To everyone who joined us in 2013 – Thank You!

 

This was our 10th year on the water and boy it was not boring! From a spring heat wave to fires on the Rogue it definitely kept us on our toes.  But through it all the trips and the people were amazing! And, every year around this time I sit down and go through all the photos, ‘thank you’s’, and testimonials from the season. As I sort through the emails and the photos it never fails to give me goose bumps, it never fails to make me happy (and a little sad), and it never fails to remind me of the power and beauty of our wild places and, even more importantly, of the unique and remarkable people we are lucky enough to spend time with on the river every season. For every time you all have learned something from us on the river we have learned something from you – from you lives, experiences, and opinions.

I truly want to thank you all.

Below are a few of the testimonials from the 2013 season.

Kind Regards,
Pete and the Staff of Momentum River Expeditions

 

 

“Never before have I had every expectation met, and, once met, utterly surpassed to the point of obliteration.  Maybe someday I’ll get to slide down the gravity well of a black hole.  Until then, there’s Momentum…
The guides on our trip embodied a quiet confidence and calm competence that was infectious.  Never once did I feel endangered, even beneath my kayak in the middle of a rapid– it happens, and I enjoyed the ride…  Momentum guides could lead a one-way expedition to Mars, and I’d sign up tomorrow.  They also have some great late-night stories– and the night skies have never been so clear to my jaded eyes.
The other guests on our trip were equally amazing.  Between the guides and the guests, I have never been surrounded by so many kindred spirits.  We were all there for a true time-of-our-lives, guides and guests alike.  Once our child is barely old enough, we’re absolutely inflicting him on some folks.
The brochure proclaims gourmet meals in the wilds of, in our case, Idaho.  “Gourmet” does not adequately describe the effort and attention given to these meals.  To get off an already amazing day on the river to an already prepared spread of brie and crackers was mind-blowing.  Every single meal, breakfast lunch or dinner, was nutritious and deeply soul-satisfying.  I was enabled to make the best sandwich I have ever made for myself beside a creek across from an abandoned mine trail.  I took photos of that sandwich.  These guides truly do love food and sharing their love of cooking as much as they love sharing their love of nature.
I cannot recommend Momentum River Expeditions more highly.  I’m not naive enough to believe that I’ve made friends for life on this trip, but I can honestly say that I met people with whom I would want to be friends with for the rest of my life.”

 

 

“This was our 6th trip with Pete and Momentum! The quality of the guides remains stellar! Thank you Rebecca, Jeff and Jane, it was great to be in your company. I have been rafting with my friends for 30 years and Momentum always takes EVERYTHING up a notch. The food is gourmet, in fact no desire to go out to dinner after 6 days on the river because we knew nothing would compare in quality!!”

 

“A bucket list dream come true! This was our first trip with Momentum, a three-day lodge trip down the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. Three generations of my family were able to take the trip thanks to the thoughtful and thorough support of our guides….By the end of the trip, it was as if we had three new members of the family—our guides were joining in the teasing and joking like they’d known us for years. Oh, and the river and the scenery were spectacular too! There were plenty of thrills, plenty of beautiful quiet spots, and fabulous wildlife (river otters, turtles, herons, bald eagles, deer).”

 

“Just got back from a four day trip down the Illinois River with Momentum. Obviously, the scenery and rapids were amazing. But going with Momentum took the experience to the next level. Our guides – Anthony, Alan, and Mike – were three of the most professional river guides I’ve ever traveled with. In fact, I learned that the MOST junior guide at Momentum has eight years of experience! These guys worked their buns off to give us a fun and safe trip down the river. I always felt that the guides were in control – even when our boat joined the Illinois “swim team!”… I have now become a lifelong customer and fan of Momentum, and I fully intend on doing their entire menu of trips over the next few years (Cal Salmon next year!).”

 

“These guys are amazing. I did the running trip in mid-May and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The scenery was absolutely stunning and the guides took amazing care of the group. The all-you-can-eat buffets were full of gourmet food prepared fresh along the river. Comfortable tents and sleeping bags were already set up upon arrival to the camp sites. I will surely be scheduling another trip with momentum in the near future. I cannot recommend these guys enough.”

 

“Oywhee River 2013! This trip rates among the most wonderful experiences I have ever had, which is saying a lot! It was physically exhilarating, provided astonishing geology, and the guides were exceptional in every way. One of the things that made it terrific was that I have food allergies, and the guides took excellent care to assure I had no problem.”

 

“A huge Thank You!! We absolutely loved the trip and I can truly say that you guys at Momentum are the best guides and crew I’ve ever worked with. And thanks for letting me row! :)!”

 

“Momentum was amazing! We have done many guided rafting and fishing trips and Arden, Orea and Tyler were simply the best. We had such a good time!”

 

“Beyond! I had hoped that my kids first river experience would be a good one and Momentum far exceeded just “good”! From the first interactions via email for reservations…to our guide picking us up at our lodging, everything was excellent. Our guide was friendly, informative, compassionate, and understanding regarding the needs of not only my younger kids, but also the older couple who was on our trip. The whole operation was so dialed in that it ran without a hitch and without a lot of hoopla. Arden was out guide…fantastic…and she effortlessly took care of everything. I can’t recommend Momentum enough. I’d love to come back and do and multi-day trip!”

 

“We just returned from an amazing 4-day trip on the unspoiled and seldom rafted Illinois River. We enjoyed a very small group of 7 guests and 4 guides on this trip which made for a very personalized vacation. Excellent food, great company, plenty of action as well as time to appreciate the untamed beauty of this wilderness river. As always, Momentum provided a first-class adventure experience and some of the very best river guides we have ever traveled with. This is our 2nd trip with Momentum and we will most certainly be booking again next season. Looking forward to conquering the next ‘Fluffy Box of Kittens’!”

 

“With the privilege of being frequent guests of Momentum and for “lucking out” to have Pete once again on our trip..what could be better, right? Well, let me tell you..
Every year we search for a new river to experience, preferably at high water. This year’s choice for the main fork of the Salmon a “no brainer” for us serious white water enthusiasts.  The fun started the morning we met up as a group to transit to a spot closer to put in by small plane with a stunning view of the Idaho Sawtooth mountain wilderness.  If one had reservations about being in a small plane, they were quickly replaced by the skill of the pilots and the scenic flight over some gorgeous scenery of the Northwest.  We touched down to board a super comfy bus which would transport us to put in.  Our elite group of 10 guests settling quickly and getting to know each other as the bus passed at ground level that same scenic beauty we had just viewed from the air.
We arrived at put in to meet the rest of our guides who would shepherd us safely over the next 6 days.  Here’s the “what could be better” part..Pete has an amazing way about him and inspires equally amazing people to work with him.  This year we met guides Jeff, Rebecca and Jane for the first time and with Jenn in “guest helper slot”.  Every year we seem to meet someone new and awesome, this year no different 4 new “awesome someone’s”.  It’s always a blast for us to be on the river, we know we will have a good time and that our safety will be the crew’s TOP priority.  We know that Pete and his crew will cook up some incredible meals and we will NOT be losing weight on the trip the food is all “that good”.  What we don’t know is who we will get to meet each year and that’s as much a part of being on the river as anything else.  This year’s cozy group of 10 guests and 5 crew was as good as any, ever.  We were spoiled beyond words, fed like royalty, had many good laughs and have lifelong stories to recall and relate to those who are listening.
There’s just too much to say about such a trip, a group of relative strangers and the unifying focus we love and share for 6 days of the best kind of “time out”. Thank you again Pete and crew for a fabulous trip and for sharing so much of yourselves with all of us.  I can’t say enough about the luxury and joy experienced, except that it happens every time we raft with Momentum..this year as well.”

 

“We had a great time, certainly a lifetime memory for my son and I.”

 

“We had a really good time. Duncan had one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on his face (top 3, for sure, and one of those was when he first stood, up 13 years ago, around 1 year old).”


“Just wanted to let you know that Jeanne, Molly, Casey and I had a really great time on our Lower Klamath River adventure.  Mike, Jane and Rebecca were true professionals.  They kept us safe, cooked great meals and worked very hard to make the trip a huge success.  We especially appreciated how much they interacted with the children to make them feel special.

 We’ve got more grandchildren coming up to age 12 and we hope you keep doing this trip every year.  We’d take every trip with Mike, Jane and Rebecca but we know you’ve got other great guides too.  You have a great company and I tell all my friends about your river trips. 

Hope to see you soon on another river trip.”

 

“Rowen and I had such a super time on the Salmon in July (2-7).  All the guides were super at their job and great human beings, too. And the 19 of us as customers meshed really well together.  What a unique and life-affirming experience.  Thanks for all that you did and do, to make it possible. I can’t even imagine all that happens behind the scenes.”

“Hey Anthony, I don’t know if Linda ever got a chance to convey my appreciation but I told her you were the BEST river guide ever!  You made a great stretch of river even more enjoyable with your easy going demeanor and expert skill.  Above all, you carried a wonderful balance between respect and command, fun and work, humbleness and confidence.  I can’t speak highly enough of you! Alicia was expecting the trip to be way too cold and way too scary based on her husband’s previous trips down.  We’ll, you already know that wasn’t her experience since she’s already researching the Scott or Cal-Salmon.  Thanks Anthony for making it a really great trip.”

 

“Pam and I want thank ya’ll again from the bottom of our hearts for such a memorable Salmon River rafting trip.  We will remember this forever.
Your skill and organization was tops and you were always so ready to engage with all of us even when I suppose you had to be dog tired after a long day.
We can’t give enough superlatives to describe our experience.  I’ve been thinking all this week of being on the river and I was saying to Pam, ‘just think what we were doing last week at this time on the river.’”

 

“Absolutely amazing!
It was my fourth rafting trip and I will never go with another company!!”

 

 

And of course:
THE SONG OF THE KLAMATH

Dere’s a river in old nor Cal
Called Klamath by native son
Been the ruin of many a poor soul
But by God, we hears its fun

Dere came two clans from near and far
One Morrish and one Harling
Dey  run dat river like no one done seen
While at night, wit booze, dey sing

Dey thot to run the mighty Rogue
But fires had shut it down
Up speaks the Klamath “Well, how ‘bout me?”
“No finer can be found”

Dey weren’t so sure, dey had dere doubts
Dey thot it second best
But dey wuz dead wrong, and now dis song–
Well, it tell you all the rest

When dey scout old Rattlesnake
Dey each pick dere own routes
Well, no one run de way he plan
But dey comes tru with yells and shouts!

“Papi, up dere in our camp
What be that big brown pile?”
“Mama bear done got here first”
He answers with a smile.

At Dragons Tooth dey walk round
Bad luck could cause real harm
Den Orea and Zack dey shoot right tru
But Tyler, he buy the farm

Bettina, she lead down a run
Say Phil “Follow, where I am”
Den de big hole up and swallow him
And yep, he flip den swam

Dey explore up Ukonom Creek
Jus clingin to its edges
With swims and crawls dey makes de falls
Den dey dives from de stony ledges

Eagles, ospreys, beaver, crows
And a right handsome raven pair
Wild critters wuz dere travellin pards
An dat includes a bear

Yo points yo bow down dat green tongue
An yo stays tight in yo lane
Cause they aint no fancy sleepin car
On the Klamath wild wave train

If yo lucky, yo stays dry
Bad luck an yo gets wet
But wen yo looks up from way down deep
Dat swim, yo don’t forget!

When dey comes to Landslide run
Dey’s feelin pretty frisky
Jus payin no neva mind
To them who claim ‘twas risky

If yo holds de line, yo comes tru fine
But if a sloppy route yo picked
De river say “Oh no yo don’t”
And yo got yo fanny kicked

De guides wuz  pros, de camps wuz clean
Behind, we leaves no trace
Wen dem oter outfits quit de game
By God, we owns de place!

Wen we pulls up at de takeout beach
Wit high fives we says “Adieu”
We tells de guides dat dey’s been great
Dey says we has been too.  Oh Yeah!

WBM
8/5/13