Trip Details
Youth Whitewater School - Oregon
 General Description:
ARTA's 6 day Junior Whitewater School on the Rogue River is a wonderful introduction to whitewater rafting and wilderness camping as well as an opportunity for exploration, discovery, and growth. The school will take place on the Rogue River as it cuts through the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon. The Rogue is an exciting river with lots of fun Class II and III rapids that are well-suited for learning the basic elements of whitewater navigation. Instruction will cover many aspects of whitewater rafting including rowing, paddle-captaining and inflatable kayaking. Training will also be provided in whitewater safety, repair, rigging, cooking, and minimum impact camping. In addition to and perhaps more important than these technical skills, students will also develop teamwork, decision-making, interpersonal, leadership, and risk-assessment skills in a supervised, wilderness setting. Our goal is to act as positive role models and to foster a fun and friendly environment in which each student can gain self-confidence, independence, and maturity.
Meeting Time and Place:
An ARTA representative will meet students at the arrival area of the Medford airport between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Saturday, July 10th 2010. Look for an ARTA T-shirt and a smiling face. Please make flight arrangements to arrive during this timeframe and please put the arrival time and airline information on your Guest Information Sheet. If you have other travel arrangements or have difficulty hitting this window, please contact our office for an alternative meeting time and place.
ARTA provides the following:
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Transportation from Medford Airport to the river and return
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All meals from dinner on arrival day through lunch on the last day
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Rafts
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Lifejackets
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Waterproof bags for personal gear
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River touring equipment, guides, helpers and cooks
You are responsible for:
How to Get There:
Alaska and United have the best service into Medford; direct flights are available from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland. ARTA will provide van transportation from the Medford airport to the river and from the river back to the airport. If you will not be arriving or departing by plane, please contact our office for alternative arrangements.
Departure Information
At the conclusion of the school, students will be transported to the Medford airport for return flights. Arrival time in Medford will be around 3:00 PM on the afternoon of July 16th, 2010. Please make return flight departures for between 4:00 and 8:00 PM on the 16th.
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Additional Information:
About the School:
ARTA's 6 day Junior Whitewater School on the Rogue River is a wonderful introduction to whitewater rafting and wilderness camping as well as an opportunity for exploration, discovery, and growth. The school will take place on the Rogue River as it cuts through the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon. The Rogue is an exciting river with lots of fun Class II and III rapids that are well-suited for learning the basic elements of whitewater navigation.
Instruction will cover many aspects of whitewater rafting including rowing, paddle-captaining and inflatable kayaking. Training will also be provided in whitewater safety, repair, rigging, cooking, and minimum impact camping. In addition to and perhaps more important than these technical skills, students will also develop teamwork, decision-making, interpersonal, leadership, and risk-assessment skills in a supervised, wilderness setting. Our goal is to act as positive role models and to foster a fun and friendly environment in which each student can gain self-confidence, independence, and maturity.
Itinerary:
Day before the trip: We will meet at the Medford airport between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, then drive to the ARTA facility in Grants Pass. Here we will have dinner, go over trip parameters and goals, and get to know each other.
Day 1: An early and busy morning during which we will learn knots and rigging and go over safety procedures will lead to a relaxing afternoon in the boats floating downriver. There are just a few small rapids on this day, giving us time to learn basic navigation techniques and become comfortable in the boats. Camping will be at an undeveloped site along the Rogue.
Days 2– 5: We will continue down the Rogue working on ferry angles, turns, pivots, and eddy-catching. In addition to whitewater instruction, we will take time to learn about wilderness camping and the unique history of the Rogue. We will explore historic ranches, hike to swimming holes, and play skills games in the warm water of the Rogue. The students and instructors will divide into groups with each group having specific responsibilities for the day. Students will be involved in setting up and taking down camp, preparing meals, washing dishes and caring for the equipment. Evenings will include a combination of structured and unstructured time.
Day 6: An early morning wake-up will get us to take-out before noon. We will de-rig the rafts, load the trailer and head to Medford to catch afternoon flights back home. See Departure Information section for details about flight times.
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Meals:
ARTA meals are well-balanced and consist of quality foods with fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. The guides double as camp chefs and the menu includes a wide variety of dishes. Lunches usually consist of hand-foods and are served picnic-style at riverside stops. Dinners and breakfasts are cooked over an open fire and often include tasty Dutch Oven baked treats. If you have special dietary requirements or are celebrating a special event during the trip, please let us know in advance.
Drinks:
ARTA provides fruit drinks at meals.
Camping:
Overnight camping will be done at riverside beaches with spectacular views of the river and canyon. There is usually a central kitchen and campfire area and guests pick out spots in the surrounding area to pitch their tents or lay out their sleeping bags. We will provide portable toilet facilities. Dinner is served in the evening and the campfire is often kept burning into the night for music and story-telling.
Weather:
The weather in southern Oregon in July is usually warm and sunny but you should also be prepared for a drizzly day just in case. A fleece sweater/pullover, paddling jacket, pile hat, and good rainshell for camp will take care of the rainy days; a hat with visor, sunglasses and shorts will take care of the sunny days. The river temperature is in the 60’s. .
Travel Insurance:
We recommend that you purchase short-term travel insurance that provides trip cancellation and medical coverage for you and your family. Please request a Travel Insurance packet from ARTA if you have not already received one.
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More Information?
If there are any questions we haven't answered, please feel free to contact us. We really enjoy talking about our trips, so don't hesitate to call 800-323-2782.
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