OK, so it wasn't the Rogue River, it was the Klamath. But it was still pretty incredible!

We got started early, and had an hour+ drive to the put-in spot. There were four of us on the inflatable boat, well secured in our helmets and life jackets. After a few lessons and practice sessions where our guide Jamie took us through the different instructions we would need to know, we set out.

It was pretty easy for awhile, but quickly became very wet, a lot of work, and a lot of fun. We had rapids after rapids, some of them Class IV+ but most of them Class III. We got drenched–the boat felt like it was under the water at times. I was sitting in the front, and it's pretty startling to see a hole in the river that the boat just falls into. Meanwhile, you're still supposed to be paddling.

We did have one scary moment where our training did pay off. We got high-centered on my side on a rock. My dad, on the other side, reports that he felt the raft start edging more and more vertical, getting ready to flip. But we had learned what to do in this event, and kept the boat level.

A great workout and a really fun way to spend a day. We used Noah's Adventures in case anyone else is interested in doing a little rafting while in Ashland.

Once again, this proved the theory that all you have to do is put Erik on a boat and he's happy. 🙂