Out for a Sunday Raft Ride

This crew is Moose River or ducky bound. They were a mighty, coordinated team last Sunday.

Last of the North Creek Raft-Red Daylillies

Photo by Nick Daba

Nate guiding a State Of The Art Raft (SOTAR) named Stanley. Stanley is our 100 lb black lab. Photo by Jim Swedberg

Rafters in Training

David is living by, with, on and in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho

David is wearing a North Creek Rafting Company T shirt in his sweep boat on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

"And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!"

"By it and with it and on it and in it," said the Rat (or David). "It's my world, and I don't want any other. What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing. " - Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

As I type, David is rowing through the 2.3 million-acre Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness Area.  This is the largest designated wilderness area in the contiguous 48 states. The Salmon River Canyon is one of the deepest in North America, deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. For more information check out the Guide to the Middle Fork and Main Salmon Rivers, Idaho by Duwain Whitis and Barbara Vinson.

A Blast with Seven Bachelorettes

Rafting through the narrowest section of the Hudson River Gorge, The Narrows, 8/2/14. Photos by Jim Swedberg

Two of the bachelorettes wrote testimonials about North Creek Rafting Company: 

Great Company, Great Adventure.
"Myself and six other girls heading out on the river a few weeks for a friends bachelorette party and my my what a day it was !!! We could not have asked for more :) The rafts were clean and modern , the best on the river as far as we were concerned, our guide Becky was so personable and full of interesting stories about the river, landscape and the state !! Even the lunch we received during our trip was exquisite !!! We all had the best day and are so glad we chose North Creek Rafting...."
Jennifer K

The Best Option for Rafting in the Lake George Area.
"From start to finish, North Creek Rafting was spectacular. Making the reservation online was easy and I called multiple times with questions and changes (one of our members cancelled at the last minute) and Nate was helpful every time. We had a group of seven women on a bachelorette party to go rafting for our first time. Two of us had gone before, but more than 10 years ago :) We almost missed the location because it looks like a house (which it is), but parked and got set right up. North Creek had all of the equipment we needed- wet shoes, a full wet suit (if you wanted it), a spray jacket (kind of like a waterproof windbreaker), helmet and life jacket. The equipment was clean and looked new. Becky did our safety training and was very thorough.

We had a large group of people going that day (a Saturday) so there were three rafts going down. We took the 30 min drive up to drop in site with Nate and Greg. All three guides were amazing in their own ways. Becky ended up as our guide down the river which was perfect. When we got to the drop in site, there was SO MANY other rafting companies present! It was the first weekend in August and clearly the busiest time of their season. As we waited in line to get down to the water, I noticed that North Creek Rafting's equipment was in much better condition than the other companies. I'm sure their equipment was sufficient, but it felt good to know that we were with a company that cared about the details.

Once we got in the water, the rafts really seemed to spread out and I never felt like there were too many people on the river. Our three rafts stayed together and ours was in the lead so we had a perfectly clear view of the river at all times. The trip was wonderful at all times. We started with some baby rapids that got us all prepared for what was to come. The options for voluntary swimming were great and I highly recommend jumping in for a bit. Floating on your back down the river while looking up at beautiful blue skies and the forest all around is absolutely perfect.

We stopped halfway through for lunch and it downpoured. Thankfully the guides had brought extra dry gear which really helped since a few of us were still wet from our earlier swim. Lunch was DELICIOUS. They order it from a cafe (Cafe Sarah I think) and had a veggie wrap option as well as peanut butter, honey and granola wrap. The veggie was delicious and so were the chocolate chip cookies :) After the brief rain and chilliness, we were back on the water. We got the chance to spin through two different rapids which was awesome. Some other boats were waiting to surf (where you can stay in the water without moving downstream), but we opted not to do that. The trip was just challenging enough (I'm definitely still sore!), but there were enough breaks to relax and soak up the scenery.

Becky was an amazing guide. We learned that her and Nate are married and were celebrating an anniversary soon. Since we were on a bachelorette getaway, we talked a lot about marriage and relationships. It was great to learn more about Becky and the amazing things her, Nate and North Creek Rafting have done during their eight years in business. As I mentioned, the guides were all fantastic and fun.

Something that I didn't know and thank goodness someone mentioned it- you should tip your guide if it was a good trip! $5 to $10 per person is the norm. Once we got back to the company after the trip, they started to clean the equipment and we got to see photos from the trip. They work with a photographer that is set up about halfway down the river and takes pictures mid-rapid. I will definitely be purchasing some to commemorate such a great day.

I highly recommend North Creek Rafting Company for your next white water rafting trip!!"
Erin K

Heya Becky - I just wanted to thank you for an amazing trip down the river! We were there last weekend with Elyse's bachelorette party :) Such a great time! You all made us feel so comfortable, safe and prepared - thank you! We'll def be back...maybe to train even. You guys rock and I'm telling EVERYONE!
Sara M

THANKS GIRLS.

Highest Falls in Adirondacks, OK Slip Falls, Now Accessible by State Trail

German Shepard, Brew, with OK Slip Falls cascading over 200 feet in the background

New York State purchased the 2800 acres which is now called the OK Slip Tract in April 2013. A state trail to OK Slip Falls opened late July 2014. The trail can be accessed from a parking area along NY Route 28. The overall hike is three miles one way and six miles round trip. The parking area for the trail head is located between the hamlet of North River and town of Indian Lake. The trail head, which also provides access to Ross, Whortleberry, and Big Bad Luck Pond, is across Route 28 about 1000 feet to the west of the parking area. There is a short walk along Route 28. The GPS coordinates for the parking area are N43 46.296 W74 07.849. The beginning of the trail is a bit muddy but the rest of the trail is okay. This hike is becoming popular so arrive early.  

For more information, check
http://www.cnyhiking.com/OKSlipFallsTract.htm

May Our Love Run Deeper and Longer than the Nile ~ Jodee Stevens

Nate holding his fortune with Esther sniffing it.

Nate and I are about to celebrate our wedding anniversary and today two river guides are tying the knot. The ceremony and reception are in the hamlet of North River along the Hudson River. 

Wedding Rings
"The exchange began in ancient Egypt ... Wedding couples braided Nile river reeds into small circles, the symbol of eternity. Believing the vein in the third finger of the left hand runs directly to the heart, that's where they chose to wear their ring."  ~ Jodee Stevens

"Those of us who look for meaning in life's signs and symbols generally find it, then use it to help us on our way." ~ www.cardthartic.com

However, "Love is not always easy. Sometimes it requires hard work under a hot sun." ~ John Gray, Ph.D.

Becky Pelton, North Creek Rafting
This summer I’m slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It’s a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is “Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex” by John Gray. We’ve all heard of it and there’s a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With the understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “With understanding, those we love will certainly flower.”
- See more at: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/#sthash.RnOhrqZi.dpuf

Becky Pelton, North Creek Rafting
This summer I’m slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It’s a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is “Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex” by John Gray. We’ve all heard of it and there’s a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With the understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “With understanding, those we love will certainly flower.”
- See more at: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/#sthash.RnOhrqZi.dpuf

Becky Pelton, North Creek Rafting
This summer I’m slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It’s a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is “Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex” by John Gray. We’ve all heard of it and there’s a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With the understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “With understanding, those we love will certainly flower.”
- See more at: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/#sthash.RnOhrqZi.dpuf

This summer I'm slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It's a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is "Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex". We've all heard of it and there's a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With this understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said "With understanding, those we love will certainly flower. "

Check the link below for North Country Public Radio's 2014 summer reading list:

Becky Pelton, North Creek Rafting
This summer I’m slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It’s a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is “Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex” by John Gray. We’ve all heard of it and there’s a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With the understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “With understanding, those we love will certainly flower.”
- See more at: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/#sthash.RnOhrqZi.dpuf

Becky Pelton, North Creek Rafting
This summer I’m slowly re-reading a book I think everyone ought to read at least once a decade. It’s a book that takes a while to digest and seems like it was written by aliens watching us. The book is “Men are from Mars, Woman are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex” by John Gray. We’ve all heard of it and there’s a reason why. It provides a general framework for understanding the differences between men and women. With the understanding, we can increase effective communication and enjoyment of one another. As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “With understanding, those we love will certainly flower.”
- See more at: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/#sthash.RnOhrqZi.dpuf

http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/allin/2014/07/29/summer-reading-list-call-in-wednesday-10-am-to-noon/