Blog

1. Kokatat Dry Suit: Essential for working on the river and swimming in cold water. 2. Capilene base layer. 3. Kokatat Dry Top: Great option if you can’t afford drysuit and more versatile if you combine with bibs (#8). Can use all year long. 4. Kokatat Habanero...

Guide training is the first step to becoming a river guide. This week is essential for acquiring the skills and knowledge needed for the upcoming guide season. Boat control, understanding basic river hydrology, guest experience, and river safety are among the key...

At the end of a long day on the river you're gonna need to put some food in your belly. Camp cooking can seem like a chore at times but the payoff is well worth it. You can choose cheap and easy or full gourmet. Sometimes the simplest meals can be the best. Prep work...

We all know how it feels when we try to have a conversation and it’s interrupted by the familiar ding of an incoming text message. Or when we are in class / at the movies / falling asleep / in a work flow / driving / exercising / eating dinner / getting romantic /...

Celebrating 10 years of changing lives in tandem If you’ve been rafting on the Lochsa anytime in the past ten years, chances are you’ve been lucky enough to witness the synergy of two remarkable whitewater professionals. Mat McGrath and Ian Haddad have been guiding...

I moved to Missoula for graduate school a few years back. I had a few old, dear friends who lived here already, wonderful people I knew from my days of guiding cold river trips in my home state of Alaska. One of those friends used to fall out of touch every spring for...

Okay. So you are heading to the legendary Lochsa River.  It’s time to get fired up. The Lochsa is a designated Wild and Scenic river in north central Idaho. It’s a free-flowing (undammed) river, and in the early spring offers some of the best whitewater in the...

RIVER LOVE What do premature wrinkles, rancid polypro, sandy kisses, and rock-solid communication have in common? Human relationships are hard. But for the paddling partner who’s also my special human, it must be extra tough. When I get scared, I get grumpy. If plans...

Ladies, let’s talk about peeing in the woods. More specifically, let’s talk about peeing on the river. Or off the back of a raft. Our guy friends have it easy; as women, we have to put a little more thought into our river adventures. NATURE’S CALL When nature calls on...