WILDWATER RIVER GUIDES:
2013 was an exciting year for Wildwater. With a change of ownership, re-branding of the company, and additions of kayaking and SUP (stand up paddling) Wildwater River Guides was born. We have relocated the Wildwater Office from Federal Way to the sunny east side near Washington's most popular river, the Wenatchee. Now more than just a rafting company, we are your one stop destination for river adventures in Washington State. Now offering American Canoe Association certified kayak instruction, Washington's first guided downriver SUP trips, and don't worry we are still offering our famous whitewater rafting trips. Come join the experience!
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| The new logo. |
RAFTING:
The year kicked off with a couple great weekends on the beautiful Skagit River for our Bald Eagle Float trips. Eagles were out in full force, and we enjoyed the beauty of Skagit County in late December of 2012 into January 2013.
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| Skagit River Bald Eagle counters |
January brought sunshine and 100’s of bald eagle sightings for our adventurous guests on the magical river just outside North Cascades National Park.
In late January we offered an educational experience on the Nisqually River to students from Evergreen Community College testing the Nisqually Rivers watershed.
April and May were spent on the whitewater section of the Skagit River, the Green River Gorge, and the Wenatchee River for our Guide Training course while commercial whitewater rafting trips were offered on the Green River Gorge and Wenatchee River.
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| Jaime rowing on the Skagit River whitewater section in North Cascades National Park |
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| Neils falling in love with stand up paddling on the Skagit River whitewater section |
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| Seattle's best kept whitewater secret - The Green River Gorge |
We had a great turnout for our Guide Training course; that started the first weekend in April and continued every weekend through the first weekend in May. The 2013 Guide Training crew had the luxury of spending weekends on three of the beautiful rivers we offer; learning and refining guiding skills, rowing skills, and even a play trip on our new stand up paddle boards.
Guide Training came to a close with an amazing Graduation Float on the Wenatchee River at 15,000 cfs!
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| Trainees having fun through "Drunkard's Drop" on the Wenatchee River |
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| Trainees going BIG through "Granny's" rapid on the Wenatchee River |
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| Guide Training attendees after their first day on the water - Wenatchee River |
May also introduced our week long Private Rowing instruction course. This was a group of Grand Canyon permit holders that wanted to refine their rowing skills, were taught how to properly rig a raft, and gained knowledge of the rapids of the Grand Canyon. The Private Rowing instruction was held on the beautiful Wenatchee River during Spring high river levels.
June provided great flows and levels for the Wenatchee River - the bread and butter of Washington State whitewater rafting, and we re-discovered why it’s been named the most popular river rafting trip in Washington State.
This year a handful of our guides participated in the Wenatchee River Festival & Wenatchee Raft Games hosted by American Whitewater and Riverbooty Photography. Two of our guides Neils and Josh took first place in the R-2 surf competition. We are looking forward to organizing and planning the kayak component for the 2014 Games and participating in as many competitions as possible.
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| Neils H. & Josh H. R-2 competition winners at the Wenatchee Raft Games 2013 |
Wildwater is proud to have the highest certified guides in the state of Washington. A weekend in May was spent training our guides in swift water rescue. The course was taught by members of Rescue 3 International. This was a great experience for our guides to refresh and learn helpful skills for on water safety as well as grow as a company through teamwork scenarios and on water rescue scenarios. All full time and most of our part time river guides are certified in swiftwater rescue as well as the Washington State standard of first aid & CPR.
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| Abe & Scotty from Rescue 3 International teaching our guides different mechanical advantage options for on river rescue scenarios |
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| Wildwater staff practicing their knot skills during the swift water rescue course |
June and July also gave us the opportunity to spend some quality time out on the incredible Skykomish River. Known best for “Boulder Drop” rapid this river can easily be called the most challenging river stretch in Washington State. With views comparable to Patagonia you will not believe your eyes when you gaze upon the beauty of the Sky!
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| Beautiful scenery and Class V whitewater on the Skykomish River |
Late July and August had us traveling south to the magical White Salmon River, located in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. With the removal of Condit Dam in October of 2011 this now free flowing river is a favorite among our guides. Location, scenery, and warm weather all aid to the popularity of the White Salmon. With a lot of river enthusiasts wanting to take the plunge and check Husum Falls off their bucket list we spent the majority of our late Summer on the Wild & Scenic stretch.
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| Hold on tight! Husum Falls, White Salmon River |
In August we also traveled North to the whitewater section of the beautiful Skagit River in North Cascades National Park. With crystal clear water and sunshine for days each trip was able to take in the beauty of the North Cascades.
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| At the put in for the Skagit River whitewater stretch Lance gives a trip talk to a group of guests. |
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| "S-bends" rapid on the beautiful whitewater section of the Skagit River |
The whole month of September was spent on the mighty Tieton River that roars with excitement for 14 river miles. This beautiful river has a very short window in September when Rimrock lake is drained for the season. Wildwater spent our weekends on this stretch best known for its roller coaster like wave trains and warm water that is naturally heated by the sun and Summer months. Wrapping up our whitewater season while camping along the banks of the Tieton and spending the days on the river. This is definitely a bittersweet month for whitewater adventures and our guides as it marks the end of the whitewater rafting season in Washington State.
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| The mighty Tieton River with Fall colors |
New rafting equipment:
STAND UP PADDLING:
Northwest Rafting Supply (NRS) SUP boards and paddles arrived just in time for us to kick off our first SUP season.
Starting in June and ending in late August we offered guided downriver SUP trips on two stretches - Lower Icicle Creek and Cashmere to Wenatchee on the Wenatchee River.
This has given our guests a chance to try something new with experienced certified guides that can show you the fun lines on the river while you soak up the sun and hot weather in Chelan County.
If you've been stand up paddling before on a lake or ocean the river is the next step for you, we have a hard time thinking you won’t enjoy yourselves.
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| SUP trip on Icicle Creek just outside of Leavenworth Washington |
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| SUP trip on the Wenatchee River |
New SUP equipment:
NRS SUP Boards:
Inflatable: Tyrants, Czars, Barons
NRS SUP Paddles
Shred Ready Helmets
NRS ninja PFD’s
KAYAK INSTRUCTION:
Starting in June 2013 we offered 2-day beginner courses and private kayak instruction. Guided kayaking trips were available year-round (on certain rivers - depending on flow).
2014 will bring ACA - levels 1-3 beginner instruction as well as private kayak instructions (year - round) and guided kayaking (year - round).
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| Beginner kayak instruction on the Wenatchee River in June |
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| Beginner kayak course on the White Salmon River taught by owner and ACA instructor Lance Reif |
New Kayak Instruction equipment:
Shred Ready Helmets
Small, Medium, Large - Mambas
Werner paddles
Kokatat Semi-dry tops
NRS ninja PFD’s
CHAMBER MEMBERS:
Wildwater is proud to announce that we are now chamber members to both the City of Leavenworth, and the City of Cashmere, two amazing cities with so much to offer.
The City of Leavenworth is a beautiful Bavarian themed village along the Wenatchee River only a few hours east of Seattle, Washington. Enchantment Park in downtown Leavenworth is where our rafting trips on the Wenatchee river launch from.
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| City of Leavenworth |
The City of Cashmere hosts our Wenatchee River take-out and we are happy to announce that Wildwater has been a part of the remodel of Riverside Park.This great city has a long list of restaurants, wineries, attractions, and lodging that offer discounts to our river rafting, kayaking and SUP guests through the Come Ashore & Explore program.
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| City of Cashmere |
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:
A huge thank you goes out to all the wonderful guests that joined us on the river for the 2013 season. We are so thankful for your continued support and hope to see you out on the river again for the 2014 river season. We offered a frequent paddler program to our guest this season where many joined in and received a FREE Wildwater t-shirt with their third trip of the season and their fourth trip they received 50% off!
This great program will extend into the 2014 season - so start planning your rafting adventures!
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| Happy rafters on the Wenatchee River |
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| Eastsidaz Girls & Boys Basketball teams joined us on the White Salmon River all the way from Hawaii! |
THANK YOU WILDWATER STAFF:
None of this would have been possible without the help and hard work of our amazing staff. This group of river enthusiasts came to work every day excited to show our guests why they love being on the river so much. Spreading joy and cheer to every guest they encountered. We are thankful to hear that our guides have all been making plans and arranging their Spring and Summer schedules to head back to Wildwater. We can’t wait to have you all back!
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| After work SUP session - Wildwater Staff |
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