1. Class III Rafting is Fun
I know, it’s kind of obvious right? If you have been rafting before, you know how much fun it is. If you haven’t you should come and find out for yourself. Whether you are just floating down a calm pool chatting with friends or if you are slamming through giant waves as you are paddling your hearts out – rafting class III is just really good clean fun. One of the things that is so great about white water rafting is that it is a shared experience and as a raft guide you have the opportunity to show your non-rafting friends or paying guests a good time. They will love you forever (depending on how many times you accidentally knock them out of the raft!). Class III rafting brings out the kid in people – sometimes you will laugh so much that your face hurts, sometimes you will slide up a rock – just ‘cus - and sometimes you will paint your face with blackberry juice. Whatever your inner child looks like – you will be sure to see it on a raft and you will become an ambassador of fun to all of those who step into your raft.
Sarah V and her crew having a fun side surf on the South Fork of the American River
2. Nature is your office
It is no secret that being outside in nature is fundamentally fulfilling to most of us. As a raft guide the river is your office. The sun replaces fluorescent lights and if you are lucky enough to be a multi-day guide, you get to sleep out under the stars every night. Sometimes you will start to notice little things, like the surge in the river changing, like how every spring the buckeyes bloom at a slightly different time, like how during the full moon the forest is forever rustling with animal life. Life starts to feel simple.
Kyle Ingles and his crew enjoying another day in Paradise
3. You Get to Help Others Enjoy The Outdoors
Sometimes people get into your raft all wound up. Maybe they have a busy and stressful life in the city. Maybe they drove seven hours in Californian traffic to get to the river. Maybe it’s been too long since their last vacation. Great! These are the best days because you get to watch them slowly relax and enjoy the river. The first time you hit a wave the cold water splashes them in the face - everything changes. You are charged with the responsibility of showing them a good time in the great outdoors. There is nothing more satisfying as a raft guide than seeing someone chill out and enjoy themselves all because you did a great job.
River Runners guest Kelly M taking a leap of faith!
4. Raft Guiding is a Trade and an Art
Raft guiding is a unique skill. You can travel all over the world and get jobs, not necessarily based on your résumé or classes you have taken but because you can demonstrate a proficiency in navigating the river in an inflatable raft. Of course, it is good to have references and relevant certificates but none of that means anything if you can’t guide well. As a new class III raft guide you get to practice these skills every single day. Through experimentation and continual improvement, a good raft guide will start to see their trade as an art form. The river provides endless opportunity to improve your craft and over time –you may paddle class IV and V rivers with more experienced guides and practice your class IV skills by R2-ing a raft. You may even go on to be a commercial guide on more difficult rivers. There is always something new to learn. You will never master the river but through consistent practice and refinement, the river may let you feel that you have sometimes.
Raft guide Scott Rist working on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho
5. Raft Guiding can be Financially Rewarding if Done Right
So yeah, being a raft guide is fun and all, but can you make a living doing it? Yes, you can! Raft guiding is often a seasonal job which works well for some people because it means they can get some variety in their life. Some raft guides are school teachers or nurses which often have long periods of time off or flexible shifts. Some raft guides are in college and work their summer vacation to save money. Other more committed full time commercial raft guides travel to other hemispheres to work the rafting season in another country so they can raft guide year-round. Whatever you choose to do it is important to know that your first season may not come with a lot of paid work because you will need to develop your skills to become employable. With dedication you can get the skills necessary to be a successful commercial class III raft guide really fast. After that it is important to find the right job. Wages and conditions vary widely across the industry so don’t be afraid to ask about pay scales. Working in the USA you may also receive tips, so the better you perform as a raft guide – the more you can earn! There are a lot of guides out there who have made it their life long profession and some even go on to run their own rafting companies. It all depends on how hard you work!
Raft guide Daniel Jenkins enjoying his season raft guiding in New Zealand before returning to the USA for the next rafting season here.
When John and I took over River Runners in 2015 we could only do so with the support of the Centers. Bill and Robin Center own Camp Lotus where River Runners operates. For years their tireless work on the camp ground has provided a beautiful green oasis throughout the dry hot summers. John and I … Read more
1. Class III Rafting is Fun I know, it’s kind of obvious right? If you have been rafting before, you know how much fun it is. If you haven’t you should come and find out for yourself. Whether you are just floating down a calm pool chatting with friends or if you are slamming through … Read more
In March of 2018, River Runners discovered a trash problem on the Chamberlain Falls section of the the North Fork of the American River near Auburn, California. The North Fork of the American River is a beautiful free flowing river that is usually spared from pollution due to the inaccessibility of its narrow gorges. Much … Read more
From the parking lot 400 vertical feet above the put-in, it’s easy to feel intimidated. At first sight the river falls over a ledge, crashes into a rock, and spits a rooster tail wave into the air. The setting is stunning. A quarter mile downstream from put-in a magnificent waterfall cascades into the river in … Read more
It’s a hot spring day and two yellow school buses squeal their breaks and come to a halt. With the engine idling the roar of the students rivals that of the river nearby. The raft guides are smiling and waving, muttering “here we go” under their breath, readying themselves for the 60 hormonal sweaty teenagers … Read more
I met my husband nine years ago. He was traveling in my home country of Australia and invited me to travel with him so I went. A few days later we were north of Perth. After breakfast he stood up creating a stir among the flies and said, ‘I am going for a hike. I … Read more
I’ve been a professional river guide for 40 years and would like to share a few notions. River guiding is a community event. The degree that the guides cooperate determines the amount of enjoyment on a river trip. I’d like to thank all the river guides whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with over … Read more
Living by the river forces me to be flexible. It’s always changing here so I have learned not to get too comfortable with the way things are. It’s a good thing, because this past winter turned out to be the biggest precipitation year since 1983. We had never seen the river get so high. … Read more
Two Days with River Runners When you go whitewater rafting with River Runners it kind of feels like you are part of a secret society. If you have been rafting with us before you may have noticed other companies’ guides call out ‘yeah River Runners!’ as they pass us playing in the river somewhere. River … Read more
The South Fork of the American River breaks its banks in Placerville California, January 2017. From The River Runners’ Headquaters on The South Fork of the American River – Placerville, California It’s raining. A lot. As I write, there is a torrential downpour obscuring the view out of the windows and hammering on the rooftop. … Read more
Over the course of this past amazing summer I have given a lot of thought to what sets River Runners apart on the South Fork of the American River. It is not just all the extra curricular activities we do, like swimming, jumping off of rocks and stopping to skip rocks and pick berries, it … Read more
“Tenderly, he looked into the rushing water, into the transparent green, into the crystal lines of its drawing, so rich in secrets. Bright pearls he saw rising from the deep, quiet bubbles of air floating on the reflecting surface, the blue of the sky being depicted in it. With a thousand eyes, the river looked … Read more
There is a lot of work involved in setting up River Runners. A lot of building, painting, digging and lots of talking. Yes a lot of things that don’t have much to do with that passion of ours – rafting. But all this pre-season busy work just makes Spring rafting even sweeter. This Spring, rafting … Read more
As the weather warms, rivers run, the lilacs bloom and the poppies burst…we venture out into rivers known and unknown to us. We went on an exploratory mission to find a short section of the Mokelumne River that we had never been on before. The road was washed out by the heavy winter rains and … Read more
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