Recent Posts from ECHO Staff
This River Is My River, This River Is Your River
The song sung to the tune of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND..... Chorus: This river is my river This river is your river From the top of the canyon Down to the Salmon It's Wild and Scenic So it's protected. This river is here for you and me. While we go boating The sweep is floating Guides set our tents up Wow! what a setup. They cook our dinners Meals are always winners This river is here for you and me....
Your Own Private Rogue River Trip
ECHO has been allocated three small start dates on the Rogue River in southwest Oregon. They are September 3, 5, and 9. What makes them so special is that the maximum party size is 10 people. In addition, September is a wonderful time to raft the Rogue since the temperatures are moderate and there are few others on the river. If you have a group of eight or more people, the trip is entirely yours. Think about it, your own private float trip with friends and...
2008 ECHO Guide Schools
We just finished our 2007 professional guide school on the Rogue River in Oregon. The eight day guide school included two days of instruction at our guide house and six days of instruction on the river. Both participants and guide trainers report great weather and an wonderful time had by all. After talking with the students and guide trainers, we've scheduled our guide schools for 2008. The first will be another 8 day professional guide school on the Rogue Starting on May 17, 2008. Next we...
Salmon Supreme Trip Report
by Rick Groff The 2007 Salmon Supreme rafting crew huddled in their sleeping bags at Boundary Creek Camp in the early morning hours of May 29th- waiting for the morning chill to lift and the guests to arrive. Frost lined the bag openings from frozen breaths, a 0 degree bag needed it's occupant to dress in fleece to help ward off the cold. It was 20+ degrees and no one wanted out. It was still better than the first put in here last year where our...
Rafting with Children - A Family Perspective
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats…" -Water Rat in Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame "What’s our river this summer," Gabe asks. When my twin boys were seven we took our first family overnight float, a four-day journey down the class II Grand Ronde River in Oregon. What we remember is "Butterfly Camp," where hundreds of monarchs visited us on the beach, and the way the boys and their step dad, John,...
ECHO Still Has Space on a September Turquoise Coast Trip
While our September 19 Turquoise Coast trip is filled, our September 5 trip still has space on it. Join us in our 11th year of yachting the beautiful Mediterranean Coast of Turkey. This is a tour for people who don't like tours. Twelve guests and a professional, licensed guide sail for six days and nights, on a beautiful wood motor-sailor, built specifically for plying these coastal waters. Each of the six cabins has a private bath. The crew consists of a captain, a cook and a...
Duckie! Trips on the Middle Fork and the Rogue
It is no secret the the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and the Rogue River are two of America's best rafting trips. With spectacular scenery, awesome wildlife, and perfect Class III rapids, the Rogue and Middle Fork make for ideal family vacations. For families looking for a few more thrills and spills than a 16-foot raft can provide, ECHO River Trips is now offering unique wilderness adventures: four to six day family expeditions down Oregon's friendly Rogue River and Idaho’s pristine Middle Fork of the...
ECHO Photo Submission 2007
We know there are many inspiring photographers on our trips. For those interested in having their photos displayed on our web site, we have started a formal submission process to enter the following categories of photos. 1. Rogue River scenery photo (for the Rogue River page) 2. Middle Fork of the Salmon scenery photo (for the Middle Fork page) 3. A family on the river photo (for the ECHO home page) 4. A fun ECHO camp photo The photos selected in each category will be used...
Salmon River Snowpack Report
Recent storms in the mountains of Idaho have increased the snowpack to 83% of average as of March 2, 2007 for the Salmon River basin. This is great news for our trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon for this summer. The Middle Fork is a free flowing river, it has no dams on it that control the flow of water. That means that the water that we float down in the summers is due to winter snowpack, spring rain, and summer temperatures. We like...
Recipe for Contentment
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...
