Running the rapids on the Nooksack River

By Anne Baker

One fine, late spring day, I found myself standing above the North Fork of the Nooksack River around a raft with two veteran guides from Wild and Scenic River Tours and two customers. Jon Dorman, our guide for the day’s trip down the nine mile section of river, was giving the safety talk as the river raged below at the Horseshoe Bend let in. I listened intently.

Twice before I ventured with the company down the river, as well as on a fun multi-day trip on the mostly mellow Rogue River in Oregon. My past Nooksack experiences came late in previous summers, when the river ran low.

On this day, however, the river was running fast and furious at 3000 cubic feet per second (CFS), which Paul Engel, owner of the company, assured me was perfect due to the large snow pack and recent weather trends of warming and cooling, which would likely continue throughout the summer. I assumed the CFS was higher than on my previous trips, and this made me nervous for the day’s adventure.

As with my previous trips, the preliminary safety talk instilled in me fear and respect of the river. “The first three rules of rafting are stay in the boat, stay in the boat, and stay in the boat,” Jon explained. I said a quick prayer to myself as Jon proceeded to give detailed instructions on what to do in case anyone should fall out.

Jon demonstrated how to pull someone back in the raft by grabbing me by the top of my life jacket, keeping himself low in the boat, and then hoisted me in. Slightly embarrassed, I laughed a little and then continued to pay close attention for the rest of our safety and paddling instruction.

A passerby, likely setting out to enjoy foot travel on the Horseshoe Bend trail, wished us well and said he’d watch from the bridge above the let-in as our crew for the day carried the raft to the river’s edge. We practiced our paddling strokes in the water, heeding Jon’s commands and striving to paddle together as instructed.

Jon asked if we were ready to go, and we all responded with hoots and hollers as Grady McCombs, the other guide accompanying us in an inflatable kayak, began floating downstream. We set off.

All of a sudden, something wasn’t right. I looked over my right shoulder to see Jon in the river, struggling unsuccessfully to get back in the boat. For a second, I panicked. Here we were, rather inexperienced rafters in large rapids, with our guide in a treacherous situation.

Then it clicked – pull Jon back in by his lifejacket! I clumsily set my oar down, half making sure not to lose it to the river. Next thing I knew, I had pulled Jon back in the boat. All was well again. I looked up at the bridge and saw the passerby and his friends watching, and smiled to myself.

“People go swimming sometimes,” Jon explained later, though he said it doesn’t happen often. Indeed, on my previous trips, no such incidents had occurred.

“Boat dynamics is awesome, it’s all positive,” Jon added. “It’s amazing how people from all walks of life form a team and work together.”

To be sure, following Jon’s commands to paddle together, aggressively, throughout the remainder of the trip, as well as rescuing Jon in that critical moment, ensured us a fun, safe voyage through a scenic section of river known as “the canyon,” and class 3 rapids (on a scale of 1 to 6, one being flatwater, six being on the edge of what is navigable) known as “the nozzle, waterslides, and postcard.” We were rewarded with a gourmet deli lunch along the river, complete with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

Indeed, one of the prevailing themes I came away with from the multi-day Rogue River trip was the importance of teamwork. The Rogue, a designated wild and scenic river, provides a wilderness setting remote from the conveniences of modern day living. The trip included relentless cold, rain, and snow, and by the end of the day, we were cold, tired, hungry, and eager to change into dry clothes.
However, the priority was to set up camp first, which required the laborious tasks of derigging the gear boats of personal and camp supplies, setting up a camp shelter and kitchen, as well as starting a fire. These tasks were completed much quicker, easier, and thus more pleasantly with the help of many hands; we quickly learned to work together for the comfort and well being of all. Needless to say, such skills are essential to any type of cooperative community.

Of our day’s trip down the Nooksack, Dusan Kettering of Glacier said it was excellent. “I would do it every day, all day.” Dusan indicated he was interested in becoming a guide.

While Jon knew right away that being a guide was the perfect thing for him, Grady started off his career by being “around a lot” and learning how things went. Wild and Scenic River Tours offers a $200 season pass, providing a way for interested folks to learn the ropes. The fee could then be forwarded to guide training.

According to Paul, the guide training is “the most intensive in the state” and consists of a multi-day trip on a river in the northwest. The trip is a time for guides to learn skills including cooking with a Dutch oven, “rigging” and “derigging” gear boats, and of course rafting, and offers plenty of fun and bonding.

Paul has been guiding full time for over 10 years. He never intended to become a river guide; he was scrambling for credits at Western Washington University and took a course in guiding. He was hooked.
“Being on the water is therapeutic,” Paul said. “It was nice to get back to natural time rather than mechanical time. The river helps facilitate that. I haven’t worn a watch since guide training.”

Paul started Hobo Expeditions soon after. He operated under a permit held by Alpine Adventures, as the North Fork only has four permits available for rafting. Seventy five percent of Hobo Expeditions had to be turned over to Alpine Adventures.

In 2006, Paul purchased Wild and Scenic River Tours, which operates under its own permit. This year, he purchased a permit for the “sporty” Sauk River, a tributary to the Skagit River. The Sauk, a designated wild and scenic river, offers Class 4 rapids and according to Paul, “feels like you’re in the middle of Alaska.”

Along with standard day trips along the Nooksack and Sauk, which includes lunch on the river, Wild and Scenic River Tours offers overnight and multi-day trips on both rivers and others across the Northwest, as well as wintertime bald eagle floats down the Skagit. In addition, kayaking school is offered by the company, which teaches skills such as rolling the boat. Experienced boaters are welcome to venture in inflatable kayaks.

Reflecting back on my rafting experiences, a few things stand out. One is the crazy outfits I and the other customers have to wear. I consider myself to be style-conscious, and the wetsuits, booties, and splash jacket topped with an orange life vest and helmet is just not the coolest looking get up ever. The guides, on the other hand, customize their outfits and come out looking pretty decent.

Second, the workout is ample, to say the least. My stomach was sore, in a good way, for days after. To add to that, the focus of my yoga class one day after rafting was “core strengthening.” Pretty funny.
But above all else, actually being on the river itself is such a memorable experience. Rafting provides a unique way to experience the valley we live and spend time in, while enjoying the company of friends, neighbors, and newcomers, as well as learning or mastering a skill. It’s a fantastic combination, and I can’t wait to go again.

For more information, call 800/413-6840 or 360/599-3115, or visit www.wildandscenic.com.

Photos of Wild and Scenic River Tours on the Nooksack

By Jack Kintner