Jackson Hole Summer Travel & River Trip Blog

Today I looked down at my watch and realized that it is August 10th. Yes, I know in the back of my mind that the summer days are dwindling here in Jackson and Fall is just around the corner, but SERIOUSLY…where have the last three months gone?! Between the high water in June—17-foot waves in lunch counter equates to high water, right?—and some awesomely over-booked days in July and August, time has flown by for all of us here at Dave Hansen River Trips.
Our guides have tirelessly given fantastic trips day in and day out, and the office staff has put more folks into wetsuits than should really be admitted (the water is FINALLY getting warmer, though…thank goodness!). With full trips for the last month, we have all been so busy that it makes it hard to find time to kick back, relax, and enjoy one another.
No one should fret, though, because we find time to get the whole gang together every once and a while. Oh boy, do we. If there is one thing that everyone at this company shares, it is a love for sports. Whether it’s climbing up in the tetons, playing rec-league soccer (for our washed up college athletes trying to re-live the dream) or watching college football…ahem, *this girl*…there is not one person at this company that doesn’t love athletics in some form. We are a river-rafting company, after all. We are serious about our sports here at DH (ask Bud who his teams are, and he’ll go on for hours about the 49′ers.. and also Golden State Warriors basketball… and also Huskies football. Oh, AND coaching Hyla and Jacie’s soccer team…) This company-wide passion for athletic dominance is what makes Fridays my favorite day of the week.
Not only does Friday kick off the weekend, it also means that we have KICKBALL. Since we have won the whole she-bang the last three summers, there is significant pressure (from ourselves) to win the Jackson kickball championships this year—especially since we are in the newly-formed competitive league. However, even with all the talented athletes on our team, we’ve learned quickly that losing happens to everybody. I mean, we’ve lost FOUR this year, and it’s ALMOST been as fun as winning!
As cliché as it is, dealing with loss and/or adversity on the field will only make you stronger as a team OFF the field, and we’ve grown closer as a company through our days on the diamond at powderhorn this summer. With playoffs beginning in two weeks and a re-match with our arch-rival Cobra Kai on Friday, the next few weeks determine whether or not we have what it takes to four-peat.
What I do know is, though, even if we don’t win kickball championships this year, the time we have together is precious and elusive. Pretty soon the trees will be changing, the snow will start falling, and the boats will be packed away for the long winter. However, until then, we’ll have Friday evenings to drink some sodas, hang in the dugout, catch some fly balls, and kick some homers…and hopefully we’ll bring home a three-foot trophy on September 1st engraved with our company name on it. If not, there’s always next year.

Is there anything better than sunshine, 80 degree weather, and a gushing river with the backdrop of the snow-capped Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming? Not for all of us here at Dave Hansen River trips. The weather has been amazing this past week, which helped to melt snow and increase the water flow of the Snake—making it the most epic whitewater season since ‘97. Needless to say, we have all been basking in the burning sunshine and cooling off in the 45-degree river as much as possible, and we are all giddy at the thought of the rest of the season ahead!
2011 marks our 44th season as a commercial rafting company on the Snake River, and we couldn’t be luckier to live in a place where we can get people soaking wet on a whitewater trip and call it our job. In early May—when we were still getting inches of snow up on the mountains and dealing with dreary, grey skies in the valley—our guides and office employees alike were chomping at the bit to get on the river. There were a few things stopping us, though, like the snow-covered put-in at West Table and just a little bit of a landslide in the canyon that blocked the roadway for two weeks. Even our radio tower was damaged due to the 740 inches of snow that fell this past winter. However, all these challenges helped to bring us closer as a team at Dave Hansen and prepare us for… well, anything!
Our guides busted their neoprene-covered tushies to prepare for this season during guide school the last week of May, and our office employees worked hard to fill up our trips with eager guests. Almost like magic, the canyon opened up and the snow started to melt. June brought sunnier days and plenty of fantastic folks looking to raft, and just like that…we kicked off a busy and fun-filled season on the Snake!
Despite any challenges we’ve faced lately, we couldn’t be more thankful for our home here in Jackson as well as the gushing river, majestic mountains, and the blooming and bustling wildlife; however, what we are certainly most thankful for are the people we get to meet everyday. We love working with one another, we love making new friends and putting smiles on their faces, and we love the river rafting community on the Snake. To quote a famous college football coach from the 60’s, “you win with people”. We certainly feel that way every single day. Now, if we could only win a kickball game…

image via Grand Teton National Park

That’s right folks, Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips is giving away a vacation package in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson Hole is one of the most beautiful vacation spots in the world and is only 60 minutes away from both Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. The vacation package will include:

• Two free nights in a deluxe cabin at the Snake River Park in Jackson Hole.
• A rafting trip for two people on the Snake River (your choice of a raging whitewater trip or a relaxing scenic float in the shadow of the Tetons) with Jackson Hole’s premier rafting company, Dave Hansen Whitewater.
• A free horseback ride for two in the breathtaking mountains around Jackson.
• Numerous dining discounts at restaurants throughout Jackson Hole.
• Free photographs of your whitewater rafting trip from the professional photographers at Float-O-Graphs.
• Memories that will last a lifetime!

For your chance to win this awesome vacation package here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Follow @DaveHansenWW on Twitter Follow @DaveHansenWW
2. Send the following tweet from your Twitter account: “I just entered to win a FREE vacation and rafting trip with @DaveHansenWW in Jackson Hole! http://bit.ly/lYLTUu #JHgetaway” Click here to Tweet

That’s it! You can even enter the contest once per day between 27 June and 11 July by sending that tweet. The more times you enter, the better your chances are to win! On July 12, we’ll randomly select a winner that has sent that tweet. Winners will have until September 30, 2012 to use their prize. Even if you don’t win, you will still get ten percent off any rafting trips with Dave Hansen Whitewater just for following us on Twitter!

See below for more details on the contest:

• This contest is open to anyone in the United States over the age of 18.
• Each participant may enter the contest once per day from one Twitter account. Participants may not use multiple Twitter accounts to enter the contest.
• The contest prize (i.e. the vacation package) may not be resold or traded. Only the original winner will be eligible to claim the prize.

Still have questions? Tweet them to us!

Find more Free Sweepstakes and Giveaways

Having a great time in Lunch Counter Rapid on the Snake River

You could stay here! Each cabin has a complete kitchen and bathroom, gas grill, flat-screen t.v., and more!

Hanging out by the river at the Snake River Park (great fishing)

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.