STAFF HIGHLIGHT: NEILS HUMPHRIES

NAME: Neils Humphries
NICKNAME: Polar Bear (nickname given to me by guide Andy Lockey).

The Winter season doesn't keep Neils off the river. 

GIVE US A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF.

I have 16 Wenatchee rafting seasons under my belt. I am also a two time R2 Surf competition champion at the Wenatchee Raft Games held the second weekend in June on the Wenatchee River. I love hunting, fishing and anything outside!

Neils and Josh taking first place in the R-2 surf comp during the Wenatchee Raft Games (this photo was from Neils' second year winning in a row.)

Neils loves fishing!

Neils loves climbing!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RIVER AT WILDWATER?

My favorite river is the Wenatchee at peak snow melt!! Nothing is better than the huge playful waves that the Wenatchee has to offer!

Neils sticking the dry flip on a play trip with friends on the Wenatchee River a few years back.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RIVER OR MULTI-DAY TRIP?

In the spring of 2013 I kayaked the Grand Canyon and I still cannot get it off my mind, so I would have to say that was my favorite river trip by far!

Neils kayaking on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

Neils at Havasu Creek, Grand Canyon National Park.

WHAT GOT YOU INTO WHITEWATER? WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A GUIDE?

Growing up as a small kid on the Wenatchee and seeing Wildwater on the river, they always came off to me as the professionals and I wanted to be a part of that once I got old enough.

Neils taking his rafting guests through "Rattlesnake Rapid" on the beautiful White Salmon River.

Neils showing his crew the line they will take while scouting "Boulder Drop" rapid on the Skykomish River. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

My favorite color is blue! But the shiny red color of our new AIRE rafts is in at a close second, that red with the Wildwater logo looks so good!

Neils taking in the sunset in the beautiful outdoors. 

WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL AND WHY?

My spirit animal would probably be an Osprey, everywhere around the Pacific Northwest this big bird of prey inhabits along the rivers for nesting and fishing opportunities, so as river rafters we see them all the time! Growing up rafting I have had a few experiences when scouting a big rapid and being very nervous, and before getting back into the raft I would see an osprey fly by, so I’d like to think they are looking after me and that they are good luck!

Written by: Neils Humphries 

Neils is a wonderful addition to the Wildwater River Guides staff. He is a trip leader, guides on every rafting trip we offer, guides our down river stand up paddling trips, a kayak instructor, an instructor for our guide training course and is interning in the office this season. In other words Neils does it all here at Wildwater, and we are grateful to have him on board! 

GREEN RIVER GORGE - SEATTLE'S BEST KEPT SECRET

Often overshadowed by the Skykomish, the Green River is a twisting, wild, boulder-choked whitewater run that will have you paddling through a beautiful steep-walled canyon and begging for more at the take out. 

River rafters paddling through "The Nozzle". 

Launching from beautiful Kanaskat - Palmer State Park it won’t take long for you to realize the secluded, green scenery that this incredible river has to offer. With Wildwater being one of the few companies to host river rafting adventures on this magical stretch, you will join the small list of people that have had the opportunity to take in the sheer beauty of the Green River Gorge.

Lush green scenery surrounds you during your entrance to "The Nozzle".

Listed as a class IV stretch you can imagine that the river provides excellent and thrilling whitewater action. With notorious and challenging rapids “Mercury,” “Pipeline,” and “The Nozzle” you can expect to get your whitewater “fix” on this stretch of river. Along with the rewarding whitewater rapids you will also view beautiful waterfalls cascading down the 150-300 foot tall canyon walls on this 4 hour river rafting trip ending in Flaming Geyser State Park.

View waterfalls spilling from the canyon walls hundreds of feet above you.

The combination of constant whitewater action and stunning scenery make the Green River a guest and guide favorite. Due to the Green River’s classifications we do have a requirement of 16 years or older to raft and that all river rafting guests are physically fit.

The Green is only available in the Spring months of April and May due to its short window of appropriate river flows to raft. Howard Hanson Dam releases throughout the Spring season from a reservoir that collects storm and snow runoff from the headwaters of the Green River and Winter snow pack.

Expect to participate in paddling the raft down this challenging but rewarding river. 

As soon as the reservoir fills the dam starts releasing to ensure ample room for the next runoff to collect in the reservoir. This procedure can make for an interesting booking and planning process for our whitewater rafting trips, but we haven’t given up hope! Instead we have created an ability for our guests to be placed on our Green River waiting list. We then keep in close contact with employees of Howard Hanson to pinpoint when the river will be at an appropriate level to raft. 

Depending on the reservoirs level the dam release schedule can provide just the right flow, too much water, or not enough to ensure the ability of us getting out on the river. This hasn't stopped many of Washington’s river rafting enthusiasts from getting involved with some of the first river rafting trips of the season.

Get your whitewater "fix" while paddling through the class III and IV rapids on the Green River.

If you are interested in getting placed on our Green River waiting list please contact us in the office at 1.800.522.WILD or email us at info@wildwater-river.com. 

All we need is first & last name, contact phone number, and preferred month/date you wish to raft. We will take care of all the rest.

We reserve the right to change or cancel any rafting trips due to inappropriate river levels, weather conditions, or other circumstances beyond our control.

Historical Rafting trip on the Toutle River May 17th & May 18th

Transitioning from Wildwater River Tours to Wildwater River Guides we had a few decisions to make regarding what rivers we would still be offering. WRT used to offer rafting trips on the Toutle River due to its close proximity with the previous Office location. In the Fall of 2012 the Wildwater Office was moved to the east side of the Cascades near Leavenworth, and now is close to a four hour drive one way to the Toutle River. We didn't want to get rid of the rafting trip entirely, so we decided to create an ability to still offer a rafting adventure on the gorgeous secluded river, while adding historical significance to the trip. 

Mount St. Helens captured from Spirit Lake before the 1980 eruption. 
Photo Credit: US Forest Service

This year we are proud to announce Wildwater’s plan to host an annual historical whitewater rafting weekend on the beautiful Toutle River just in time for the anniversary of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. The historical river adventure will take place on the weekend of May 17th and 18th. Wildwater River Guides will be hosting one trip a day for the weekend. Trips will start at 10:00 am and you can expect to be on the river for around four hours.

Join the Wildwater River Guides experience! 
Photo credit: Riverbooty Photography

The Toutle River, a class III-IV stretch has more than just exhilarating rapids to offer. The bedrock walls of the canyon contain years of ever changing historical value providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in rafting this gorgeous and famous whitewater stretch.

Hollywood Gorge, Toutle River. Photo credit: American Whitewater

Wildwater is the only company that offers whitewater rafting trips on the Toutle River, so make sure to sign up early and join us on what is truly a trip of a lifetime. You will experience beautiful scenery, house sized boulders and moss covered rocks on this secluded river adventure. With the challenging rapids the Toutle River provides we have set an age requirement of 14 years or older to raft and require all of our guests to be physically fit.

For more information about the historical whitewater rafting adventure visit our website and the Toutle River rafting page.  You can also read a great article here, written by Matt Pentz with the Daily News on the Toutle River: Once left dead, Toutle River reborn in tranquility.  

A beautiful photo captured by Backpacker Magazine of the Spring flowers in the shadow of Mount St. Helens.

The residents living in Washington in 1980 at the time of the eruption were able to see first hand the effects of what is known as the largest terrestrial landslide in recorded history, which reduced the summit of Mount St. Helens by 1,300 feet. The eruption sent volcanic ash and debris to a height of 60,000 feet. It only took three minutes for the blast to travel 230 square miles of forest at a rate of 300 miles per hour taking the lives of fifty-seven people and destroying hundreds of miles of forest land, animal habitats, and people's homes. Small plants and trees hidden beneath the Winter snow on Mount St. Helens were the only thing to survive the 1980 eruption and still thrive to this day.

Just hours after the 1980 eruption. Photo credit: Robert Krimmel, USGS

With help from biologists the Wild Salmon and Steelhead populations have been reintroduced to the rivers and streams surrounding Mount St. Helens.

In 1982 Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was established for everyone to observe the destruction that once was, and now the remarkable recovery of the plants and animals that call Mount St. Helens home. 

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument 

Many of you are probably thinking, “Why not just visit the monument and take in the information provided by the National Forest Service?” Participanting with us on this historical river rafting trip you will join the few that get the chance to experience and take in the erosion of Mount St. Helens and the ever changing Toutle River landscape and river bed. Joining us on the river you will become a part of a small number of people in the world that have taken in the beauty of such a magical river in the shadow of a historic volcano. Getting the chance to mix history and geology with whitewater rafting, this trip is certainly a river adventure to go down in the record books. Book your trip today!  

Mount St. Helens captured from Spirit Lake after the 1980 eruption. Photo credit: US Forest Service

Information gathered from the following websites:
U.S. Geological Survey facts page
Live Science website
CNN
Photos gathered from: 

American Whitewater, Live Science, Backpacker Magazine, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and US Forest Service.

Wildwater River Guides - Guide Training Course

Wildwater River Guides’ Professional Guide Training is a hands-on, comprehensive course designed to prepare you to be a whitewater guide certified in the state of Washington or be confident in taking friends and family out on the river for personal recreation.

2013 Guide trainees going big in "Granny's Rapid" on the Wenatchee River 

2014 Guide Training starts the weekend of Saturday April 5th and continues through the weekend of Sunday May 4th with a graduation float for family and friends on Saturday May 10th.

Our team of professional guides and expert instructors are some of the best the industry has to offer. This course is led by owner Lance Reif; an American Canoe Association level 4 whitewater kayak instructor, Rescue 3 International Whitewater Rescue Technician, Wilderness Medical Institute Wilderness First Responder, and class 5 guide with experience on over 100 rivers across the United States, British Columbia, Mexico, and Ecuador. Lance started his commercial whitewater career in his home state of West Virginia for Songer Whitewater where he trained and learned to guide on the famous New and Gauley rivers from 2004-2007. He quickly became a trip leader, support kayaker, and guide trainer on these two amazing rivers before making the move out west to chase more whitewater. After working and checking out several companies in California and Oregon Lance landed a job in Washington, where he became a lead guide trainer, lead kayak instructor, support kayaker, and trip leader from 2008-2012. At the end of 2012 Lance took over Wildwater River Tours.  With the addition of kayaking and SUP trips, WRT became Wildwater River Guides.

Lance running Punchbowl Falls on Eagle Creek in Oregon

Whether you are looking for employment in the whitewater industry or just looking to learn how to guide from the professionals, Wildwater’s Guide Training course will teach you the skills needed to guide with confidence.

In this comprehensive course we will cover such topics as:

• Reading water
• Paddle strokes
• Rowing techniques
• River signals
• Boat control
• Commanding a crew
• Basic rescue skills
• How to properly rig a boat
• Proper maintenance and inspection of equipment
• Emergency procedures
• Flipping a raft

Trainee Brittany practicing a key skill for becoming a raft guide during Flip Training.

River Guide Jaime learning how to row on the Skagit River during 2013's Guide Training Course

2013 Guide Trainees having fun after running "Drunkard's Drop" on the Wenatchee River. 

Our experienced guide instructors will work hard to make sure you meet your goals and that all of your river experiences are fun and exciting. We keep the guide to participant ratio low to ensure that everyone gets proper instruction and plenty of “stick time”. This is a great opportunity for you as a river rafting enthusiasts in Washington State to step into professional river guiding or brush up on your skills with river travel.
No previous experience is necessary.

While in guide training you will need to provide your own snacks, lunch and beverages for the river. Proper river equipment is needed for this course - this included a helmet, PFD, and river attire. If you do not already own equipment then a farmer-john (or sleeveless) style neoprene wet suit, booties, PFD, and helmet can be provided upon request. Please give us a call in the office at 1-800-522-WILD if you have any questions or concerns about the river gear you will need.

Everyone is responsible for his or her own transportation to and from the river. There are motels and campgrounds near each river, call or check the website for the appropriate accommodations.

Trainee Amy practicing her trip talk before launching on the Skagit River.

Training may take place on the Skagit River (famous for our Bald Eagle Trips), Wenatchee River, Methow River, Green River Gorge, Toutle River, or the Skykomish River.

We reserve the right to move our training to any of the above rivers depending on river levels.

Learn how important and helpful skills for river rescue scenarios are to make sure you are prepared for any thing while out on the river.

This course is very popular and class size is limited, so register early.
We look forward to getting out on the river with you!


Requirements: 

All participants must be in good physical condition and have a willingness to learn!

Ages 18 years and up.

The group practicing their knot skills.

Working for Wildwater River Guides has its benefits. We offer more rivers than any company in the state: Wenatchee River, Skykomish River, Green River, White Salmon River, Toutle River, Tieton River, Skagit River, and Methow river. Along with the biggest rafting selection we also offer kayak instruction, guided kayak trips, and down river SUP trips. This means that guides at Wildwater have the chance to work on a variety of rivers and trips, so you’ll never get bored with the same river throughout the season.

Employees also get pro-deals through some of the top brands in the industry, including: NRS, Bomber Gear, Werner paddles, Dagger Kayaks, Wave Sport Kayaks, Kokatat, AT paddles, and much more! Additional benefits include: in house Swiftwater Rescue Certifications, ability to borrow kayaks/SUPs/Rafts, ability to join in on kayak instruction classes, and camping for full time staff. Come join the experience!

2013 guide trainees with instructors Lance, and Jonathan

2013 Guide Trainees and Instructor Neils holding Wildwater's Security Manager Rio

Training dates: Guide training starts Saturday April 5th and continues through Sunday May 4th with a graduation float for family and friends on May 10th.
Weekends only!

Training begins at 8:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday and typically runs until 5:30 PM.

2013 Guide Trainees and instructors are all smiles after a fun weekend spent on the river.

Completion of the course does not guarantee employment with Wildwater River Guides. There is more to being a professional guide and joining the Wildwater River Guides team then just river skills. Wildwater hires guides with leadership abilities, positive attitudes, and good work ethic that also possess competent river skills and the ability to communicate effectively with all types of people, on and off the river. Washington State requires guides to be at least 18 years old, have completed a basic swift water rescue course, and have a current certification for First Aid/CPR (not required to participate in guide training). To be considered for full time work with Wildwater River Guides we require guides to hold a current certification in Swiftwater Rescue.

Checking in with River Guide Jules: Yoga in Costa Rica

I still feel like I am in the nascent stages of my yoga practice (and perhaps will be for a long time), but I have known from early on that the pull towards my yoga mat began at the river. This is a story that I've told many times now, but bringing it out in this venue seems incredibly appropriate.

I love the river because of the presence and connection it brings into my life. Rapids are
fun, complex, intricate opportunities to learn something about your self and what it means to be truly alive. During the Summer of 2011 I discovered this. The following Winter, I (unconsciously, at the time) longed for some forum to explore this feeling of connectedness and aliveness off the river. Enter: Hatha Yoga. Here is where I found a way to continue the journey into the self during the months when most rivers are frozen or too far away.

After a couple of years of dedicated practice, the pull to delve more deeply into the yoga tradition was overwhelming. I'll shorten the story (you can read the long version on my personal blog, River Yogi) to save time, but in short I decided that I wanted to do a 200-hr Teacher Training and I wanted to go on an adventure to do it. It was also important to find something during the off-season from Wildwater, since guiding and kayaking are such important parts of my life. I left a mind-blowing season with the WW crew for the Nosara Yoga Institute, an amazing center on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Nosara is a small town, especially in early November. The rainy season, which is the off-season for tourism, ends near the middle to end of the month, meaning the town was mostly locals during the month that I spent there. As time wore on, more and more foreign faces began to pop up, but for the first two weeks at least, my sub-par spanish had to get me through a lot of the time. The institute is about half a mile removed from town, set on an incredibly landscaped hill top filled with jungle vines, guanacaste trees and howler monkeys. It truly feels like a sanctuary, another winding path or and iron Sri Yantra at every turn.

For one month, the 48 yoga teachers in training and I rose at 5 am to make the hike up to the institute for morning practice. I think we were up earlier than the monkeys. Arriving on the mat in the morning was often the easiest part of the day, it was what you found there that could be truly intense. Each day was packed with 8 hours of class, with multiple long breaks for beach time and siestas. Incidentally, however, when you're living just up the path from a beautiful beach that is also a Leatherback Sea Turtle sanctuary with 80 degree ocean waves, you don't feel the need to "siesta" very often. Breaks were usually spent swimming, trying to re-up calories with Tico food (rice, beans, plantains, avocados), or maybe napping on the beach if you were absolutely exhausted.

And absolute exhaustion is exactly where we found ourselves during the final weeks of training. Diving into yoga philosophy and posture technique for 8 hours a day is unmeasurably rewarding, but it can be quite draining both physically and mentally. While I was there, I never wanted the experience to end. But when I got home, I slept for about a week. Something so life changing can require a "reset" period.

Getting back to the States and normal life was  a strange adjustment, but yoga teacher training and Costa Rica ignited the flame of desire to share Yoga and live Yoga in all dimensions of my life. It set me on a clear path. To return to what I wrote earlier, the river showed me the very beginnings of that path. Moving forward, it is my hope to share the benefits and the inquiry of yoga with the river community. Presence and peace is there to be found, both on the mat and on the water.

Hope to see you all on the water this Summer with Wildwater!

To keep up with all my river and yoga adventures:

My Personal Blog

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Checking in with Full Face Andy

Andy supporting the 12th man

If a picture is worth a thousand words that's already more than I would like to write down. So ill do even better, 30 pictures a second with a few spoken words to boot! Here is a video blog post coming to you from the far side of the continent in Montreal, QC where I talk about the best things in the world and how my off season is going. Enjoy.

So if you do take the time to check out some of my videos they can be found here:
http://vimeo.com/fullfaceandy

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRxVBUBimaxEn7JNxvG7Fg

http://fullfaceandy.prosite.com
And if you watch Full Face Chronicles and particularly enjoy April and on wards then you have a taste for river lifestyle and I strongly encourage you to experience it! So come on a trip with Wildwater River Guides and if want more than that look into guide training, it was seriously some of the most fun throughout the season.

~Andy