by Penny Foster (ECHO guest since 1972)

Take 5 to 6 ECHO guides (absolutely no substitutes)

Add:

A half dozen or so rubber rafts and duckies
Some rigs
One truckload of paddles, PFDs, tents, dry bags, sleeping bags, oars, helmets, ice chests, and other equipment you’ll remember after put-in
2-6 gargantuan tarps
4-5 miles of duct tape (to be used for any medical or other emergency)
4-5 miles of hoopie
A stack of LUXURY edition thermarests

Fold in:

6 to 12 shopping carts of varied food items - roughly 33% of every aisle of the supermarket - include ample servings of steak, gorp, cold cuts, bacon, smoked oysters, and Snickers (figure 1-2 pounds of each per person per day)
Cooking instructions for 18 to 25 three to five star meals (depending on mood) plus helpful hints on how to feed two dozen for dinner when you don’t have the ingredients
Peet’s Coffee
Margarita mix
Two one gallon containers of tequilla (one for guides)

Mix together with:

Sunshine (if you don’t have this, don’t worry)
“Just enough” whitewater
A perch
Hot Springs
River booty
Plenty of guide gossip
A few otter and osprey
Some shooting stars
Laughter
Duckie wars
Great conversation
Trip tales
Being there

Cook at any temperature for 5 to 12 days

Feeds the heart and minds of 20
Satisfaction guaranteed.

Side notes: I got goose bumps while typing this in anticipation of the season.

At noon today we started the 2nd Annual Guess the Camp Contest. We’re offering a Capilene ECHO shirt as a first prize and 5 ECHO aprons or hats as a second prizes. Click here to play this year’s edition.

We gave a head start to our current e-News subscribers and ECHO customers and so far only one person has won (the second prize) by guessing the camp. He remembers the camp well because he was part of an impromptu wedding that we had there two years ago.

Twas the night before put-in when all through the town,
Everyone gathered for the head guide’s low-down.
He gave us our dry sacks, sleeping bags and pads,
And told us the trip plan, boy were we glad.

“Duckies,” he said, “are definitely a blast,
“And fishing boats are perfect for those who can cast.”
The children were wiggling in their seats with glee,
Thrilled for the river trip when they could roam free.

After talk of fun whitewater, bighorns, and more,
We made a last-minute trip to grab stuff from the store.
The kids got Nalgenes, headlamps, and chapstick.
Mom grabbed gin, I got the tonic.

Later that evening after packing our things,
We called the front desk to get our wake-up rings.
Then we curled up in bed, to get a good sleep,
The kids were out fast, without even a peep.

Twas late the night before put-in, when all through the Lodge
Not a person was stirring except from a dreamer’s collage.
The camera and film were packed with great care,
In hopes that good photos would be taken out there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of rapids danced in their heads,
And Mamma and I, in our new capilene,
of soaking in hotsprings, and wine we did dream.

Twas the morning of put-in, at seven we did wake,
Grabbed our dry bags and headed to the bus we would take.
The guides greeted us with smiles as they lent us a hand,
And lucky for us, there was also a bluegrass band.

The guides rigged our bags and last minute stuff,
And we oohed and aahed, “they’re so strong and so buff.”
We jumped in our boats, and made quite a racket,
As we raced to get ready and put on our life jackets.

The river was flowing clear and clean,
A rip-roaring, free falling, big mountain stream.
The kids and I were in kayaks, shouting with glee,
Ecstatically immersed in whitewater sea.

Some folks fished with incredible skill (and luck),
The salmon and trout, were like magnets (they stuck!)
We stopped and feasted on a gourmet lunch,
I looked around - what a happy bunch.

After more rapids, thrills, and excitement,
We pulled into camp and made our way to our tents.
We grabbed our chairs and filled our cups,
Sat down for happy hour and jokes about ducks.

We ate brie and chipotle for an appetizer snack,
Then I took five for a pre-dinner nap.
That evening, by the campfire, a feast we did eat,
Pesto Pasta, Teriyaki Salmon, and a Dutch Oven treat.

My son turned to me, his face covered with cake,
He got an extra piece for keeping watch while it did bake.
“Life doesn’t get any better than this, Dad,
I don’t want it to end, it will be way too sad!”

“We have five more days, Son, we’ll all enjoy floatin’,
“Adventures we’ll have while we’re whitewater boatin’”
Well the days they went by, too quickly it seemed,
But fun times were had by all, great times indeed.

The last night we told our favorite stories from the vacation,
For some it was a surprise swim, others loved the relaxation.
We hugged and cheered, and said our good byes,
Glad that together we’d had the time of our lives.

We hope you enjoyed our poetic holiday spoof,
Although we sometimes exaggerate, this is all the truth!
We’re counting the days ’till rafting starts in the spring,
For now, Happy Holidays from ECHO, river dreams we do bring.

by ECHO guide Tessa Sibbet

We all know that the post Thanksgiving, holiday shopping frenzy is about to begin. It usually means lots of traffic, no parking spots, crowds, and lines, lines, lines. Want to avoid that and do something different this year? Can’t decide what to give your family, friends, or even yourself for the holidays? We have some ideas:

• For the kids: An adventure. An adrenaline rush. An endless playground. The opportunity to learn something new, like kayaking.
• For the college student who wants to be a river guide: Guide School.
• For your wife: Gourmet meals by the river. Wine tasting. Sunsets. Hot springs. Time with the kids away from TV and phones.
• For your husband: Fisherman’s heaven. A camping trip. Rafting. Bar-be-que. Great hiking.
• For yourself: The best gift of all - A river rafting vacation!

If you’re not sure which week, or on which river, you want to go rafting, then a gift certificate is the perfect present.

Gift certificates for ECHO River Trips are now available. They can be for a portion or the entire cost of the trip. From November 20 until December 25, 2006, they will be sold at 10% off the face value of the certificate - a special holiday discount.

The other day Joe Daly, (The Most Modern Man in America), came into ECHO World HQ and said, “Zach, do we need to worry about Web 2.0? More specifically, is ECHO Web 2.0?” Zach looked at Joe and said, “ECHO is more like Web 1.7, but we’re working towards 2.0.” ECHO has recently taken a few small steps toward 2.0.

• Flickr. The first is the addition of ECHO Middle Fork photos on Flickr. On Flickr, people can view and comment on photos that capture the essence of an ECHO river trip. Hot Springs, double duckies, waterfalls, campfires, and games, are all depicted in the photos. Flickr has a great photo slideshow feature, so new or returning guests can get a better visual of what their trip will be like.
• YouTube. Reality TV that is actually real. We just posted a 1:30 video clip of the Middle Fork. It has some great footage of rafting, duckying, wildlife, and awesome scenery. The background music is played by Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum who do the famous “Bluegrass on Whitewater” trip with us each year. If you have any personal videos of ECHO Trips, please send them our way, or post them and let us know!
• Squidoo. ECHO now has a lens on Squidoo.com. On the lens you can view the Flickr pictures, read the ECHO Blog, vote for your favorite Dutch Oven meal, and check out other website that are related to ECHO and to rafting.
• Myspace. You’ve all heard of it by now. It’s the 4th most-visited site on the internet. The myspace craze has spread to the music industry and now to the outdoor industry as well. So, ECHO River Trips made a myspace page. It is a great networking tool and a fun way to keep guides, guests, and the ECHO community in the loop. If you have a myspace page, add us as a friend!
• Digg. The final improvement is that ECHO Blogs can now be Dugg (yes, that’s now an accepted verb!) straight from our website by clicking the Digg icon ( ) below. Digg.com is a news tool that allows the general public to submit stories on the web, vote on them (Digg ‘em), and comment. So, Joe, we’re taking small steps, but ECHO is getting closer to 2.0 everyday!

This past weekend, river guides of all ages converged on the town of Coloma, California to celebrate ECHO’s 35th river season. The 150 people that attended travelled from as far away as New York to attend the reunion.

The celebration included a comprehensive slideshow of ECHO history by co-owner Dick Linford that featured famous trucks, boats, and guides. Young river guides met river veterans from the 70s, 80s, and 90s who shared decades of “wisdom” and tradition.

On the most recent Middle Fork of the Salmon trip, several guests requested that we make a cookbook of all our river recipes. Since we are right in the heat of summer and barely have time to do laundry in between trips, we decided to post a couple recipes on the blog. Bon appetite!

Taco Salad

Recipe serves 5-6 people

1 Tortillas (pkgs. of 10)
1 Lettuce (heads)
1 Green Bell Pepper (#)
1 Limes (#)
2 Tomatoes (#)
1 Cilantro (sm. bunches)
1 Red Onion (#)
2 Avocadoes (#)
1 Black Beans (15 oz cans)
1 Kidney Beans (15 oz cans)
1 Garbanzo Beans (15 oz cans)
1 Canned corn (15 oz cans)
1 Olives, Chopped (sm. cans)
1 Green Chiles (sm. can)
1 Tortilla Chips (bags)
1/2 Pepper Jack (lbs.)
1 Sour Cream (8 oz tubs)
1 Salsa (32 oz bottle)
Chili Powder
Cumin

Open cans. Cut veggies into small pieces. Cut or grate cheese. Smash tortilla chips into small pieces. Mix all ingredients except the tortillas. Use tortillas as wraps.

Chicken Curry Salad

Recipe serves 5-6 people

2 Cans Chicken or 4 grilled chicken breasts
2 Carrots
2 Celery stickes
1 Cucumber
2 Green Apples
1 Leaf Lettuce
1 Red Onion
3 Tomatoes
1/4 lb Cashews
1/2 lb Raisins
6 Wraps or tortillas
3 tbsp Curry Powder (to taste)

Condiments to taste
4 tbsp (approx) Mayonnaise
4 tbsp (approx) Dijon Mustard

Suggested Recipe:
Curry Chicken Salad is a classic ECHO recipe. Mix diced green apples, crushed cashews, raisins, and chicken (if grilled, cut into smaller pieces), mayonaise, mustard and curry powder. Keeping it simple makes it better. The apples add great bulk to this meal.

The other veggies can be sliced and added on an individual basis.

A few changes were made this spring to the ECHO menu and they have so far received rave reviews, welcomed by guests and guides alike with open mouths. After a full day on the river, just about anything tastes fantastic, but ECHO goes the extra mile to serve healthy, delicious food that would easily make the cut in a fancy restaurant. The overall favorites were the tomato, basil, and mozzarella appetizer (known in Italy as Caprese Salad), the rosemary & garlic Dutch oven chicken, and the pear, gorgonzola, & candied walnut salad. Don’t fret though, we are still serving up the old-time classics like Dutch Oven lasagna, chicken curry salad, the famous ECHO fajitas, and scrumptious desserts. One kid on the Middle Fork of the Salmon saw our fruit & chocolate fondue and proclaimed, “Yes, chocolate covered things!!!”

While band-aids are still the most commonly used first aid supply on river trips, having a complete first aid kit, stocked with other neccessary equipment and supplies, is an absolute requirement. And ECHO wants to be prepared not only for the inevitable minor bumps and blisters but the larger medical emergencies that could arise too.

One of the big projects at ECHO World Headquarters in Oakland this past spring has been to redo, revamp, and repack our trip first aid boxes. We consulted experts from Wilderness Medical Institute of NOLS, other rafting outfitters, and local doctors to make sure our first aid kits are organized, complete and go beyond the industry standard.

Zach ordered new first aid boxes and organized all of the supplies in labeled watertight Tupperware containers. Now the guides don’t have to go digging through plastic baggies looking for the Ibuprofen (its in the container conveniently labeled “Meds”). This organized system saves time when one of our guests is looking for immediate relief and comfort.

In addition to our comprehensive first aid boxes that are kept in our “sweep boat” (the last boat in trip floatilla), each boat will have its own small first aid kit, chock full of those regularly used supplies, including the ever-popular band-aids.