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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR
ALASKA, OREGON, & CALIFORNIA RIVER RAFTING TRIPS WHAT
KIND OF PEOPLE GO ON A JAMES HENRY RIVER JOURNEY? GROUP
DYNAMICS--THE SIZE OF THE GROUP
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WHAT
EQUIPMENT JHRJ PROVIDES
We use the finest professional equipment and provide
commissary, Coast Guard approved lifejackets, waterproof
bags for your personal clothing, and waterproof boxes for
cameras for all whitewater runs.
On California and Oregon trips sleeping units (sleeping bags, rugged
inflatable mattresses, and ground tarps) and tents are available
for rental for the trip ($25 for sleeping units) and ($25
for tents-single or double occupancy).
On Alaskan Tatshenshini River
trips, 2-person Northface VE-25 tents are provided. These
same tents are available for rental on our other Alaskan
departures.
EQUIPMENT--WHAT
YOU NEED TO BRING
Upon sign-up, we will furnish you with a complete
equipment list assembled for the trip that you are going
on. Essentially you bring your personal gear.
TYPES
OF BOATS
On most of our river trips, we take different types
of boats in order to give participants the opportunity to
experience the river in a variety of ways.
In
a paddleboat (usually 15' long),
six to seven participants work together under the guidance
of an experienced professional to navigate the raft through
the rapids. If we have six-seven individuals who want to
paddle the majority of the trip, we will put a paddleboat
on your Klamath, Rogue trips or Tatshenshini large departure (s) providing the water levels are safe to do so. When we offer out Arctic trips, on the Marsh Fork of the Canning or Hula Hula, they are all-paddle. On most trips participants
commonly rotate in and out of the paddleboat in order to
accommodate all who wish to be actively engaged.
Oarboats (Avon Spirits and Avon Professionals are the supply rafts
that carry food, group commissary and waterproof bags- usually
16-18' long - manned by one crew member, rowed with ten-foot
oars and carrying three to four guests). Oar boats provide
the opportunity to just relax and let the scenery go by
or when conditions are appropriate to learn how to row flat
water and rapids.
On our Tatshenshini trips, additional power requires the combination of oar with paddle assistance
from participants who are sitting in the bow of the raft.
Oarboats are on every trip that we operate (except the Arctic Rivers which are all-paddle and inflatable canoe).
Self-bailing
inflatable kayaks are available on our Klamath
and Rogue trips for those who opt for an adventurous solo
encounter with the rapids or a meditative drift through
tranquil sections of river.
These boats are a great deal
of fun. Their usage is rotated around among the guests. We do not use inflatable kayaks
on our Alaska trips; although we do use inflatable canoes occasionally on
Arctic trips on the South side of
the Brooks Range.
MEALS
You can't imagine what we are able to put together
at mealtime on these trips! We're known for our exquisite
wilderness cuisine and moveable feast. Our international camp
cookery will fill the whetted appetite and satisfy the most
discriminating palate.
Some of our entrees include: grilled salmon with fresh herbs
and a mango-papaya salsa, poulet a la moutarde on cous cous,
chicken fajitas with tostadas, pasta primavera, and whole barbecued lamb marinated
in exotic spices are among our usual entrees. Hors d'oeuvres,
rice pilafs, pasta salads, rosemary potatoes, sauteed or steamed
garden vegetables, Caesar salad, tossed salads, cole slaws,
fruit salads, melon slices and a variety of dutch-oven desserts
round out each meal. Fine wines are served each evening on all our
Oregon and Klamath trips wine tasting departures. (See Special Trips). In Alaska,
we serve wine on the Tatshenshini only. Beer is provided for
our Mexican Fiesta night. On our Arctic trips, it is BYO.
In Alaska, additional hearty entrees are served: flank steak
and chicken marinated in a teriaki sauce, Thai chicken and vegetables in a green-curried peanut coconut milk sauce, halibut stew, pesto spaghetti,
and a Dutch oven polenta dish au gratin.
Lunches are buffet-style with a wide variety of salads; Greek,
Nicoise, Tuna, Salmon, Thai Chicken, pasta salads, cold cuts, pita wraps, fruit, cheese,
and juices.
Breakfasts include eggs in all styles, including Huevos Rancheros, Eggs Benedict, eggs in the basket, tofu egg and vege scrambles; buttermilk blueberry
pancakes, corn fritters, French toast, , coffee cakes, oranges,
grapefruit, melons, yogurt, multi-grain cereals with dried fruit and nuts, coffee, tea
and hot chocolate.
Special
dietary considerations: If anyone has any, please inform
our office upon enrollment and well before the departure date.
We can accommodate anyone.
Vegetarians - we can accommodate
vegetarians on all of our trips. Just let us know, well in
advance of the trip, if you have any special dietary needs.
GENERAL INFORMATION |
TRIP
GRADING:
River
Trips - Rivers are rated by the technical difficulty
of the rapid and we give each of our trips a grade so that
you can choose which is appropriate for you. One must keep
in mind that these ratings are only a guide-line since the
difficulty of a rapid or the entire river is greatly affected
by water level, water temperature, equipment, etc. Whitewater
trips are graded on the international scale of I-VI: I-Easy,
II-Medium, III-Difficult, IV-Very difficult, V-Extremely
difficult, VI-Unrunnable. We operate on rivers that are
Class II-IV. The river ratings listed in our website and
printed material are based on the overall river, not on
the most difficult rapid. If you have any questions about
water flows or if you're unsure which river is best for
yo and your friends or family, please give our office a
call.
Land-based trips or trips that have a walking component are graded "easy", "moderate", or "strenuous." Easy includes travel via conventional vehicles as well as short hikes of two to three hours or optional walks at low elevations. Moderate indicates hiking with a light pack over varied terrain for four to six hours per day at elevations between 2,000-12,000 feet. All of the trips that we currently operate are "easy" or "moderate." Our detailed day-to-day trip itineraries (trip profiles) include the conditions you can expect on the trip as well as suggestions for pre-trip conditioning.
SAFETY
By operating a small company, we have been able to
closely monitor who guides for us. We are also exceedingly
cautious when it comes to your safety and our our record
reflects it. We place your welfare above all other considerations.
See Terms and Conditions and then Medical and
Health.
Prior to any raft trip, we assess water levels and before
embarking, thoroughly explain our safety procedures; enroute
we scout all rapids that require added attentiveness.
PERMITS
Our trips are operated under permits issued by the
U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Arctic National Wildlife Service, National
Park Service, Provincial Parks of Canada, and the Yukon Territory.
1-800-786-1830 |
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415-868-0585 |