio style. He tried to drive his van from Olympia, Washington to Boise, Idaho for a rafting convention and it broke down about half way. He’s spent the last two months rebuilding then entire thing and swears it won’t break down again. At least his sailboat didn’t burn down and sink this year.
Shay Mavis is spending his winter skiing six days a week and attempting to finish school in New York. He met Zach and Adam for some west coast skiing a few weeks ago during his winter break.
Mike Burke is teaching at Colby. He is also on an author’s book-reading circuit promoting his new book The Same River Twice, which is both a memoir and an adventure travel story. He has a sabbatical in the spring. He and his family will visit Greece and continue to South Africa, where Mike has a grant to study several game preserves.
Dan and Sonja are proud to announce Donovan Clavey Martin, the newest member of the ECHO family, who entered this world last Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Donovan came in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and 21 inches long. He has quite the geneology for river guiding as both of his parents are long time river guides with a passion for boating. In fact, Sonja spent the summer in the ECHO office while pregnant with Donovan.
Many of you may recognize his middle name. The Clavey River is a tributary to the Tuolumne River that we camp alongside and hike up on many of our trips. It is a special place for Dan and Sonja.
Many of our guests ask what our guides do in the off-season. Well, this season Jeremy Matlock and Adam Farmer spent their time working on a short film titled “In Search of Brokeback Mountain.” Jeremy sent a copy to ECHO World Headquarters here in Oakland a few weeks ago and we loved it. We are very proud of the many surprising talents of our guides. The following is a synopsis of the film:
A desire he couldn’t ignore.
A love they wouldn’t deny.
Jeremy Matlock stars as Yakley Tumbleweed, a young cowboy who’s finally come to grips with his deepest desires. In a bold and courageous move, Yakley sets out on a daring quest for Brokeback Mountain, the only place where he can fully satisfy his burning passion. But his journey becomes an unforgettable adventure, as Yakley encounters unforeseen obstacles, bizarre characters and one merciless mud puddle. With the odds stacked against him, follow Yakley as he refuses to let go of his dreams, and goes “In Search of… Brokeback Mountain.”
Adam Farmer, ECHO guide and Oregon River manager, is spending the winter at ECHO’s luxurious doublewide mobile home near the Rogue River. All was well until a very distinct smell told him that skunks had moved into the space below the trailer. Now Adam had a challenge that would put his degree in business from UC Davis to the test. How does one get rid of a skunk without hurting it or making it mad?
The first ploy, recommended by the local game warden, was to shine bright lights and play loud music under the house. No go. These skunks seemed to thrive on bright lights and loud rock. In fact, at least one more male skunk arrived, and in the struggle for dominance one or both of the males let fly with their most impressive sprays. The demonstration brought tears to Adam’s eyes, and he contemplated moving to town even if it meant paying RENT.
The second attempt at eviction was a wire trap, baited with meat. ECHO partner Dick Linford told Adam that skunks are peaceful when they are in tight dark spots, so Adam covered the wire trap with dark garbage bags. It seems that Dick was mistaken. The skunk loved the meat but hated the dark plastic, which he sprayed and shredded through the wire. So Adam finally covered himself with garbage bags, dragged the cage out, and very carefully transported it several miles away and next to the river. At this point, the skunk decided that he preferred the cage to life in the wild, and refused to leave. It took much careful prodding with a loooong stick to get him out.
And that’s only the first one. There are several more. Hopefully Adam will get better at this and doing so probably means not listening to Dick.
This is the most recent report from Geoff, who is spending his winter as the Station Manager of a science outpost in Greenland. Geoff guides for us on the Rogue River.
In case you haven’t heard, I have once again turned my back to common sense and returned to the North Pole just in time for winter. Brilliant! Some people get wiser as they get older and others…. they just get older.
Up until Saturday there were nine of us up here but five of them got smart, and left the four of us here to fend for ourselves. Shouldn’t be too bad. We have enough food for us to live like kings for about 5 years and enough fuel to have a bonfire big enough to melt the ice cap.
I have pulled through and found a recipe for making “prison wine” from rotten fruit, dirty socks, and a steel toilet. Since I am also camp medic I have decided against the dirty socks and the steel toilet in favor of something cleaner. I will report back on that experiment as well as the other important studies I plan on conducting such as, what happens to a pot of boiling water when thrown into -60C air?, or what happens to the human body when you jump out of the 200 degree sauna and make a mad dash to the house?, or the one that has been on everybody’s mind since they were 10 years old (and apparently still on mine)….can pee freeze before hitting the ground? Its probably a good thing that others are in charge of gathering the REAL science data this year.
I’ll make this short because my new job title means a lot of computer time (the productive kind, not funny emails and pictures). So many spreadsheets you’d think I was documenting every snowflake up here. Anyway, the weather is a chilly -64F with an 11 knot wind, which equates to about -124F windchill. A couple weeks ago they had a storm that hit 55 knot winds, which is about 63MPH. According to the chart in the office, whole trees will be uprooted by the wind. Since there are no trees on this island I am pushing for a better chart. Something that I can relate to like “at that speed Wiffle ball batting practice gets exciting or bad idea to try out kite-skiing today or really bad idea to try that last experiment on my list today.”
National
Geographic Traveler listed our expedition to the Kaa-Khem in Siberia
as the Tour of a Lifetime.
Our
expedition to Siberia was also selected as one of
Outside Magazine's 2011 Trips of the Year.
ECHO was Selected by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as as one of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.
We are a member of Adventure Gateway, an organization representing America's top river outfitters.
