Posts Tagged ‘rafting’

Siberia’s Kaa-Khem Trip Listed as 2011 Trip of the Year

by Janda on February 11th, 2011

We’re starting off our 40th season with a bang: ECHO’s trip to Siberia to raft the gorgeous Kaa-Khem river has just been named 1 of the 10 best trips of 2011 by Outside Magazine! Out of thousands of submissions for outdoor adventures including treks, rides, paddles and climbs, Outside chose ECHO’s rafting excursion to Southern Siberia as a must-do in 2011, and here are 5 reasons why:

- A river trip that begins with an Mi-8 helicopter ride will make you feel more like James Bond than any martini ever could.

- The feisty graylings and legendary taimen (aka Siberian salmon) are trophies that any angler would love to wrestle into a raft.

- Arriving in the geographic center of the Asian-subcontinent, the furthest point from an ocean anywhere in the world, will ensure that you won’t have to respond to any emails for at least 10 days. Anyone can raft Costa Rica, but imagine the legends you’ll have to tell of rafting Siberia!

- Famed Russian adventurer, Vladimir Gavrilov will lead this trip to his homeland. Vlad is a scientist, author, teacher, certified bad-ass on the river, and all-around awesome dude that you’ll love spending time with on the Kaa-Khem.

- With a length comparable to the Grand Canyon, the Kaa-Khem has a lot more action, including an amazing 10-mile section of whitewater called the Mel’zeyskiy Cascade. You’ll also have vodka-clear water, stunning alpine scenery and pleasant temperatures that won’t sap your stamina.

There’s still space for you in the rafts, so click here to learn more or make your reservation!

This post was tagged with awards, rafting, river, Russia, Siberia and posted in Special Trips.

Vintage Video of Siberia’s Kaa-Khem River

by ECHO Staff on January 5th, 2011

We’ve spent all week learning about the homeland of our beloved river guide, Vladimir, in preparation for a trip down the Kaa-Khem River in Siberia.

We compiled some of the footage of Vlad’s 1986 trip for your enjoyment. The sweet sounds of the synthesizer may lull you into a trance, but try to stay focused or you’ll miss the short-shorts and the Russian “river sauna” segment. It’s been 25 years, but Vlad is anxious to return to the Kaa-Khem and would love to journey down this stunning river with you!

This post was tagged with Kaa Khem, rafting, river, Russia, Siberia and posted in Special Trips.

Bluegrass & Whitewater, 2011

by ECHO Staff on November 29th, 2010

Once again, we’ve coaxed renowned bluegrass musicians, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, to join us for a river trip this summer! Laurie and Tom will accompany the trip down the Rogue River leaving July 27 for 4 days. Each evening you’ll enjoy an intimate bluegrass performance at one of the Rogue’s scenic campsites. You’ll wake to hot coffee and breakfast before heading down the Rogue’s scenic corridor and on to the next camp. Laurie loves the Rogue’s warm water and plentiful wildlife and their sweet strumming sounds even better with the river singing back-up. Guests are welcome to bring their “river instruments” along to join in the jam.

Bluegrass Musicians Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum

The trip is limited to 20 guests and the spots are going fast, so call today to ensure you’ll have a seat at the best chair circle on the river.

Learn more about this trip ››

This post was tagged with bluegrass, Oregon, rafting, Rogue River and posted in Rogue River Rafting, Special Trips.

Bhutan 2010 Trip Report

by Zachary on November 5th, 2010

ECHO’s first rafting and cultural tour of Bhutan exceeded my own expectations. For the trip, we teamed up with our friends from DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking and traveled with 5 rafters and 2 kayakers for a tour of the pristine natural environments and the seemingly unexplored culture of “the last Shangri-La”.

Our Group: Heather, Gerry, Marty, Dan, Beth, Elisabet & Leo

Our trip started with a short flight from Bangkok into the Paro Airport, in the heart of the Paro Valley. Paro is surrounded by mountains, and we were excited to see a river running parallel to the runway as we landed. While in Paro, we toured the Paro Dzong, an old military fortress used to defend against Tibetan invaders. Ironically, the Dzongs historically served as both fortress and monastery. The Paro Dzong is now the administrative center of the district and also remains a Buddhist monastery. While there, we witnessed young monks finishing a prayer service, which topped off an amazing first day!

Rafting and Kayaking on the Paro Chhu

The next day we rafted the Paro Chhu on our way to Bhutan’s capital city, Thimpu, about 30 miles away. (Chhu is the Dzonka word for river and Dzonka is the national language of Bhutan.) We planned to return here toward the end of the trip, so we continued on over the 10,200 foot Doche La (La is the Dzonka word for pass) on our way to the Punahka Valley.

The Punakha Valley was once the capital of Bhutan, so it has many interesting cultural sites in addition to the Mo Chhu (Mother River) and Po Chhu (Father River). These rivers provide a fertile valley for rice farmers in the region. We spent 3 days here exploring both rivers, the Punakha Dzong, and the Temple of the Divine Madman. The Punakha Dzong is the winter home of the religious leader of the country due to the region’s much warmer climate. Built in the 1630s, it sits right on the banks at the confluence of the Mo Chhu and Po Chhu.

After the Mo and Po Confluence with the Punakha Dzong on the Background

From the Punakha Valley, we traveled further east to the town of Jakar and the Chamkar Chhu. The highlight was rafting and kayaking down the beautiful Chamakr Chhu, including a section of Class IV rapids that had never been rafted before. This made the trip feel like a true expedition! We also attended a Bhutanese festival, where we got to witness a special fertility dance involving naked men with masks dancing around a campfire at midnight. If this didn’t remind me how far from home I was, I don’t know what would have.

Dancers at Jambay Lhakang Drup

From Jakar, we started heading back West and stayed one night in the Valley of the Black Necked Cranes. Here, our guide introduced us to a Bhutanese family and we got to spend the night at their farmhouse. This was a truly interesting stop: to share meals and spend a night with local farmers. They had a 3 year old son, who we later discovered, is believed to be the reincarnation of Je Kempo, Bhutan’s spiritual leader.

Sharing a Traditional Bhutanese Dinner

We soon arrived back in Thimpu where we all got some rest, did some shopping, and saw a few more sights. Our last river day was on the Thimpu Chhu, which ended at the confluence with the Paro Chhu, our first river. In Bhutan, the confluence of two rivers is an auspicious place, and this one was marked with Stupas (religious memorials containing religious artifacts) of Bhutanese, Tibetan, and Nepalese design.

Stupas at the Confluence of the Thimpu Chhu and Paro Chhu

Our trip ended with some long goodbyes back where we started, in Paro, where we were lucky to see one more exhibition of Bhutanese dance and music before the journey home. We also made the trek up to Taktshang (the Tiger’s Nest), a monastery perched on a cliff 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

Taktshang Monastery (also known as Tiger's Nest)

This was truly a remarkable trip that simply cannot be described with words or photos, although I’ve attempted to do so here. We’re busily working on itineraries for our next trips to Bhutan in the fall of 2011!

Group Photo at Take-out for the Thimpu Chhu

This post was tagged with Bhutan, kayaking, rafting, river and posted in Special Trips.

At ECHO, We Have Fun!

by ECHO Staff on August 30th, 2010

A quick note from ECHO Guide Audrey Gehlhausen

We love what we do, we love to have fun, and we love to share this passion with everyone we can…. We play music, we dress up in dare wear, we have talent shows and fashion shows and stupid human tricks, we make water slides out of paddle boats and have ducky wars, we play horseshoes, botchee ball, koob, mulke, look up look down, big booty… We put energy and enthusiasm in every part of the day, and not because it’s our job, but because that’s who we are and that’s what we love to do.

ECHO Guide Audrey Gehlhausen

I want guests to walk away saying this was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on. I want that for them, for their character and their sense of adventure, for their families to actually get to hang out together as a family in this rat race world, for them to truly feel the joy of living life to its fullest. And that’s why guests should go with ECHO. We have passion. We love what we do, and we love to have fun. Well, that’s my two cents on the matter, as I sit and reflect on an amazing season.

This post was tagged with fun, Idaho, rafting, river, river guides and posted in General News.

Time on the River is Good for your Brain!

by Janda on August 16th, 2010

This morning, the New York Times ran a wonderful article about five neuroscientists who spent a week on the San Juan River in Utah to study how technology affects how we think and behave. We noticed many parallels to our own clients that these gentlemen experienced on their river trip.

Here at ECHO, we find that many of our guests book their trips specifically to give themselves a break from the never-ending stream of emails they receive. This trend has only increased with smart phones as people receive possibly life-altering news to their pocket. And as some of our guests are more than thrilled to dam up the stream of email and texts, others aren’t so sure. Every season guests ask what the cell phone coverage is like along the way. We usually reply gleefully that there is no coverage, as the rivers ECHO rafts have been protected from development (including cell towers) through the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Some guests remain unamused and can’t imagine a day, much less 4-6 days without contact with the outside world. But we remain undaunted in our quest to encourage people to leave the iPods at home, not wear their watches and worry about emails upon their return.

Our reasons for this are to provide an uninterrupted experience between families and fellow rafters. Not only are parents able to connect completely with their children without the distractions of TVs, video games and music players, but you can actually share experiences together as a family. If kids are listening to their iPod in camp, it not only impedes the social aspect we try to create, but they might also miss the splash of a fish vaulting out of the water or the scream of a bald eagle calling to its mate.

Outside interruptions can really impede the group dynamic of a river trip, as well. If someone were to receive bad news on the trip, it can not only ruin their vacation but the news can cast a cloud over the group as a whole and leave them wondering what awful or wonderful news they’re missing out on. Lastly, the researchers in the article hypothesize that the brain may be using valuable storage space anticipating communication. The article points out that, “There’s a real mental freedom in knowing no one or nothing can interrupt you.” We couldn’t agree more.

Click Here to Read the Full article at NYTimes.com >>

This post was tagged with rafting, river and posted in General News.

Trip Report from the River – What’s going on on the Rogue?

by ECHO Staff on July 19th, 2010

“It’s going to be a hot one!” was the cheery announcement from Katrina, our trip leader. There were 5 of us in the front of the truck – still groggy and waiting for the coffee to kick in. The truck, affectionately named Howie, was loaded for the trip – trailer with rafts and soft gear, the truck with all the coolers and boxes. We started down the drive, honked the horn good-bye to the guide house and another trip on the Rogue has started.

Upon seeing the boat ramp at Almeda was already crowded with boats and people, we continued downstream to the Argo launch. With five senior guides, the deconstruction of the load job was easy. Boats were topped off, frames strapped down, coolers placed and kayaks inflated. All we needed now were some willing participants and we were ready to go. Katrina and Ian left to meet the guests and Maggie, Nick and I stayed to put the finishing touches on the rigging.

Forty-five minutes later the van rolled up and our new companions tumbled out. The parents gazed around, examining the gear and eying the life jackets, taking in the craggy walls across from the launch spot and the osprey circling above. The kids immediately started to run around- darting from boat to bags to kayak and back to parents. The excitement was palpable. Katrina gave the safety talk, we fit everyone with their jackets, and introduced them to the inflatable kayaks. It is time for the river!!

Rogue River Rafting

Ahh… the start of another Rogue River trip. This season on the Rogue started with chilly weather and high water. Oregon delivered up rain for much of May and the early part of June which brought great, fun water levels for early boaters. Our first trip of the season launched with just over 4000 cfs. The rapids were big and fun with Blossom Bar uncharacteristically filled with water. These boaters were hearty- and well equipped with rain gear. Additionally, our new tarps (thanks River Hardware!) worked like a charm so camps were cozy and mostly dry. Of course a hot meal cooked riverside will warm up anyone!!

By mid-June however, southern Oregon weather was turning to its usual summer pattern. Clear sunny days were followed by mild, starry nights- perfect for sleeping outside.

Evening on the Rogue River

The water levels started to decline, approaching normal July flows of around 2000 cfs. Those levels will continue to slowly decline through the summer. The upstream dams keep water flowing throughout the summer on the Wild and Scenic stretch – great for rafting!!

The wildlife on the Rogue has been outstanding this year. The osprey population continues to dominate the sky and the fishing. Bald eagles make frequent appearances – often to challenge the smaller osprey for their catch. The ‘dogfights’ between these great birds of prey are something to see!

Osprey flying above the Rogue River

The merganser and Canada geese families are common to see this time of year. When they are really small, the merganser ducklings will hitch a ride on their mom’s back. Sometimes the whole brood will end up there! It gives new meaning to the term ’mamma duck’! Kingfisher, stellar jay, and all variety of songbirds greet the morning (and all of us!) each morning.

The biggest excitement of course is to see a bear. Every trip on the Rogue so far this year has had at least one sighting. One lucky trip watched a sow and two small cubs eating and cavorting across from their camp at Lower Solitude. Another trip watched a young bear eating riverside grass as they floated by in the boats. He glanced at us a few times but seemed wholly unconcerned and kept grazing.

Of course, as usual, the food has been great. There were a few minor changes to our usual menu. We added a yummy Mediterranean pasta salad for lunch and are adding more and more organic and local products to the shopping list. With an increasing number of our guests being vegetarians, our chefs are experimenting with veggie options. Grilled portabellas with balsamic and feta, Curries with tofu and bean salads are all making more and more frequent appearances.

We’ve had several of our specialty trips run already. Our June Kid’s Trip was a raucous success with fully half of the 20-person trip under the age of 16. Water fights and camp games including blazo (boatmen’s tug-o-war) and adventure bocce ball ruled the day. The last morning dawned “Pirate Day” complete with eye patches and pirate flags!

Musicians Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum headlined our annual bluegrass trip. The Rogue’s clear mild evenings lent themselves well to starlit concerts around the chair circle. An impromptu guide skit lent to the festive air with dancing and glow sticks adding to the atmosphere of celebration.

Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum on the Rogue River

Yes – summer on the Rogue can’t be beat. The water is warm, perfect for swimming and inflatable kayaking The camps are beautiful and the dining is great (and you don’t even have to do the dishes!). And of course, the river – the slower more contemplative sections and the bouncy fun whitewater – is incomparable. Come join us!!

This post was tagged with bluegrass, Oregon, rafting, river and posted in Rogue River Rafting.

Futaleufu River Trip Report

by Zachary on February 9th, 2010

by Zachary Collier (and improved on by Janda Siebert)

The Futaleufu River is known for its turquoise water, big rapids, and jaw dropping scenery. Located in Southern Chile in the region of Patagonia in the Andes Mountains, this part of Chile is strikingly beautiful, and for the most part undeveloped.

To get to the river, we flew from Portland, Oregon to Santiago, Chile and then flew to the very small town Balmaceda, Chile, which is the regional gateway for travelers visiting Patagonia. From Balmaceda, we drove 6 beautiful hours to a resort called El Pangue, where we met one of the river guides, had a delicious dinner of fresh fish and stayed in a beautiful room. The next morning, we drove the final 3 hours to the river.

At our riverside destination, we lumbered out of the cars and were ready for action. We changed into our river clothes as the guides pumped up the inflatable kayaks and were quickly floating the turquoise blue water of the Futaleufu. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the surrounding peaks of the Andes. Luckily there weren’t any rapids…yet.

Puente a Puente

Mundaca Rapid After the morning’s kayaking session, we headed upriver for lunch and then piled into the rafts for our first taste of Futaleufu’s rapids. We began with a section of the river known as Puente a Puente, or Bridge to Bridge. This is the most commonly rafted section of the Futaleufu and has classic big water rapids similar to those found on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. However, the big difference is that the Futaleufu’s rapids are akin to doing all of the Grand Canyon’s rapids back-to-back, in one afternoon. We had a great time to say the least.

At the end of this heart-pumping day, we headed to Camp Mapu Leufu, which means Earth River in the local indigenous Mapuche language. Futa means big, so Futaleufu means Big River. My fellow guests and I were blown away by how awesome the camp was, which was a popular sentiment for each new camp we stayed at. Mapu Leufu had sweeping views of the river below and the mountains above, a hot tub, plumbing and cozy cabanas to sleep in. We were served drinks and appetizers and then a fabulous dinner, before calling it a night.

The next morning we were unable to run the upper section of the river, because of incredibly high water. It’s a series of five Class V rapids known as Inferno Canyon, which are only runnable at moderate or lower flows. Our guides made a good decision, and we went to run the Puente a Puente section again with an additional Class V rapid called Mas o Menos (More or Less) just past the second bridge. We then drove to the bottom of Inferno Canyon and continued on through some Class III rapids.

Cave Camp and Zeta Rapid

The day ended above a Class VI rapid called Zeta at Cave Camp. This camp was well-described by our guide, Abner, as an adult playground. With two hot tubs, a crystal clear lake, a maze of trails, and a cave where we would later have dinner, the location reigned supreme with the sight and sound of Zeta – one of the most powerful rapids you’ll ever see. Even our skilled and experienced guides pushed the boats through this rapid, which they never run.

Tyrolean Traverse above Zeta Rapid The next day’s objective was to head across the river and hike up to the Tree House Camp for a night. After a couple days of rafting, we were ready for a lower body workout, so everyone was excited. So how do we get across that huge Zeta rapid? We started the day with a Tyrolean Traverse, which is a series of ropes suspended across the water. So without looking down too much, we pulled ourselves across the river directly above the heart of Zeta. With everyone safely across and heart rates returned to normal, we headed up the river bank for the hike to Treehouse Camp.

Treehouse Camp

Wow! Treehouse Camp was the most amazing camp I’ve ever seen. Picture the Ewok Village, and add a serene lake and lakeside hot tub. I wanted to stay for at least a week and possibly forever. Camping in our treehouse was my favorite part of the trip. Being a part of the forest and traveling from tree to tree via suspension bridges, evoked memories of building forts with my 10-yr. old buddies.

It was hard to leave, but the next morning we hiked back down to the river. Instead of the traverse, we crossed the river this time via a zip line that we released and plunged 15 ft. into the river – not into Zeta, thankfully! After a lunch of cheeses, salamis and lots of fresh fruit, the guides took us for an easy rock climb-scramble up a 300 ft. tower and at the top we were able to venture out along what’s known as the Knife’s Edge, which definitely lives up to its name. Then we braved a rappel back down the face of the rock tower and headed back to camp.

Back on the River

Futaleufu River The next day, we floated from the Cave Camp back to Camp Mapu Leufu through some fun Class III rapids and amazing scenery. One of the rapids, Throne Room was too big to run, so the guides pushed the boats through as we walked around. We arrived back at the first night’s camp and went on a canyoneering adventure. Here, we walked up a spectacular side stream wading through deep pools and jumping from rock to rock. Most of the group said this was the best part of the trip thanks to a few exciting challenges of swimming and balance.

After a wonderful feast, we stayed up telling stories about the trip so far. I watched the sun set, then the moon set, and then the stars come out. It’s always strange to look at the Southern sky and not recognize the stars. It reminds you that you’re in a different hemisphere at the other end of the world.

sunset

The last day was our longest on the river. We began with some easy rapids and then came to Terminator, which we didn’t run due to the high water. We walked around as the guides ran parts of the rapid and used ropes to get the boats through the dangerous sections. We ran a few more rapids before coming to the Puente a Puente section of the river again. Having braved these rapids a few times now, we were feeling more comfortable and took the more exciting routes through them. We passed the second bridge and ran the Class V rapids Mas o Menos and Casa de Piedra. From there it was easy water to the end of our trip.

The Journey Home

At take-out we took a group photo, said goodbye to the guides, and piled back on the bus. We drove three hours back to El Pangue, where we stayed the first night and had another lovely dinner and comfortable room.

I have to say this was unlike any river trip I’ve been on. The entire group loved all the activities and camps beyond just the days of rafting. I was also especially impressed by the guides’ attention to detail and safety. I’ve boated around the world and noticed that in foreign countries, safety standards are often more relaxed. Our guides were always paying attention to safety and made the right decisions.

This was a special trip and I can’t wait to go back!

futaleufu-valley

Learn more about trips on the Futaleufu River >>

View more photos of our trip >>

This post was tagged with Chile, rafting and posted in Special Trips.

Middle Fork Bluegrass on Whitewater, 2009

by Janda on April 6th, 2009

Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum Few things complete a day on the river better than a good meal followed by great music. There’s something about the strumming of an acoustic guitar accompanied by the crackling of a fire that harkens back to a simpler time when a full belly and friends were more than enough to satisfy our needs. Bluegrass music had its beginnings in the mid-1940′s as a result of needed entertainment for post-WWII rural areas. Banjos, fiddles, mandolins and guitars can be played just about anywhere, which is one reason that this genre of music works so well for a river trip.

ECHO is once again honored to have Grammy-winning Bluegrass musician Laurie Lewis and mandolinist extraordinaire Tom Rozum along for the ride on our August 8th Middle Fork trip. Both of these accomplished artists will accompany the trip as it winds through the impressive rugged beauty of Idaho and treat guests to evening jams each evening in camp. Laurie and Tom’s crooning, strumming and fiddling will have everyone tapping their feet and singing along as they take their show downriver.

Guests return year after year to join these self-proclaimed “river rats” for this unique adventure. The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is without a doubt the best multi-day alpine rafting trip in the country. You’ll discover fantastic scenery, experience natural history, view wildlife, eat great food and hear exceptional music. What more could you ask for?

Learn more about Bluegrass on Whitewater, 2009!

This post was tagged with bluegrass, families, Oregon, rafting, Rogue River and posted in Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Special Trips.

The Return of the Salmon Supreme

by ECHO Staff on October 17th, 2006

Snow on the Middle Fork A few hearty souls have prompted us to bring back the “Salmon Supreme.” This is a seven day combination of the Middle Fork and Main Salmon when we expect the water to be it’s highest and the weather to be it’s coldest. This trip would normally take twelve days to finish the 161 to 186 miles, but with high water we can do it in seven.

This is a trip for those of you that want to experience an adventure. If the water is too high, we’ll have to fly in to Indian Creek and only run 161 miles. If the weather is too bad, we’ll have to spend the day playing cards under tarps and in our tents. This is the kind of trip that legends are made of and stories are told about for years to come.

Learn more about the “Salmon Supreme” >>

This post was tagged with Idaho, Middle Fork of the Salmon, rafting, river trips, wilderness and posted in Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Special Trips.