The Rogue River

Ever since reading Down the River by Edward Abbey, I've been interested in doing a multi-day rafting trip. When Ian reached out to me as I made my way into Oregon and offered me a killer deal on a 4 day trip, I couldn't pass it up! He's been working all summer for O.A.R.S. guiding people down the Rogue River.

For most of the season the weather is a sweltering 90-110 degrees and rafting down a cool river is a very pleasant experience. For our trip we had rain all day every day (I think we had a total of 1 hour of sun, broken up into 5 minute chunks at random intervals). Despite the less than ideal weather, all 16 of us kept our spirits high and enjoyed every second of the trip. 

Being someone who doesn't like sitting around idle, I spent the entire time in one of the inflatable kayaks which was very wet but also very fun. The wet suit definitely saved the trip for me. I had thought I had decent white water experience but the barrage of class 3s and even a class 4 rapid quickly reminded me that I had no idea what I was doing. And it was awesome. I bagged the record for the most flips and swims with 4, including 2 mid-rapid self-rescues. I learned a lot about dealing with different kinds of rapids and obstacles. 

The views around every corner were breathtaking. The Rogue River runs through a very remote part of Oregon with almost no development or signs of human life throughout. The detachment was refreshing and getting to bond so closely with a new group of people was really fun. Wildlife highlights include:

Salmon
Turtles
Osprey
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Ducks of all sizes and colors
Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle (at the same time)

Deer (Mule, White Tail, Black Tail)
Black Bear
Otter
Seal (that cute little guy swam 45 miles upstream from the ocean)

Needless to say I think I'm hooked. The rapids were so fun to navigate and I was able to draw many comparisons between climbing and rafting. Looking forward to future trips!