SheSue Experience

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My daughter and I ready to raft.

White Water Rafting Plan on getting wet and having an exciting time while riding the rapids on a raft. My daughter and I tried out white water rafting on the Rogue River. It was my daughter’s first time on white water, and my first time on a raft.

We chose Noah’s Rafting out of Ashland in southern Oregon. They’ve been in operation since 1974 and they offered pickup at your hotel. They offer several different trips on the Rogue and Klamath Rivers. I chose their introduction to whitewater rafting trip. Which provides lessons plus put us over some exciting rapids.

We were picked up right on time by two Eriks; the driver and the guide. The driver was a retired long haul truck driver, a very amiable fellow. I was continually amazed at how he maneuvered the van in and out of traffic while pulling the raft on a trailer. The guide was also very outgoing and friendly, sharing with us his 20 years of rafting experience.

Our Guide Erik

Once on the water, the guide talked to us about safety, describing different scenarios and how to react such as what to do if you fall out of the boat. We then learned about paddling through demonstrations and hands on training. Synchronization was the key. We were all supposed to paddle together. We got pretty good on the flat river, but once into the rapids, our synchronization was way off.

It was time to head down the river. As we moved along, he described the rapids we would be encountering. The rapids are ranked based on difficulty on a classification scale of I-VI; I being mellow and VI being unrunnable (as he described it only those with a death wish would try). Our trip would include class I-IV rapids.

Class IV rapids.

The guide did most of the paddling. We went through a couple of mellow rapid sections before getting to a class III, which we paddled through. A few more mellow sections, then we got to a class IV. It was here we were required to wear our helmets. We were asked to paddle getting into the rapid, and then we just hung on while the guide got us through the biggest part of the rapids. Yee Haw! Being flexible, the raft rode the water like a bucking bronco. It was a little scary seeing the drop you were about to go over, but you were into it so fast, you didn’t have time to get really scared. We all came out smiling.

A short distance later, we pulled out of the water for our snack break. The food was great! The driver has set everything up while we were on the river. The spread consisted of fresh vegetables; hummus, spinach dip, chips, toast and homemade cookies along with water, lemonade and iced tea.

As we were eating, another raft came through the same class IV rapids we just made it through. They weren’t so lucky. The raft got turned sideways and two people rolled out of the raft. They shot down the river, showing the sheer power of the water. Our guide told us earlier that rafting is fun and exciting, but it’s not Disneyland. It must be taken seriously, proven by what we just witnessed.

Back on the water, we went through a couple of mellow rapids, then another class IV. All too soon, our ride was over. We pulled out of the water and were driven back to our hotel. Our guide described Noah’s all day trip on the Klamath as having much more exciting rapids. We are definitely planning on that trip for next year.

I would highly recommend Noah’s for your river adventures. If you go, be sure to ask for Erik for your guide.