Archive for the ‘Guide News’ Category

An Interview with Legendary ECHO Guide Tracy Blashill

by Tate Higgins on February 17th, 2012

Tracy Blashill has been guiding river trips around the world for decades and still has the smiles, energy, and excitement of a man truly in love with everything river. He is an expert fly fisherman who knows every bend and riffle on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. He has turned his passion for rivers into a life-long career. In addition to guiding on the Middle Fork, Tracy and ECHO guide Drew Thate are the owners of Territory Anglers, a top notch fly-fishing company in Montana.

Tracy Getting Ready to Make Dinner on the Middle Fork

Tracy was the trip leader on my very first Middle Fork trip, and he showed me how to run a wilderness river trip with passion, expert skill, and style. He is a true river professional whose easy going attitude, camp fire stories, and in depth knowledge make for a trip guests remember for a lifetime. I had the opportunity to chat with Tracy recently about his guiding experiences.

How did you end up guiding for ECHO?

I met Dick Linford while I was doing a lobbying internship with American Rivers in Washington D.C. He and I hit it off, and then I landed a guide position on the Middle Fork with a company that launched the same dates as ECHO. I liked ECHO’s style and asked for a job. They hired me. I’ve stayed with ECHO because of their style. ECHO’s clientele is smart, savvy, well-read, and fun. ECHO’s guides are safe, professional, engaging, and damn good companions.

With all the amazing rivers you’ve seen around the world, why keep coming back to work on the Middle Fork of the Salmon year after year?

The Middle Fork is my dream river. It embodies all that I consider ideal in a river trip. Having heard of the Middle Fork for several years before getting to float it, my expectations were pretty high, and I’ve gotta say, that first trip, the river exceeded my expectations. I LOVE THE MIDDLE FORK! If I had a tattoo it would be something like “Middle Fork Salmon forever.” I love introducing people to a wild river I know well. It really is a win-win relationship for everybody involved. I think rivers in general benefit from the relationship, too. We need all the river advocates we can get these days.

Welcome to Tracy's World!

When you’re not working for ECHO, you run a successful fly-fishing company in Montana. How did Territory Anglers come about?

Drew Thate and I thought that the guest service skills we had learned from guiding wilderness trips could be applied to offering high quality, individually tailored, guided fly-fishing trips. We started Territory Anglers in the spring of 2002.

How did you and Drew make the leap from guides to business owners?

Wow, when did we grow up enough to be considered “business owners”!? I think we both still consider ourselves guides, first and foremost.

There are legends about you and Drew Thate taking a van, a raft, and a company credit card and searching all over Mexico for untouched rivers. Can you tell me a story from those glory years of exploration?

For that, I need a river-side camp, a campfire, and a beer.

What are some differences between guiding fly-fishermen versus guiding guests on a Middle Fork trip?

Guiding fishermen there is always an air of expectation, whether it’s spoken or not, that a fish should be hooked. Sometimes trout don’t cooperate. On the Middle Fork, that expectation is replaced by an attitude of “we are going to have a great trip regardless of what events may unfold.”

What do you do when you’re not on the river?

Think about getting on the river. I help manage a ski area in the winter, but pretty much everybody knows that my first love is being on the river.

What are you most excited about for this coming float season?

Celebrating my twentieth season on the Middle Fork and getting to guide on a section of Montana river that has intrigued me for several years, Beartrap Canyon of the Madison River.

What is the future of fly fishing and river trips?

Years ago, a river guest told me that in the future, river trips would be even more important than ever to help us re-connect to our “wild-selves.” I still believe that.

This post was tagged with American Rivers, fishing, Middle Fork of the Salmon, river guides and posted in Guide News.

Starting 2012 Off Right on The West Fork of the Hood

by Tate Higgins on February 13th, 2012

I’m not one who’s big on New Year’s resolutions, but this year, maybe because I just turned 30, I decided to think about some of my goals for 2012. Turns out it’s a pretty short list. It involves some far-reaching and longtime dreams like learning Spanish, buying a horse, and riding across Patagonia with my fly rod on my back, but it also involves something as equally important to my true sense happiness—spending more time outdoors with new and old friends, particularly on rivers.

The thing I love most about running rivers is the people. People who can step outside of their comfort zone and let the power of water running downhill propel them through canyons with smiling faces and senses of adventure make me want to live better. The thing I love second most is, of course, rivers themselves—the shape, the sounds, the feelings of water cutting across the Earth. Put me on a river and I will be content to explore, to experience, to admire, and to learn for a lifetime.

It is almost impossible for me not to be drawn like a man first in love to a new river. Some of these river relationships are brief and some, like the Middle Fork of the Salmon, I’ll come back to my whole life, but all of them are magic that first time. So then, maybe my goal this year isn’t to just run new rivers and chase fish across the world, maybe my goal is simply to be surrounded by magic as much as possible.

New Year’s Day I got up early and drove from Portland to Hood River in search of a little magic. I met up with Maggie, Hata, Billy, and Jenni who had spent New Year’s Eve on the snows of Mt. Hood. These superstars, along with legendary guides Zach and JR helped me start 2012 off right with a float down the West Fork of the Hood River in Oregon.

Put In for the West Fork of the Hood River

The weather was clear and mild, but there was snow on the ground. We dressed in our winter boating gear and headed to the put in at Lake Branch. We were happy to run into a handful of boaters who had also decided to get out and go for it on the first day of the year. Hata, Maggie, Billy, Jenni, and I paddled a brand new SOTAR raft that Zach custom designed for Columbia Gorge whitewater. She’s called “4×4″ and, with Hata on the stick, she drove like a dream. Zach and JR kayaked, splatting every rock they could find with huge grins on their faces.

Zach calls The West Fork the best class IV run in the Columbia Gorge. He might be right when you take into account tons of fun whitewater drops, waterfalls falling from above our heads into the river in all directions, a couple basalt gorges squeezing the river and rising high above our heads, and the easy accessibility (The West Fork is pretty much in ECHO Headquarters’ back yard). It is a truly stunning run.

Beautiful Scenery and Clear Water on the West Fork

The West Fork drains off of Mt. Hood, originating in the same snow that some of the group had skied under fireworks just the night before. Talk about magic. The 5.5 mile run starts where the Lake Branch enters the West Fork and finishes just above Punch Bowl Falls. You have to work a little bit for this one since the take out at Punch Bowl is steep (a good reason to volunteer to drive shuttle while the rest of the group works it out). The run also includes a mandatory portage around a fish ladder—a good spot for us to have a snack and to reflect on our good luck to be spending the first day of the year on the water. New boat, new year, new river, and a little bit of Columbia Gorge magic with good friends. Winning! Thanks to all involved for helping me get 2012 started off right, and thanks to The West Fork. I’ll definitely be back. Now, if someone could just teach me to ride a horse and speak Spanish…

This post was tagged with Hood River, kayaking, river guides and posted in Guide News.

I’m in Love With a River Guide

by ECHO Staff on December 11th, 2011

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

This post was tagged with bluegrass, fun, Middle Fork of the Salmon, river guides, Rogue River, Tuolumne River and posted in Guide News, Special Trips.

The Orange Man

by Joe Daly on October 12th, 2011

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.

This post was tagged with fun, river guides and posted in Guide News.

ECHO Guides Celebrate 40 Years!

by Dick Linford on October 5th, 2011

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.

This post was tagged with Dick and Joe, fun, river guides, training and posted in Guide News.

Winter Boating With Emma

by ECHO Staff on March 14th, 2011

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.

This post was tagged with river guides and posted in Guide News.

Behind the Scenes Guide Stories

by ECHO Staff on September 14th, 2007

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.

ECHO Truck Howie 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.

This post was tagged with fun, river guides and posted in Guide News.

ECHO River Guides – Winter 2007 Update

by Dick Linford on February 1st, 2007

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.

Kayak Polo 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.

This post was tagged with fun, river guides and posted in Guide News.

Donovan Clavey Martin – ECHOs Newest Guide

by ECHO Staff on October 5th, 2006

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.

This post was tagged with ECHO World HQ, river guides and posted in Guide News.

In Search of Brokeback Mountain

by ECHO Staff on February 24th, 2006

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.”

This post was tagged with ECHO World HQ, fun, river guides, Video and posted in Guide News.