Thursday, July 15, 2010

Colorado, Idaho, and a couple of winners for you!


Larry, hamming it up for the camera--that guy!

This is sort of like a catch up blog since I've been away from a reliable internet source for so long. With the mid-summer lack of festivals, Don and I have been cruising around Colorado and Idaho hitting some great mid-summer destinations like the Arkansas River, Payette River, South Fork Salmon and the new Cascade Whitewater Park!


Steve D. showing off his endo skills on the Numbers.

We had the special treat last week of paddling with both Larry and our long-time friend Steve D. on the Numbers section of the Arkansas River. Don, Larry, and I rarely paddle together in the US as Don and I are usually busy rafting in Aspen and Larry is busy rafting in the Grand Canyon. But the stars aligned and the SWA crew converged for a great afternoon on the river. Steve D. from Denver joined us which was a treat since we normally only get to paddle with him when he comes down to Ecuador.


Steve surfing above #1

All this paddling with our Ecuador buddies has made us start thinking about the season down there. Pretty soon here we'll be packing our bags to head south, and we hope some of you can come join us!
For those of you coming off a strong summer of paddling, you should think about a November trip to keep improving on those skills you've gained over the summer. We've got trips in the Class III, IV and IV+ range in November, so check our schedule and see what's right for you.


Don B. testing out the new whitewater features in Buena Vista.

After a pretty bad mountain bike crash on the Crest Trail near Salida, I've been left unable to paddle:( So my latest job is following Don around taking photos of him, which let me tell you, is getting old fast! But, for now, here's a couple of them.

Don ripping it up in Idaho.

He's been hitting up the North Fork Payette and a few other rivers in the Mccall area, and I've been checking out the local hiking scene--it's pretty sweet!

Now for a bit more catching up:

We have 2 winners to announce.

July 1st: Dustin D. of Alabama won the Jetboil personal cooking stove. He says he's off to the A.T. next month, so his new stove should really come in handy out there.

July 15th: Austin S. won the 2nd Snap Dragon spray skirt!

Congratulations to you both.

Next up is a Willis PFD from Astral.