Stories from the water

Uncategorized

Where's Your River Guide? | Priscilla Macy

Orange Torpedo Tripping the NW Creeking Competition

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Kenneth Grahame

Our River Wisdom is a Wednesday thing... B ut we're transitioning to River Time. OTT Guide Ryan Hunter on a recent pre-season North Umpqua Trip

Uncategorized

Photoshop Friday | 04.04.2014

An OTT Themed Canyon Creek, WA

Uncategorized

Throwback Thursday | April 3, 2014

Where are the snow dens of yesteryear?

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Langston Hughes

Take your Wednesday into deeper water.

Uncategorized

LEAP Into Summer 2014 | Amateur Variety Show

Support Wilderness Experiences, Support Your Values For those of us with access --that is, with means , know-how and opportunity-- the potential therapeutic effects wilderness and wilderness adventure are more or less apparent. So, too, is an understanding of the way in which these can serve as catalysts for an individuals' personal healing and growth--by finding calm in its solace, adaptability in its capriciousness, and strength in overcoming its challenges.But it can be easy to take for granted the access that such experiences presuppose. What's more, it is often the case that those individ...

Uncategorized

First Rivers | An OTT Guide Series | Tanner "Bub" Marvel | The River of No Return

Guides' First Rivers Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall or somewhere in-between, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and we will be. (Deep water, brother...) So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall a notable "first" paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell a story about that experience. Return to the River of No Return Corn Creek Launch Site I am not exactly sure when my fa...

Uncategorized

River Wisdom Wednesday | William G.T. Shedd

Uncategorized

Rising Water Raising Hopes on the Rogue

The Night Is Darkest Before Dawn A Look Downstream at the Wild & Scenic Rogue River Canyon Despite what can only be called an abnormally warm and dry Winter for Southern Oregon, recent assessments by officials charged with managing water in the Rogue Basin offer good reason for optimism, if not outright celebration. According to Jim Buck, operations project manger for the Army Corps of Engineer’s Rogue River Basin Project, "we’re pretty likely looking at filling Lost Creek," the dam that more or less controls the Rogue's water supply, and to put it simply: a full L...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | John Muir

Uncategorized

Hell or High-Water: Great News on Idaho's Salmon Basin Snowpack

Let It Rain! Updated data from the National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) puts snowpack and anticipated streamflow forecasts for Idaho's Salmon River basin at roughly 1

Uncategorized

First Rivers | An OTT Guide Series | "P.B." | The Lower Salmon River Queen

Guides' First Rivers Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall or somewhere in-between, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and we will be. (Deep water, brother...) So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall a notable "first" paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell a story about that experience. THE LOWER SALMON RIVER QUEEN Makepeace employing the "Slagle Brace" midway through China Rapid on th...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Albert Einstein

The Rogue River has always seemed miraculous to us. Discover it for yourself.

Uncategorized

The 7 Wonders of Oregon | From Crater Lake to Rafting the Rogue River

Why Crater Lake is Awesome ( in the true sense of that word ) 1. It's deep water, Brother. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States (in terms of maximum depth). Crater Lake is deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere (in terms of average depth). Crater Lake is the seventh deepest lake in the world. 2. It's clean, clear and under control. Due primarily to the absence of any inlets or tributaries, the waters of Crater Lake are singularly clear of pollutants. 3. It's water has memory (figuratively speaking) As aforementioned, there are no rivers or streams flowing di...

Uncategorized

OTT Guides in the Offseason | Chasing Waterfalls | East Fork of the Lewis River, WA

What TLC didn't realize is sometimes waterfalls chase you. Orange Torpedo Trips River Guides living up the Offseason on the East Fork of the Lewis River, WA. Learn about our summer commercial trips at http://www.orangetorpedo.com/oregon-rafting/ . [Music: Waterfalls, by TLC. (C) 1994 LaFace Records LLC]

Uncategorized

First Rivers | An OTT Guide Series | "Pretty Richard" Alves | Salmon River Love

Guides' First Rivers Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall or somewhere in-between, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and we will be. (Deep water, brother...) So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall a notable "first" paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell a story about that experience. Salmon River Love Richard, his fiancé, Jamee, and her dad, Grant, on the Main Salmon River in our pr...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Henry David Thoreau

We dream of rivers. What fills your dreams?

Uncategorized

Orange Torpedo Trips' Friend of the Month | March 2014 | Laurie F.

OTT Featured Friend | March 2014 Laurie F.

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | An OTT Guide Series | Travis | Ongoing River Firsts

Guides' First Rivers Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and who we will be (deep water, brother...). So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall a notable "first" paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell the story of that experience. In this installment, OTT guide Travis Tocher recalls not his first river or river trip, but a series of firsts surrounding the river an...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Andre Gide

Photo shot by Eric Weiseth on the Bhote Kosi River in Nepal

Uncategorized

Paddling Big Water: A Guide's Guide

With Spring around the corner, conversation around here has started to turn to snowmelt, rainfall, and the prospect of Big Water . Definitions: What it is! OTT Guide Matt Weiseth bombing into Ikes Falls on our 2013 Klamath Hotshot Season Starter The question is: what constitutes Big Water ? Not surprisingly, there is no set criterion here--and as we've talked about this piece, the issue has turned into something of a debate among some of us here at OTT. Some of us contend that when we talk about Big Water , what we’re talking about is high volume rivers and/or comparatively highe...

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | an OTT Guide Series | Erik | The Generations of a Willie Boat.

In this weeks edition of a guides first rafting trip our General Manager and fellow river guide shares how the Rogue River and an old Willie boat live deep into the traditions of his family. The Generations of a Willie Boat By Erik Weiseth Nish and Rowan during Rowan's first day on the river. I like to believe I was born into a life on the river. Loving the Rogue River is built into my DNA - the same way my brown eyes and a tan complexion are something I was bestowed by the genes of my parents; not a choice, just is. My father grew up exploring the Rogue River in the days when it was...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Abraham Lincoln

Make sure you enjoy them.

Uncategorized

Orange Torpedo Trips' Rafting Guest of the Month | February 2014 | Leigh R.

OTT Featured Friend | February 2014 Leigh R. What trips/rivers have you run with OTT? I’ve run the Umpqua , Klamath , Lower Salmon , the Gold Hill “ Nugget Falls ” and the Lower Wild and Scenic sections of the Rogue River with Orange Torpedo Trips. What was your first trip/river with OTT? The Lower Rogue River. The Lower Rogue was my first guided river trip. My only other river experience previously was on the Upper-Middle Rogue. What is your favorite trip/river that you have run with OTT? They are all favorites—each an extension of the other. It’s like picking your children. Eac...

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | An OTT Guide Series | Hunter | The River Through My Childrens' Eyes

Rafting the Rogue River For the Hundredth and First Time Ryan, A.K.A. "Hunter," and son, Ty In 14 seasons of guiding with Orange Torpedo Trips, I have had the opportunity to paddle rivers of incredible beauty, with challenging and exhilarating rapids. From my home river, the North Umpqua , to the Main Salmon , the Klamath , the various sections of the Rogue and as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, and Costa Rica, I have repeatedly found myself awed beyond words. This past summer, I was fortunate to have a “first river experience” in taking my children, my 6-year-old son, ...

Uncategorized

OTT Archives | River Rescue Squad | Blossom Bar Boat Retrieval Video

During some recent tunneling through footage, we came across this video time-lapse of N.G. (Erik Weiseth, OTT GM) and Mike Slagle (A.K.A. The Great One), who, after having been called in to help, are here seen setting up a Z-Drag and ultimately retrieving one-unlucky-someones' boat (not ours!) from the Picket Fence--the crux move in Blossom Bar on the Lower Rogue River. From the time they arrived at the rapid, it took our team just over an hour and fifteen minutes to free the raft. Once free the raft ended up flowing into the sieve on river-left, from where the OTT rescue team re-in...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | John Craighead

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | An OTT Guide Series | Fukari | The Rogue and Chetco Rivers

Guides' First Rivers Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and who we will be ( deep water, brother...) . So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall a notable "first" paddling experience, broadly defined, and to tell the story of that experience. For this, our first installment, OTT guide Priscilla Macy (A.K.A., Fukari ) writes about first river/paddling experiences through a glob...

Uncategorized

1st New SOTAR Orange Torpedo IK Descent | Sunset Falls, East Fork of the Lewis River, WA

SOTAR Orange Torpedo IK First Descent Sunset Falls, East Fork of the Lewis River, WA Sunset Falls on the East Fork of the Lewis River, WA, has been run any which way, by all sorts of watercraft, including the original Sevylor Orange Torpedo inflatable kayak. But not until this past weekend had it been run by one of Orange Torpedo's new SOTAR inflatable kayaks.

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Tom Robbins

Uncategorized

A Little Boat Finally Gets Respect | An Orange Torpedo Retrospective

Like the tributaries that feed into the rivers we run, the history of Orange Torpedo Trips (OTT) is one of multiple beginnings. Key among those tributaries, the threads of our history, is the boat that started it all: the Sevylor Tahiti or the Orange Torpedo ( as OTT founder, Jerry Bentley, would fatefully call them). The Original Orange Torpedo | Sevylor K-79 SB Connie Klimenko, who founded Sevylor U.S.A., recently sent us an article (or as he describes it, "a modern day fairy tale") that he wrote in 1994, titled, "A Little Boat Finally Gets Respect." In his story, Connie r...

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | An OTT Guide Series | The Great One | International Special Edition: The Sun Kosi River, Nepal

Guides' First Rivers Special International Edition River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and who we will be. So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall the first river they paddled and to tell the story of that experience. For this, our first installment, 43-year veteran OTT guide Mike Slagle (A.K.A., The Great One ) recounts his experience traveling to Nepal and there running his firs...

Uncategorized

OTT Guides in the Offseason | SOTAR Inflatable Kayak | Breitenbush River, OR

When the Summer's Away, Guides Still Play

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | David Brower

Spirit Falls, Little White Salmon River, WA In this quote, David Brower speaks perfectly to something we so often confront--both on the river and in our everyday lives. It is, it seems, a Call to Adventure, an exhortation to step outside of what is comfortable. He entreats, or reminds, us to be bold in how we live our lives--to abandon our fear of those things we cannot control, to accept risk as an inherent feature of life, to eschew our imagined limitations and hence realize our full measure.

Uncategorized

Where's Your River Guide? | Ben Murray, A.K.A., Murman

Ben Digging Deep, Chetco River, Southwest Oregon Today is Ben's Birthday. Happy birthday, Ben! He is, therefore, a fitting guide to feature in this week's installment of our ongoing "Where's Your Guide" series. This time, we thought we'd break things down by prompt. First: Who's Ben? Ben Making Breakfast at the Always Excellent South Fork Salmon Confluence Camp Ben is a- - temporarily elsewhere, and Southern --Oregonian, a River Guide (R.G.), a former Division One pitcher and a current Duke Medical student. Also, he's also a top-notch individual. (For ...

Uncategorized

First River Rafting Trips | An OTT Guide Series | Junebug | The Wild & Scenic Rogue River

First River Rafting Trips - Series River guides are notorious storytellers. And whether they be true or tall, the stories we tell about the river are a part and reflection of our own story. They are a part of who we are and who we will be. So, in this spirit of storytelling and in homage to rivers everywhere, we've asked our guides to recall the first river they paddled and to tell the story of that experience. For this, our first installment, OTT guide Jon Angstadt (A.K.A., Junebug ) reminds us of the cyclical and transitive nature of rivers, connecting his earliest memories of rafting the Lowe...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Lynn Nobel

Rogue River In anticipation of our forthcoming blog series, "Guides' First Rivers," we want to know: What is the first river you paddled? What do you remember most about the experience?

Uncategorized

5 Things to Do Before & After Rafting the Salmon "River of No Return" in Idaho.

Make the Most of Your Salmon "River of No Return" Rafting Trip Although the 2014 season is still a Winter and some Spring away, we're already getting a good number of booki

Uncategorized

Where's Your River Guide? | Junebug

Looking for your river guide? As part of our ongoing efforts to emphasize the importance of following your guide(s), we bring you a video update from OTT river guide Jon Angstadt (A.K.A., Junebug) and his kayaking and cultural adventure in Pucon, Chile. (Take note of the stylish OTT Staff shirt he's rocking.)

Uncategorized

The Spring Escape You'd Never Think Of... Owyhee River Rafting

Owyhee River - Oregon There’s this river... Owyhee River BLM Signage ...Not many have run it, and the odds are you've never heard of it. Because of its remoteness. Though it courses over 346 miles, through Northern Nevada, Southwest Idaho and Southeast Oregon, it’s among the more remote commercially runnable rivers in the western U.S. (The nearest settlement to the put in, a place called Rome , which seems an ironic name for a place on the ghost end of ghost town. ) ...

Uncategorized

Summer is Coming Video Series - Nice Ride | Orange Torpedo Trips

Uncategorized

OTT First Descents | Big Brother Falls, White Salmon River, WA

SOTAR Orange Torpedo Boat First Descent Big Brother Falls, White Salmon River, WA As with our previous installment of OTT First Descents ( here ), we must note that while this falls has been run many, many times by folks in kayaks, rafts, and other kinds of IK's, this is a First Descent for our new SOTAR Orange Torpedo boats.

River Wisdom

This Is My World!

For years now, I've spent my summers in truly awe inspiring places–fantastically beautiful, grand, remote and dynamic. More than that, I've spent them doing something I love: running rivers. Most days I manage to appreciate this fact for the blessing...

Uncategorized

OTT First Descents | BZ Falls, White Salmon River, WA

Sotar Orange Torpedo Boat First Descent - BZ Falls White Salmon River Sometimes, don't follow your guide… While this falls have been run many, many, many times by people in kayaks, rafts, catarafts, and other IK's this was a first for the new SOTAR Orange Torpedo.

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Jeff Wallach

River Wisdom Wednesday - Happy New YEAR! From our family to yours, a thought to open the New Year.

Uncategorized

The Problem Of Sinking: An Abbreviated History of the PFD

If you’ve ever been rafting, kayaking, or really any-thing on the river, then you’re—hopefully—familiar with PFDs, that is, Personal Flotation Devices, A.K.A., lifejackets , life preservers , Mae Wests , life vests , life savers , cork jackets , buoyancy aids or flotation suits . (For those of you who may not be familiar with PFDs, they’re basically kind-of-puffy, vest-ish things filled with enough floaty stuff to help keep their wearers afloat when they wear them.) Once you’ve spent enough time on, around, and especially in the river, you know not to take PFDs for granted. Well, you know n...

Uncategorized

Where's Your River Guide? | N.G.

Looking for your river guide? If you've been following along, you'll have noticed that the previous (and only) two installments of this--the OTT Where's Your Guide--series have followed the more faraway members o

Uncategorized

Want to make your phone a waterproof camera? Now you can | OTT Gear Guide

Waterproof Camera Phone Case | OTT Gear Guide Product Spotlight: The Watershot With built in camera phones rapidly replacing conventional point-and-shoots, it was only a matter of time before something like the Watershot (~$90) showed up. This cutting edge removable camera housing (with models available for the iPhone 4 & 5 and the Galaxy S3 & S4) is designed for those who want to take their phone around, on and in the water. With a listed effective depth of ~130 feet, this housing was born to serve and protect. The phone fits snuggly into the case, features two large interchang...

River Wisdom

River Wisdom Wednesday | Joanne Harris

It's like the Riverguide's version of tapping ruby slippers.

Uncategorized

Summer Is Coming Video Series - Snow | Orange Torpedo Trips