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.

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.

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

First trip of the year for me was June 5^th and with the water a refreshing 39 degrees, I had no qualms about wiggling my way into that wetsuit.  Even when I tried to zip it up and gracefully caught the zipper on my belly, I didn’t even curse.  Just sucked it in and gave a thumbs up to my husband Bud.  Seeing as how it was the first trip of the year, I could not stop smiling.   Yep, onto the bus, into my life-jacket, hop in the boat, listen to our head guide Arne’s safety speech, chat with some German folks and a couple of stalwart 10 year-old rafters, and I am still grinning.  Half way through the trip we float into Gauging Straits, a calm section where people like to swim when the water is warmer (note: much warmer).  One adventurous customer (some might say ‘crazy’) decides to jump in the water by doing a back flip off the bow of the boat.  So I clap and whoop and holler just like the other rafters until somebody yells out, “Your turn, Kelly!”  Haha.  But I have a sure-thing ready that will save me from the freshly melted snow that is the Snake River: Everyone knows guides hate to get wet (I know—it’s weird), so I yell out, “If Arne jumps in, I’ll jump in!” Now see this is where I am reminded that Dave Hansen guides are not just any guides.  It took about .5 seconds after I smugly pronounced my dare for Arne to hop up on the tube, give a little bounce and back he flips right into that 40 degree water.  Say what?!   Nothing left to do but slip off the sunglasses, take a deep breath, and flip myself into the river for the first swim of the year.  Even though I might have screamed once or twice to get back in, it was so awesome I am still smiling just thinking about it two weeks later.  Love the river, no matter how cold it is.

Sassy Wetsuit, Wonder Woman

However, our two o’clock crew had a different approach.  They came out of our dressing rooms like a bunch of dancers taking the stage at a Beyonce concert shakin’ their tushes and posing in their saucy booties.

And let me tell you something- I have never seen wetsuits look so good. 

They worked those tight spandex-ed unforgiving pieces of rubber like Tyra (Banks) had just placed them in Jackson for an ANTM* photo shoot. (*For those of you who aren’t as obsessed with the CW as I am, I’m speaking of America’s Next Top Model- a show that tugs at my heartstrings and makes me want to practice my runway walk.)

After crushing it in an impromptu photo shoot in front of the Dave Hansen Bus, the crew loaded up and took off on an excellent whitewater adventure.

2pm trip- I like yo style.

It’s hard not to feel incredibly lucky living alongside the Snake River.  I love Jackson and will always consider it a second home.  But meeting our guests from all over the world, has got me up and wanting to travel again.  Call it the Burnworth wanderlust, but I’m always jazzed about hearing new places to travel to.  Today was no exception.  An awesome group from Washington state came in to talk about their Jackson Hole Whitewater Trip (Yowzers Lunch Counter is huge right now! :)  ) and they thought I was a girl they served on the Peace Corps with.

Turns out they worked in education and wrote proposals to help build the technology and general maintenance of the schools in South Africa.  Pretty cool.  Coincidentally the girl they knew was named Emmy.  (Mine name is Emily.)  No such luck, I was not Emmy.  And, I have not been in the Peace Corps or lived in South Africa.  Though check in a few years and maybe I will be.

Has a crew ever looked so good in wetsuits?

Pradeep and his crew breaking through the waves of Lunch Counter

The whitewater tripshave been spectacular.  The warm weather during the day and the cool nights have started a gradual snow melt and the river level has been inching up, giving our guides new waves to play with everyday.  We took down a great group of family and friends yesterday.  All styled out in wetsuits and splash gear, Pradeep and his crew crashed through the waves at Station Creek, S-Turns, Cutbanks, and skirted around 3-Oar Deal (Class VI hydraulic…definitely one you want to skirt).  And this was just the first half of the trip!  “You mean they get bigger!” Everyone said with a laugh floating through gauging straights as Kyle was giving everyone ready for the second half of the trip.   They blasted through Lunch Counter and Ropes.  Went down the slide at Champagne and finished off strong in the playground of waves through the 3/4 mile stretch of Cottonwoods.

The water this season is going to be ideal.  The snow melt has been steady and the weather level is going to stay up at some fun levels that we typically do not get a chance to see for a long time.  It will then settle down into its great normal level all the way through September.  We are looking forward to having a great season getting people soaked!