Yoga instructor and long time ECHO guide Dennis Eagan has just scheduled a “family yoga” trip on the Rogue. This is a four day camping trip that starts July 24, 2007. He has put this trip together as an offering for people that want a yoga retreat they can combine with famiy time.
Dennis focuses on yoga training for outdoor sports enthusiast. Dennis is an experienced skier, kayaker, and climber who turned to yoga to maintain his abilities in these sports. He enjoys helping others do the same.
Throughout the spring and early summer, ECHO River Trips is offering a whitewater adventure with all the comforts of home. These three-day lodge trips on Oregon’s Rogue River combine running the wild and scenic River by day and relaxing in a rustic riverside lodge at night. The private lodges are comfortable, providing all the amenities of home, and are set back from the River so they can’t be seen. Most of the rooms are in cabins away from the main lodge. The lodge trips begin May 19 and 29, June 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2007.
The Rogue River offers the perfect combination of exciting but safe rapids, warm water, a lovely green canyon, a comfortable pace, and plenty of wildlife. It is a wonderful river for families and beginners, yet it still offers enough whitewater excitement for young adults, and river veterans. Over three days, guests will travel the same 38 mile stretch of River that is usually done in four days on the camping-only trip.
The first night’s stay is at the Black Bar Lodge. The staff at the lodge will transport guests’ luggage and equipment to their rooms. There is ample time to hike around the premises or relax on the lawn. Dinner will be served as a group in the lodge. This is a day to tell stories about the upcoming rapids and bond with other travelers.
The second night will be spent at a scenic lodge downriver from the famous Blossom Bar Rapid. Again, the staff at the lodge will transport guests’ bags to their rooms and guests will have the opportunity to explore the grounds and participate in many of the activities that the lodge has to offer. These activities include a five-hole “wild and scenic” gold course, hiking trails, and a wide variety of games. A hearty dinner will be served inside the lodge amongst newfound friends.
On the last day of the trip, guests will wake up to breakfast and coffee before loading into the rafts and floating down to our take-out at Foster Bar.
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:
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.
) 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!
Last summer, to the delight of many of ECHO’s Idaho guides and guests, a new guide book became available for the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The Middle Fok of the Salmon River: A Comprehensive Guide, by Matt Leidecker, is not just a mile-by-mile guide to the rapids on the Middle Fork, but also an excellent resource for history, geology, campsites, hiking trails, and wildlife in the canyon. It also contains outstanding photographs and stories about the Middle Fork . Rafting guests enjoyed following along in the book as they floated down the river, pointing out waterfalls, plants, and marvelling at photos of the rapids at high water levels. The book also provides descriptions for running eight of the biggest rapids on the Middle Fork including Pistol Creek, the Tappan Rapids, Devil’s Tooth, Redside, and Webber. These descriptions are very useful visuals for adventurous folks who choose to go in an inflatable kayak, or “ducky.”
Because of the vast information it provides about the Middle Fork canyon, the high-quality guide recently won for the outdoor advenutre guide book category at the National Outdoor Book Awards. The book awards are part of the larger National Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education. Matt Leidecker a photographer and river guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, is also the author of Impassable Canyon - A Journey Down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Both of these books would make excellent gifts for anyone who has ever been, or is planning to go on a rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon. You can purchase them online at Matt Leidecker’s Web Site.
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.
Now that the season is behind us, we’re taking time to reflect on this past season. We’ve been particularly touched by one of our customers who sent us a friendly email and enthusiastically answered our evaluation questions. This is from an experienced rafting family that did their first commercial trip (on the Rogue) this past summer.
His response to “What is the one thing you liked most about this rafting trip?” was:
“Everything about this trip rates a “10″ — the guides, the scenery, the food, the wildlife. But the sheer luxury of our first guided trip was the creme de la creme.”
And his response to: “Why did you like that aspect of the rafting trip the most?” was:
“After 8-10 private trips each exceeding a week (the Salmon, the Middle Fork, Grand Canyon), we are familiar with the amount of effort that goes into planning & preparation, daily setup & take down, & post-trip cleanup — we didn’t miss it…”
After the trip, he sent us the following email:
“For our first commercial trip, ECHO on the Rogue is going to be hard to top! (Maybe ECHO on the Middle Fork…?) It’s hard to rank what was best: the wildlife, the guides, the scenery, the food, or the camaraderie. But my wife knows — the ease of the trip ranks No. 1 with her! No pre-trip cooking & freezing, no packing & unpacking the boats, no on-the-beach setup, cooking & cleanup; she’s definitely among your No. 1 fans.
I don’t know whether we just lucked out with our guides or if they’re typical of ECHO’s employees, although I suspect the latter is the case. Chip, Amber & Jessie were everything I’d look for in river guides — skilled & knowledgeable, good cooks, good company, & good medics. (They had a chance to show their first-aid skills when one of our group avulsed a fingertip.) And given the somewhat random collection of people on the trip, the amity that developed among the entire group was the frosting on the cake, epitomized by the shared e-mail addresses & hugs all around at Foster Bar.”
