Posts Tagged ‘river’

Wild Rivers Night – What a Great Time!

by Janda on December 1st, 2011

We’d like to send a huge thank you to everyone that made it out for Wild Rivers Night and a big apology to everyone that didn’t (because it was awesome)!

Billy, Nate, and Hata Watching our New Middle Fork Film

The debut of our latest Middle Fork film must have inspired everyone who watched it, as the audience seemed captivated by the gorgeous scenery, crystal-clear water, splashy rafting footage and lots of camp camaraderie. Thank you so much to Nate Herbeck of Sheer Madness Productions for creating this special film.

American Rivers was on hand to celebrate the Year of the River with short films by Andy Maser. Two major dam removals on the White Salmon River and the Elwha River had the crowd cheering for Wild Rivers!

Tim Palmer and Ann Vileisis, celebrated defenders of wild rivers throughout the nation gave short presentations on the many river trips in Oregon that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Tim Palmer Presenting his "Field Guide to Oregon Rivers"

Special emphasis was placed on the Chetco River as it is currently under serious mining threats despite being classified as “Wild and Scenic”.

We couldn’t have held this event without the graciousness of KEEN! Your generous staff and amazing event space made everyone feel right at home. You are a company that we are proud to support (and just check Janda’s closet if you ever doubt our loyalty to your shoes)!

Thank You to KEEN Footwear for Providing the Venue

And lastly, thanks so much to our good friends at Sierra Nevada Brewery for donating their sweet, delicious beer for the event.

Thank You to Sierra Nevada for Providing the Beer!

ECHO guides took care of the crowd with Rick Lumagui at the bar and Tate Higgins as Food-Dude. Thanks guys!

Rick Handing out a Tasty Sierra Nevada

This post was tagged with American Rivers, fun, Portland, river, Rogue River, Video, Wild Rivers Night and posted in General News.

[Trailer] Middle Fork of the Salmon Short Film

by ECHO Staff on September 23rd, 2011

This summer our friend Nate Herbeck joined a Middle Fork of the Salmon trip to make a short film about the Middle Fork and our trips. Here’s a short trailer he put together as a sneak peek.

We’ll be premiering the film this November in Portland. Stay tuned!

This post was tagged with Idaho, kayaking, Middle Fork of the Salmon, rafting, river, Video and posted in Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Wine Tasting for our Rogue River Trips

by ECHO Staff on June 24th, 2011

Southern Oregon’s Rogue River Valley is quickly becoming a hot spot in the wine making industry. With over 40 wineries in the Bear Creek, Applegate, and Illinois river valleys, the task of narrowing down which wineries to feature on our Rogue trips this year seemed daunting. We began talking to a few of the local wineries just to talk prices and quantities, since we were hoping to return home with thirty plus cases of delicious wines. Having a couple definite stops in mind, we hoped fate would lead us in the right direction of other stops along the way. Our first stop though was the charming, historic town of Jacksonville, OR for a night of music with Ray LaMontagne at the annual summer Britt Fest concerts.

ECHO Guides Billy and Jeni Hard at Work Testing Wines

Upon arriving at the Britt Fest too late to obtain very good seats, we began wandering around the grounds in search a better view. We quickly found ourselves in the empty “reserved” bench rows. I began talking to the man next to me, Pat, who works at a nearby winery just outside of Cave Junction. I tell him of the mission we have been sent on for the next day, and he hands us two bottles of wine he just so happens to have with him. Two hours later, and with a belly full wine, we have made arrangements to meet him tomorrow at the winery and purchase some wine for our trips. Could this be fate?

Our first stop the next day was Valley View Winery where we met one of the owners Mark who poured our tasters. Valley View was originally established by Peter Britt in the 1850’s, but the name was restored in 1972 by the Wisnovsky family for their vineyard and winery in the beautiful Applegate Valley. We purchased Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.

Next stop, Bridgeview Vineyard and Winery. The Kerivan family started Bridgeview in 1986 with a 75-acre field in the Illinois Valley. Between this and the 80-acre vineyard located in the Applegate Valley, they grow almost all of the grapes used for their wines. Here we met Drew, and he helped us to quickly fill our car with cases of Merlot, Reisling, and Cab/Merlot Blend.

Our third stop was to meet our new friend Pat, at Foris Vineyards Winery. Their first vines were planted in1974, and in 1986, they began producing their own wines at the family owned estate in the Illinois River Valley. Here we purchased and filled to the car to the brim with Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and their Red Blend called the Flyover Red. Whew, what a day. Thirty-eight cases of wine later we were headed back home. Not only did we have an amazing day and make new friends, but we also have delicious, local wines to bring on our river trips this summer.

So come join us on a Rogue River trip this summer and try out our hand picked wines! Its just one of the many components that come together to make ECHO River Trips the best choice for a trip down the Wild and Scenic Rogue River of Southern Oregon.

This post was tagged with river, river trips, Rogue River, wine and posted in Rogue River 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.

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.