Jackson Hole Summer Travel & River Trip Blog

As a West Coast kid who grew up pearl jam grunge in Seattle with jeans and flannel shirts lining the drawers, I chuckled as I read the New York Times article entitled “Dress for Success, Again,” which profiled these young 20-somethings who are ramping up the office dress code: “Today the well-off 55-year-old is likely to be the worst-dressed man in the room, wearing a saggy T-shirt and jeans. The cash-poor 25-year-old is in a natty sport coat and skinny tie bought at Topman for a song. Young men are embracing the “Mad Men” elements of style in a way that the older men never did, still don’t and just won’t.”

The article went on and on describing the younger generation that wants to revitalize fashion and bring back the suit and tie. Poor saps, I thought.  Thank goodness Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where everybody walks around in fleece and gore-tex, doesn’t hold true to the hoity-toity urban style.  Thank goodness we work in a place where the ski-bums can sit right next to the millionaires at the Brew Pub and you would never know who is who.  Anybody in a suit in this town immediately elicits the response, “Well, what’s with him?” 

Multiply that by a power of 100 at our Dave Hansen Whitewater office where we’re thrilled when guides show up with clothes that don’t smell like wet dog.  Standard uniform includes chacos, DH hat, board shorts, and a shirt that you bet your lifevest was sniffed that morning before deemed wearable.  About the most GQ we get around here is when our fashionable van driver matches his visor with his t-shirt, which guaranteed, gets an ooooh and ahhhh from the office staff. 

This suits my husband and I just fine.  I mean heck, Bud has such an aversion to formality that when he was in furniture sales, he would visit with major buyers wearing his suit and green Tevas on his feet.  No Gucci kicks for this kid. I remember one day when I was a teacher, I was so tired of wearing professional clothes, that when I played volleyball with the staff before school one morning, I pretended I forgot my dress clothes at home.  “Shucks, I’ll have to wear my sweats and tenneys to class today. Hehe”

The Crew Socks Don't Look That Bad, Do They?

So I read all this New York Times hoopla with smug indifference.  I was haughty, in fact, sighing in superiority as I gazed over at my husband and caught my breath. Not because he’s a 35 year-old hunk who benched 225 yesterday—but because he had on his Target river shorts and white crew socks…. Which suddenly reminded me: Wait, didn’t all those young 20-somethings smirk at his get-ups? Didn’t the office crew chortle when Bud would walk in with yet another mis-matched shirt and short combo? In fact, their regard for Bud’s style of riverguide clothes was so bad that they all pitched in for an end of the season present: new, stylish board shorts. Even a remote outdoor playground has its dress code standards.  The younger generation has spoken.

I rolled into Jackson Wyoming with a car full of books, blankets, a bamboo plant, and my favorite passenger-seat companion: my guitar.  After making the trek from Pennsylvania to Utah, I couldn’t wait for the five hour drive to be over and to be back in the Wyoming Wild.  The mountains in Star Valley were still frosted with winter, reminding me of the high water season I’d get to be a part of.  With each mile gone by I was closer to a season of hard work and adventure.  I’ll never forget pulling into the Dave Hansen Boat House to see the guides unloading the boats and life jackets and the sky a cloudy, cool overcast.  I was greeted with big, warm “Patagucci” hugs and even bigger and warmer smiles.  I was back for my second season at dee aych double dub (DHWW) and, like a seasoned river worker, was planning on staying through the late season.  Almost all of the Dave Hansen family were back on board and I was prepped for a good summer. 

June was rainy.  And cold.  But the water was awesome.  And the Dave Hansen customers that met us during the early water season were almost as stoked as all of us were.  Donned in wetsuits and splash gear they were geared up to take on the Class IV rapid Lunch Counter. 

July meant hot days and starry nights, “surfing,” and the rise of Big Kahuna (a rapid that doesn’t exist in high water but that is the rapid king when the water is low).  The busy season was upon us and we met people from all over the world.  We met people from Germany, the Netherlands, China, New Zealand, and Brazil.  July also meant the completion of many of our new river guides training (including my own)!  Many hours spent learning to read water, carry out and instruct on safety procedures, and basically help the people coming to raft with us have the best time possible.  

At the beginning of August we received an email that announced the following:

The 2009 Best of Jackson Award in the category of River Trips goes to…

Dave Hansen Whitewater

A big thank you goes out to all of you that have made this summer what it is.  It has been fun extending the Dave Hansen family and getting to experience the river at all of its levels and changes.  We have loved getting to know you on an individual basis and have loved even more trying to get you soaking wet. 

When I dipped into Jackson Hole I had no idea what this summer would bring.  I ended up with some incredible friends, great Chaco tan lines, and a lot of adventurous memories to take with me in the upcoming winter months.  I’m still looking forward to the remainder of this season.  The changing leaves to observe on the scenic trips, the continuation of whitewater, the cooler nights and the campfires that come with them.  We look forward to meeting those of you who are autumning with us. 

Raft on. -Emily

5 and 6 year-old fearless rafters: Kai, Hyla, and Jacie

As the parents of two little adorable girls, Bud and I try very hard not to force the kids into liking what we like. Even though we live for the outdoors and relish sports (check out our kickball obsessions), we have always vowed to accept our kids for who they are. Easy, right? So even though my own parents had to bribe me to wear dresses, I have not batted an eye at my little girls’ near-daily fashion show of pink dresses and shiny, sparkly jewelry and seemingly endless hair combing. But there is one issue that is a deal-breaker for us, and that issue is the river. As owners of a river-rafting company, how could we manage if the loves of our lives hated rivers? So of course, our logical solution was to start taking them on the river as infants! Problem solved. Except that while my five year-old Jacie could practically live in the water, my six year-old became hesitant last summer when the Big Kahuna rained all over her. In anticipation of our annual trip down the whitewater, Hyla spent the whole winter declaring, “I am not going through the Big Kahuna without some goggles and an umbrella!” So imagine my delight when Hyla said she would join her sister and her cousin Kai for our annual family whitewater fest. We happily squeezed them in to wetsuits, tightened up their jackets and could not stop smiling as the three joined hands and walked down the ramp to start their adventure. The first twenty minutes as we went through any kind of wave, Hyla would ask with her big, blue eyes, “Was that the Big Kahuna?” But before long, she and the kids began to move up to the front of the boat, laughing and clapping as each wave soaked everybody in the boat. And when it came time for the Big Kahuna, I could not have been more proud to hear Hyla scream out, “Whitewater is AWESOME!” And you better believe I am searching for some pink, sparkly lifevests.

My my, it has been quite some time since we’ve taken up the pen- er, keyboard- and entered the wide world of blogging- but have no fear! We’re back in business baby!

Here, for your reading pleasure, our July in review- eight thoughts for the seventh month:

7. We’ve got a new crop of “office girls” marinating here- let’s get a round of applause for Arne “Cutie Pie” Carter, famous for his message-less emails, Jason “I’m tanner than you are” Laughlin crushing it on phone lines one through four, and Tyler “Don’t let my giant beard scare you” Babcock- who’s beard really is giant. These three, ladies and gentlemen, are going places.

6. “Wilson” and “South Park” have become quite the dynamic duo- the “Veggie Delight” as we in the office affectionately refer to them have really been living it up on the river and putting the fun in class one.

5. Bryson White has won the prestigious “Prince of the River” Award. We look forward to him continuing his princely duties of rowing river trips and looking handsome. Look for his starring role in Hyla and Jaycee’s new spin on a classic, Snow White and the Seven River Guides.

4. In other news, our shirtless wonders have been crushing the life jacket tan lines. Move over Shirtless Sundays- we’re now looking at something more like Shirtless Mondays through Friday. What a treat.

3. In the wide world of office dog news- Presley the Poodle has only run into the wall three times this month- huge improvement over June, Pres!

2. Hansen Bowling was a huge success, with teams crushing it on the lanes of the ultimate Elks Club. Pizza was a hit, as was the MC Hammer dance off…and the Celtic dance off…and the twist off…and the hula-hoop off….all of which I was somehow involved in. Arne, you are a formidable foe.

1. So far this month, Jason’s beard has been deemed “fierce”, “well groomed”, and of course, “soft yet manly”. He loves working with the office girls.

Laura takes one for the team.

If you happen to be in Jackson, don’t miss playoff season.  It promises to be a real gas.

There are plenty of things one associates with the Fourth of July in Jackson Hole: hot dogs, fireworks, missing fingers, that Proud to be an American song… After going several years without celebrating the Fourth of July (naturally the 4^th doesn’t hold the same weight in Scotland as in does in the USA) I was excited to see what this year’s celebration of American Independence at Dave Hansen Whitewater in Jackson would bring.

Celebration Item # 1: Leo Bridges (our fierce kickball pitcher and beloved bus driver) arrives on the scene bright and early wearing a blue t-shirt and a giant Dr. Seuss like hat bedazzled with the stars and the stripes. He eagerly greets each guest with a robust “Happy Fourth of July!”

Celebration Item #2: Liz walks into the office with hot dogs and corn for the staff and river guests, Alyssa brings over a grill, and Kyle and Will spend a good half hour trying to get the propane tank to fit on the grill properly.

Celebration Item #3: Guests arrive back from the whitewater trips with enormous grins on their faces. A big group of them gather around, thrust their hands into the air, and yell “Paddles up!”…the mantra of one of our river guides, Will “the thrill” Pasquill. Another group of them gather around our computers wanting to look at their Floatograph pictures, claiming that they swear Willie Nelson guides for Dave Hansen.

After pulling up the pictures from the 11:15 trip this is what we saw:

Fourth of July with Dave Hansen Whitewater

Fourth of July with Dave Hansen Whitewater

Apparently in addition to the flag rigged to the stern of his boat, Tyler “T-Bone” Babcock played several patriotic tunes on his harmonica. Too bad he didn’t have a rendition of “On the Road Again” ready for guests.

Check out this pic and more of Tyler and the other guides Fourth of July fun at Floatographs!

Raft on guys - Em

Whitewater Independence: Four Veterans on The Fourth of July

How do you say thank you to men who have put themselves on the line so that you can go about your daily life? That may have not been the actual task at hand during a whitewater trip almost a month ago, but it was something that the Dave Hansen Whitewater guides on said trip wanted to do.

On June 18^th Bud Chatham, owner of Dave Hansen Whitewater & Scenic, took a group of four veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars down the mighty Snake River. He brought along a handful of trusty Dave Hansen employees, and I was luckily allowed to come along for the ride.

And what a ride it was. Not only did I get more water up my nose then I thought possible, but the trip became a bit of an emotional ride for me as well.

To be honest, I didn’t think the vets would want to talk about their time fighting. However, they were very open about their experiences, and obligingly answered our questions. As we got to know each other, I realized that individuals who have been through more than I’ll ever understand surrounded me. Most of the men had joined the army as soon as they turned eighteen. While they spent their summer after high school going through basic training and shipping off to a foreign place to fight for our country, I was worried about the bad tan lines I was getting from my summer job. Between them there was an artificial lung, and injured back, a titanium jaw, and most were partially def because of their time spent fighting- the night before I had been complaining about a bruised knee. To say the least, it put my life into perspective.

But our river trip wasn’t about the past. It was about being glad for the present moment, for what we all had, which at that moment included the majesty of the natural world and good company. As we rowed down the river, Bud’s commands were met with unmatched precision- true to Army form. We had an amazing time looking for osprey, spinning the boat, and listening to T-Bone crush it on the harmonica- and I think Bud had an especially amazing time watching his commands preformed with perfection.

Our trip ended far too quickly. I wanted more time to talk to these heroes, to hear their stories, to tell them how grateful I was for the sacrifices they have made. But our boat was nearing the take out, and our time was up. As I racked my brain for some way to express my appreciation, one of our guides, Kyle, spoke up. He said, “Thank you for making this all possible”.

It was a simple statement, but one that was filled with meaning and truth.

On the Fourth of July I am again reminded of this trip almost a month ago, and of the inspiring strength, kindness, and joie de vivre that those veterans exhibited.

So, as simple and small as one person’s thanks may be, I just want to steal a bit of this blog space to say thank you to all veterans on this day of independence.

Thank you for making this all possible.

Yesterday I was on the phone talking to one of my best friends. Both of us decided to kind of break away from our “normal” lifestyles this summer and travel the country for work. He is literally traveling the country working for a musical touring group stationed out of Branson. I ended up in Jackson Hole Wyoming working for a whitewater rafting company. Yours truly, Dave Hansen. To quote Ben, “This has been the most romantic summer of my life.” And it has been for me too. By romantic we mean in the traditional sense, not necessarily tied to love but as Merriam and Webster say “Marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized.” Ben kept asking me about my job, what I do, what it’s like. I told him about cleaning wetsuits, getting people sized into them, booking people on rafting excursions, and the occasional training trips I’m able to get out and row on. Ben asked me if I liked my job and I was like, “How can I not? My job is to make people happy and help them have a good time on the river.”

Yesterday was a particularly good day. I was shuttling some people back from the river to the office. Hopping into the driver’s seat, I hear this voice pipe up from the back as I was buckling my seat belt. “Hey, hey, I have a really important question.” After reassuring his grandparents that it was indeed ok to ask me a question, I prepared myself for some sort of safety question before I started the van. Hunter, the kid, starts again, “Ok it’s really important.” (Then a dramatic pause for effect on his end). All of a sudden he blurts out “Do you like Transformers?!”

Well the only reasonable response for a question like that was “Of course!” And we started talking about Bubblebee and Ironhide. Pretty soon the whole van was confessing to their Trekkie/Sci Fi tendencies. (It was a good year for sci-fi… Star Trek anyone?) Hunter told me that when he grows up he wants to be a Transformer. I told him I thought it was a pretty good goal. Especially for such an adventurer like himself. I mean he floated the Snake River, saw a bunch of eagles, and probably drilled his guide about the benefits of being able to speak Cybertronian. A pretty full morning at the age of six. And after all that’s what all of us Dave Hansen employees and customers want… A little bit of adventure. And it’s an additional bonus if it happens to be “heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized.”

-Em

For those of you who love online updates and videos as much as some of us do (cue the Youtube generation) here is something new to watch about the Dave Hansen gang.  The Local News at 8, which covers Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming, did a news spot on the economy and weather conditions of the Jackson Hole area and how it’s affecting local business, in particular river business.  Two local businesses were featured and Dave Hansen was one of them.  Watch for T-Bone’s harmonica playing and Jason talking about the company and the anticipated summer season.  Way to represent our company guys!  For more info on our guides or on our trips click on the highlighted link. 

You can watch the video here.  

http://www.localnews8.com/global/story.asp?s=10545926

There are many reasons why I love Jackson Wyoming.The first is that though it sees a ton of people coming through the area each year, it never feels like a tourist town.  (Okay, so maybe it feels a little like a tourist town when you’re standing around town square.  But who stands around town square when there are rapids to run?)  The second is that even on dreary rainy days, I still feel like I dropped in on an oil painting.  I may or may not have told the guide I was training with yesterday that I felt like I was in the movie The Notebook.  (I know… I’m a sap.  But how he cued the pelicans to fly overhead just as our group was going by is beyond me.)   The third reason that I love Jackson is that you find family here.

One of my evenings this past week was spent in town square with a random assortment of people playing musical instruments (my instrument was a pair of tap shoes).   A father and his daughter were lingering nearby listening to us when suddenly I recognized them.  They went down on our scenic trip the day before.  They quickly recognized some of us as Dave Hansen-ites.  As it turns out the daughter, Laci, was a fiddle player.  And to top it off they had her fiddle in their car.  So little Laci, who just celebrated her sixth birthday, whipped out Bile Them Cabbage Down with her dad accompanying on guitar.  (Dad just learned guitar this year.)  Laci continued to play for us for another half hour.

Yesterday they swung by the office to say goodbye and we invited them to join some of us for one last musical hoorah up at the Hootenanny.  For those of you unfamiliar with Jackson Hole’s Hootenanny, it is an open mic night that has been going on for twenty years every night at Dornan’s in Moose, Wyoming.  Apparently, the event has even been dropped in on by Dylan and the likes.  Sure enough Laci and her family showed up at the Hoot and favored us with some more fantastic fiddling.  Looking around the crowd-spotting friends old and new-I couldn’t help but feel for the first time since leaving Pennsylvania that this was home.

-Em