Here at Wet Planet, we have a big weekend coming up with Memorial Day! With more than 100 people coming out for the White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers,
we have our hands full getting ready for our first really big weekend
of the summer. In preparation for all these whitewater seeking
adventurers, we're out fixing rafts and getting the base ready for
everyone that comes through this weekend.

Hootie inflates another raft in the rain for a bit of fixing before Memorial Day weekend.

Although most of our rafts are less than a three years old, for larger
weekends we do bring out some of the original Wet Planet Rafts, which
need a bit of extra loving care... Usually its best to fix rafts in the
sun, which helps the glue dry and adhere, but with only a few days to
go, we were forced out into the rain fixing rafts!

Special thanks to Hootie and Lance for helping to get ready for the big weekend! Let the good times roll...

- Wet Planet @ 02:12 PM

Summer is here and rolling here at the Wet Planet Whitewater Center. We've been in full swing for more than a month now with river guide school, early spring kayaking courses, high adventure Wind River trips and wild and scenic Klickitat and White Salmon River Trips.

With a huge snowpack still up in the mountains, we're expecting a great season of whitewater for our guests. Come check out a new river with us this spring or make your reservation now for the upcoming summer. Weekends are beginning to book up all the way through July and August, so contact us now to make your summer rafting or kayaking reservation. We look forward to seeing you on the water!

The Wet Planet Crew

- Wet Planet @ 03:25 PM

Hey Wet Planet,

Its Jonathan checking in from Southern Patagonia, Chile. I've been traveling around South America for the last 4 months, running all the good stuff from Peru to the Southern tip of Chile. We just got off the Rio Baker, one of the most powerfully huge rivers I've ever paddled. We had nearly 50,000CFS!!! It was so big. It was also going through one of the most beautiful and remote wilderness areas I've ever been to. Pretty amazing.

Now I only have a few more weeks before my flight to Costa Rica to join the Wet Planet crew for some Costa Rica pura vida rafting and kayaking. I'm excited to be headed to the warm tropical paradise after a few freezing months in Chile! See you all soon. From the bottom of the world,

Jonathan

- Jonathan @ 12:56 PM

Checking in from Ushuaia, Argentina, the litteral bottom of the world. Ushuala is the furthest south city in the world, the last city at the bottom of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. It has been quite a mission getting down here. After a few months in Peru, a month traveling south through Chile, and more than 150 hours on busses, trains, hitch hiking and on the rivers boating, I can finally say I have stood at the bottom of the world. Its great to be here, and just like the Columbia Gorge, we see 4 seasons each day. Today it was sunny in the morning, rainy by noon, snowing by 1PM and sunny again as the sun set over the straits of Magellean. Its pretty amazing. Because I'm so far south, I witness nearly 20 hour of sun each day, so I've been getting out hiking, exploring, and sea kayaking in the past weeks. Pretty soon I'll be headed back up north to the infamous Futaleufu River, and some of Patagonia's other amazing rivers. I can't wait!

I'll be glad to be back at Wet Planet this season, only a few months till Costa Rica! Hope everyone in the Wet Planet world is doing well. Peace and safe travels from the bottom of the world,

Jonathan Blum

- Jonathan @ 03:42 PM

Wow! What an amazing 4 days with the kids. Wet Planet held their second annual kids' kayaking course for ages 10-12 year olds. We had three returning kids from last year - Manon, Camille and Hope - and one newbie, Rion. Rion was in a touch spot, being that he was the only new kid AND that he was the only boy. However, with Rion's sweet personality and passion for learning, he fit right in with the entire group.

This blog contains bits and pieces from the instructors and the kids themselves. I am including a lot of photos as well...

"Paddle and "Pamper" is a unique kayaking course, developed specifically for women, by Wet Planet instructor and Jackson Kayak Team Member, Heather Herbeck. This program focuses on developing kayaking skills in ways that women benefit the most. During these "P & P" clinics, we work on the technique and finesse to paddle successfully down the river, and not depend on "brute" strength. We get out frequently to "scout" and analyze whitewater, so that you learn how to read rapids and you don't have to be the one "following everyone else's line". Sometimes women think too much about how kayaking is "scary", so the Wet Planet staff will provide the "fun" component as we paddle down the river. This will remind you that kayaking is all about having "fun". These are just a few of the unique ways that the "P & P" clinics help women to develop into safe and confident boaters. Here's the best part about the March clinic . . . it's in Costa Rica! Read on . . .

t's getting colder and colder each day, as it was 29
degrees in BZ this morning, with frost stiffening all my gear which
hung on the line from the day before. However, with Winter setting in,
this means that water will be here soon as well.

Whether it's your goal to perfect your paddling skills to kayak our local rivers throughout
the winter, or if your goal is to work on your paddling technique and
roll, in a warm pool so you can "hit" those rivers this coming spring.
. . whatever your goals are, Wet Planet is here to help you out.

For the first time ever, Wet Planet is offering Winter Pool Clinics and Specialty Clinics... read on for more.

The September session of "P & P" was a "play" specific clinic, so we invited pro-kayaker, Christie Glissmeyer, to co-teach and share with us some of her playboating 'secrets'. We also had the opportunity to demo Jackson kayaks, borrowed to us from the Kayak Shed in Hood River, OR. We had lots of great boats, but most of the women wanted to take advantage of the 'play' and demoed the "Star" series of Jackson kayaks.

In this write-up, I have included many of Christie's suggestions for improving your playboating moves. Read on to find out how...

We spent the entire day on a small section of the Hood River. We spent the morning working on strokes, edging, eddy turns and bracing. After practicing "skills", we played games and then had lunch. Read on for more on the 2007 Summer Kids Kayaking Camp...

Wow! What an amazing 4 days with the kids. On August 6th, Wet Planet held their second annual kids' kayaking course for ages 10-12. We had three returning kids from last year - Manon, Camille and Hope - and one newbie, Rion. Rion was in a touch spot, being that he was the only new kid AND that he was the only boy. However, with Rion's sweet personality and passion for learning, he fit right in with the entire group.

This blog contains bits and pieces from the instructors and the kids themselves. I am including a lot of photos as well...

Perhaps dreams really do come true. For me one of my dreams since my first year as a raft guide which was about ten years ago, I had wanted to head to Central America and check out the warm waters of Costa Rica. Many raft guides in Colorado where I had been guiding had spent time there and spoke fondly of the country and its rivers...

Hootie guiding a raft through the narrowest part of Dos Montanas Gorge on the Rio Pacuare on the Wet Planet Whitewater Costa Rica Adventure.

Continue reading "Costa Rica dreamin'"

- Hootie @ 10:53 AM

Hey everyone!

This is Jeff from Wet Planet, just getting back from an incredible three-day adventure down through Hell's Canyon of the Snake River. This trip was amazing! Read more about our time in the canyon see below...

Hi Everybody, this is Jeff from Wet Planet here on the White Salmon River. After a relatively dry Spring with lots of awesome trips down the Wind, Klickitat and White Salmon rivers the water has already dropped to a great level to run Husum Falls. After sending 6 boats full of guides over the falls with only one swimmer we started shooting the falls with guests on Wednesday and it has been lots of fun.

We are putting in at B.Z. corner right now and dropping right into Top drop, Grasshopper, Corkscrew and the Water Spout. The entire run is very fun and beautiful with a spectacular climax over the waterfall. This is one of the best whitewater runs around and its only going to get better here so hopefully we see you out here soon for some incredible trips down the White Salmon and over the falls.

See you on the river!!! Jeff

- Wet Planet @ 11:52 AM

Hey everyone, this is Jeff from Wet Planet Whitewater saying hello after a long cold and snowy winter in the Cascades. It is already Spring, and the snow is starting to run down through the river valleys on its way to the Ocean. This Spring started with a bang as Wet Planet experienced a great international advernture in Costa Rica in March.

I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica since I was a kid and my parents used to go (and leave me at home with my grandma). I remember some of the gatherings after my folks got back where many stories and slide shows were shown. I was real ecited when I was asked to go on the trip for some "guide training", especially after a long Winter in the mountains...

Greetings from the White Salmon River! Wet Planet's guide-in-training, Sara Cohen, here to report on my Guide School experience with Wet Planet. My whitewater season in the Columbia River Gorge is off to an exciting start with Wet Planet's Washington and Oregon Raft Guide School. We have all been spending a ton of time on the water learning the fundamentals of guiding rafts, river hydrology, and sharpening our river rescue skills...