Recent Posts from Tate Higgins
A Forkie Visits the Rogue River
As a long time Middle Fork guide for ECHO, it was a little embarrassing that I'd never floated the Rogue River. It's not because I didn't want to. I'd been hearing stories about the wildlife, the scenery, and the rapids since I first arrived in Idaho to guide for ECHO on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. It's just that I'd been so busy loving the Middle Fork that I never wanted to leave Idaho, but at the end of last season I got the...
An Interview with Legendary ECHO Guide Tracy Blashill
Tracy Blashill has been guiding river trips around the world for decades and still has the smiles, energy, and excitement of a man truly in love with everything river. He is an expert fly fisherman who knows every bend and riffle on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. He has turned his passion for rivers into a life-long career. In addition to guiding on the Middle Fork, Tracy and ECHO guide Drew Thate are the owners of Territory Anglers, a top notch fly-fishing company in Montana....
Starting 2012 Off Right on The West Fork of the Hood
I'm not one who's big on New Year's resolutions, but this year, maybe because I just turned 30, I decided to think about some of my goals for 2012. Turns out it's a pretty short list. It involves some far-reaching and longtime dreams like learning Spanish, buying a horse, and riding across Patagonia with my fly rod on my back, but it also involves something as equally important to my true sense happiness—spending more time outdoors with new and old friends, particularly on rivers. The thing...
Dreaming Rivers
I'm inside the ECHO office. Outside, it's cold on the streets of downtown Hood River, OR. I'm working in front of a computer screen, but when I look up there are huge pictures on the office walls that highlight some of the spectacular moments in ECHO's recent history. There's a shot of a cobble bar camp next to the glowing green waters of the Illinois River in Oregon, a yellow tank like truck on the gravel roads of Siberia's mountains on the way to the Kaa-Khem...
A Well Connected ECHO
ECHO's Hood River, OR office is a hot bed of modern technology and connectivity. The first time I stepped foot in here I was blown away. I was struck with two questions - what's a raft company need with all of these fancy computers and Zach, are you video conferencing with Dick and Joe? The answers - it's all about connection, and yes, that’s called technology. Under the leadership of general manager Zach Collier, with river pioneers and ECHO owners Dick Linford and Joe Daly under...
A Look Back at Some of the Awards and Recognition that ECHO Received in 2011
2011 was a great year for ECHO. We're proud and humbled by all the recognition our trips received in 2011. Thanks to all our hard working, friendly guides and staff for running legendary trips, and a special thanks to all the wonderful guests we had in 2011. We couldn't have done it without every one of you. If you think 2011 was good then we know you're going to love the trips we have planned for next year. Follow us on Facebook, Google +, YouTube, and...
Winter? This is Just Summer Recharging
My friends and family know I'm a professional river guide. This lifestyle choice sometimes confuses them, but they really get confused when winter comes. "I mean, there's no water, and it's cold, so like do you just hibernate until next summer?" It's true that at the end of each summer our rafting season "ends." Our equipment is cleaned and packed into Salmon, Idaho and Grants Pass, Oregon warehouses. The guides load their dry bags into their trucks and say reluctant goodbyes to their river family. There's...
Take the Leap!
We're sitting around the campfire on the last night of our trip, sharing our favorite trip experiences, enjoying the company of our new friends, and hoping quietly that it doesn't have to end when Vlad, our trip leader, indicates that he wants to say a few words. With the last rays of the sun glowing on the canyon wall, Vlad gently offers this piece of advice to the circle of camp chairs—"Don't live a boring life." It's so simple that it silences us, but then folks...
Exploring the Owyhee
by Tate Higgins It's Just Rocks and Water (River Rescue Part I) Our mid-morning float is punctuated by the occasional class III rapid. The upstream wind is gone and the current is swift enough to carry us through the sweeping high desert landscape of eastern Oregon without much effort on the oars. After six days on the river together we’ve all fallen into the natural rhythm of multi day river trips - sunrise and sunset and downstream travel. Justin, Zach, and I lounge on the boat...
