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Every year the locals in the Coloma/Lotus Valley look forward to the Spring show on Mt. Murphy. Blankets of wild California Poppies ring in the onset of spring and paint it’s south facing slopes a golden hue that is utterly breathtaking (especially when the alpinglow sets in just before sundown.) (more…)
As of a couple weeks ago, spring officially arrived–although the blooming poppies on the upper South Fork of the American River, the green hills outside our River office, and frankly the sneezing and coughing from the clouds of petals, pollen and dust swirling with every breeze are as good a sign as anything.
It’s already over but it was a full winter indeed at All-Outdoors: We had three babies born, traveled to Germany, Costa Rica, Argentina and Chile, (uh, hello, is there a reason that I wasn’t one of the traveling people? I have a new passport and everything!) . . . . seven of us worked across the U.S. making it snow for holiday displays……. people competively skiied in Tahoe, dug themselves out of snow drifts, and gave snow mobile tours…..some of us studied watershed management, others Persian literature….trees were planted and fences built at our River Center, we substitute taught, worked on websites, welded, joined political campaigns (go democracy!), refurbished trailors, hunted for mushrooms and–surprize surprize–rafted California Rivers.
The sun’s out, but don’t pack up your beenies and wool socks quite yet–it’s high time to start thinking about some spring rafting. The season has begun!
(Above: The North Fork of the American River runs only in spring time so start planning now. Check out our brand-new North Fork Video too!)
Last week we launched some new California rafting videos, shot on our river trips last summer. We just added another one, of Cherry Creek, a river one of our guests described as “transcendent and transformative.”
Whether you’re an arm-chair adventurer or the real deal, check out our new video, which gives you a virtually-guided tour of the Class-V extravaganza that is the AO Cherry Creek trip. We’ve been out on the Creek since the 1980s, and even though we love family-friendly rivers like the South Fork, there are some of us that pretty much live for Cherry Creek I am not one of those people, because I am a wimp, but even I love the video.
After you watch the Cherry Creek video, check out our new “Cherry Creek frequently asked questions” page to learn more about these remarkable trips. Because class V rafting is a challenge, we’ve found that people tend to have lots of questions–so we thought we’d give you quick answers to some of the easy ones. Call us if we missed anything (800-24-RAFTS).
It’s official people: The ribbon has been cut, the champagne bottle has been smashed, the billed passed the House and the Senate, the treaty has been ratified, the train left the station, the rubber has met the road.
The 2008 California rafting season is open and we are ready. To raft. And raft and raft and raft until our shorts are threadbare and our chaco tans have left us stripier than an old-fashioned barber pole.
What are you waiting for? Join us for what we do best: running the sweet sweet whitewater of California rivers…………………
The 2008 California whitewater rafting season will officially open for business next week, but until then, wet yer whistle and get a taste of what’s ahead in the virtual world of the internet. Just surf on over real easy like to our website, where we have just posted VIDEOS of our trips on seven California rivers!
Check out all out the videos on the blog:
Applications are comin’ in and people are getting ready to power down some serious whitewater rafting experience at the All-Outdoors whitewater guide school this April. Our guide school is a great way to learn the basics of what it takes to become a professional whitewater rafting guide in California.
(Above: You’ll learn valuable skills like how to have fun sitting on a bag of gear in the Tuolumne River warehouse….)
Our instructors will introduce you to skills like reading water, running rapids, equipment
101, safety and crisis management, and cooking like a pro in the wilderness. After our whitewater rafting school you’ll know your thwart from your thole pins, your softie bag from your splash jacket, and your trucker’s hitch from your t-grip.
(Right: If you study hard and practice a lot, someday you too will T-off waves, row massive gear boats, and if you’re lucky, cook eggs as perfect as Kyle’s . . . )
You may wake up slightly damp in your tent, you may have pruney hands for a week, you may stay up and get smoke in your eyes around the campfire and go to bed with leaves in your hair–but you’ll also spend long satisfying days on the South Fork of the American River, learn rafting basics from our fabulous (in our opinion!) senior guides, and, let’s face it, you’ll just have fun, pure and simple.
(Above: After graduation, this becomes your “corner office with a view.” Lots of air conditioning, side benefits include buff arms and a chaco tan….)
Check out our Guide School Application and get started!
I figured that if it’s “breaking news” that Outside Magazine joined Facebook, then it is definitely newsworthy to all of our loyal readers that All-Outdoors has a Facebook page. It’s pretty cool that as a small, family-owned-and-operated rafting company, we’re one step ahead of a major outdoor sports magazine. We have been active on social networks such as Facebook and Myspace for quite a while now. If you have a Facebook profile and have ever rafted with AO, worked for AO, or simply love All-Outdoors, then become one of our fans! On our page you can view many of our spectacular photos taken by Mark Reiner, leave us fun comments, and let the world know how much you love your favorite white water rafting company.
So who went to Friends of the River’s California Rivers Festival this last weekend? Anyone Anyone? I’m looking for a report here…..
Alas, I was unable to go because I am currently too busy to do what I hear are called “fun things” on the weekend because of a little project of mine called a Master’s Thesis, but I am super curious who scored in the gear swap (mmmmm…used neoprene, what could be better?), who hob nobbed with the glamorous icons of the California rafting scene, and most importantly, if the BBQ was delicious.
How was the Ethiopia slide show? Did Scott show his “donkey” photo? If you saw it, you know what I’m talking about and if not, let’s just forget I mentioned it, shall we?
I’m pretty sure AO had some representative attendees so I’ll let you know how the day went and who went home with the best vintage wetsuit…
The California Rivers Festival is just around the corner–it’s coming up this weekend, on March 15th. If you’re going to be in the area stop by and check it out. This Friends of the
River sponsored event will be lots of fun–you can check out the swap meet, sit in on lectures, learn about safe boating (especially important during the upcoming spring season with its higher flows and colder water) bid at the silent auction, and network with the pros. You can also learn about FOR’s many efforts on behalf of California’s whitewater rivers. They have led the charge on education, conservation, and preservation for many years. Get all the details here.
And don’t forget that AO’s own Scott A will be presenting his beautiful photographs from his expedition to Ethiopia’s Blue Nile river a few years ago at this year’s California River Festival. (Above: lining boats on the Blue Nile River)
Scott Armstrong is doing a radio interview with local radio station KFOK 95.1 FM on March 8th at 9pm. Along with other guests he’ll be discussing topics like how recreational industries like whitewater rafting companies in California can “go green.” What “going green” actually means can be difficult to assess–for us, it means combining a respect for the planet, finite resources, and wilderness with an ethical and sustainable business model. Or goal is to balance our bottom line with a strong commitment to both our community and nature–we depend on both equally in order to stay in business.
All-Outdoors whitewater rafting has a long history of making efforts to conserve natural resources and protect wilderess. This long-standing tradition was started by our founder, George Armstrong, who pioneered conservation efforts in the Bay Area when he was a high school teacher in the 1960s and 70s. Scott will talk about the standard his father set and his long-lasting legacy on the 8th.
If these issues interest you, tune in to our local community radio station KFOK 95.1 FM on March 8th and hear AO owner Scott A’s take on balancing these issues on California’s many whitewater river canyons.
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