Century Paddle 2010

August 30-September 4th

Start Location: Jon Storm Park Oregon City OR 97045

Date/Time: Aug 30th 2010 6am-8:30am start.

Finish Location: Astoria- Jon Day Park / Pier 39

Finish Date/Time: Sept 4th, 2010 1-3:30pm finish.

Total mileage- 115 miles- 6 days 5 nights

Paddling Crafts: (Human Powered Watercraft) Kayaks, Canoes, Dragon Boats, Outriggers, Stand Up Paddleboards, Inflatables (that can be paddled 14-25 miles/day).  Some solar/wind powered assists

The Century Paddle is a 110-mile flat water sea kayak / paddle trip from Willamette Falls to the Pacific Ocean over six days and five nights (Aug. 30-Sept 4th 2010). Participants will paddle down river for about five hours a day making camp each of the five nights on the beaches of the magnificent Columbia River.

Century Paddlers will enjoy a fully supported trip complete with catered meals feasting on local foods and river stewards will haul all paddler’s personal/camping gear down stream.

We start below Willamette Falls in Oregon City, and paddle through downtown Portland. We continue past the shipyards, to Sauvie Island and up the Multnomah Channel to the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. From here we follow the Columbia River through the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge and finish our trip in Astoria. The 2010 Century Paddlers will bring awareness and raise funds to help keep our river’s clean and to support adaptive recreation programs for disabled veterans.  We Love Clean Rivers will be coordinating shore based river cleanups with river steward volunteers along the way on the Willamette as well as the Columbia River as a way to leave the river a little cleaner than we found it.

This trip requires a moderate level of paddle sports preparation. Each participant must be familiar with basic kayak skills and self rescue techniques. We recommend paddlers should try to have a minimum of 100 hours of paddling by the start of CP10.  Paddlers need to be able to sit in a kayak for 2-3 hours at a time to complete this trip.  More detailed training techniques and preparation are available by reading Sam Drevo’s tips and techniques for CP10.  Classes and work up trips are offered by Northwest River Guides LLC and other schools all summer long.

Century Paddle was created to benefit Team River Runner PDX (using paddlesports as a means of healing and therapy for wounded veterans) & We Love Clean Rivers (promoting river stewardship by turning restoration into recreation). See teamriverrunnerpdx.org & welovecleanrivers.org for more info

Registration includes: 3 meals / day for 5 days and 2 meals on day 6- starting with breakfast on day 1, and finishing with lunch on day 6.  Gear shuttle (50lbs pp/day), on-water support / safety paddlers / sag boats/ rescue services, camping fees, nightly entertainment and social/educational activities, logistics, and training resources.

Registration also includes River Steward Kit essentials: CP10 water bottle, thermal mug/bowl, fork/spoon/knife, mesh bag, small dry bag, sun screen, Clif Bar snacks

Price: $950

Registration Available On-Line at: http://www.active.com/more-sports/portland-or/century-paddle-2010 or Call 503.772.1122 or email samdrevo@gmail.com, or don.smith.usa@gmail.com for more info. Registration is also available directly through Northwest River Guides LLC. 503.772.1122

This is our first ‘baby steps’ class introducing the new student to kayaking! We teach this class in a pool because they’re warm and mistake friendly. Be prepared to get wet! You’ll learn kayak nomenclature, stretches, how to adjust your outfitting to suit your body, and then we’ll hit the pool.

You’ll learn how to wet exit, brace and Eskimo rescue, all prerequisites to learning your roll. We’ll cover basic paddle strokes. We keep the student/instructor ratio to 4:1 so everyone gets maximum attention.

Date: 11/18

Time: 8 – 9:30 p.m.

Location: USA Athletics, 8333 NE Russell St., Portland, OR

Call 503-772-1122 to sign up for this class!

Got those pool classes in? Now it’s time to bring your skills outside. You’re gonna put yourself in the elements – and that’s where you belong. Learn the skills you’ll need to start using the river’s parts - eddies, rivulets, pour overs, standing waves – to your advantage, and more. We’ll show you peel outs, eddy turns, ferries, how to catch a wave, and maybe a river roll!

As a Northwest River Guides student, you’ll learn fundamental skills like peel outs, eddy turns and ferries. Using these skills allows kayakers to be the most maneuverable craft on the river, avoiding rocks and other obstacles and heading where you intend. You’ll learn about river hazards & obstacles, self rescue, river scouting, etc. We’ll teach you on class 1-2 rapids, which should help build your confidence. These are the green circles of kayaking. You’ll need to have had a pool class or NRG’s introductory class to qualify for this lesson.

Date: November 14th

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Equipment provided. Call 503-772-1122 to reserve your place!

Learning to Eskimo roll is an important part of whitewater kayaking. you may have heard that it is difficult or complicated but that is not the case when taught properly. Northwest River Guides teaches the foundations of the roll first, then progresses onward as you learn! Most students learn to roll in 1-2 lessons. After that it is on to learn to roll on your offside, back deck and hand roll. We also teach more advanced techniques such as sculling, draws and paddle dexterity drills during the class.

Call 503-772-1122 to enroll!

Where: USA Athletics, 8333 NE Russell St, Portland

When: 8:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Equipment: We provide the paddling equipment if necessary. But you should bring swim goggles and a nose plug!

Check out the local big guns paddling the rivers of the NW! It’s too late to submit more films to the oh-so-qualified judges. But you can still voice your opinion when the movies show on the silver screen! There’ll be beer, snacks, and a raffle. Rumor has it the prize is a Bliss Stick kayak! You can’t argue with that, so head on over to the Mt. Tabor Legacy Theater for a rockin’ good show! More details at pdxkayaker.

When: October 16th, 8:00 p.m.

Where: Mt. Tabor Legacy Theater 4811 SE Hawthorne

This Sunday is your last chance in 2009 to participate in the Portland Oregon’s best combo package: Beginner kayak lessons with Northwest River Guides AND the oppty to try a kayak from Next Adventure!

We’ve been doing it all summer. People from all over are taking advantage of this famous deal! If you have not heard of it yet – here is the scoop: Reserve a kayak and get a lesson! That’s it. You call us and reserve a boat that fits, show up at Sellwood Riverfront Park at 9:00 a.m. Sunday.  You’ll try out a kayak first-hand AND get professional instruction so that you can head out on your own!

Here’s what you’ll learn: You’ll learn about the parts of the kayak like deck, hull and cockpit. By the end you’ll know how to enter your boat and set up the cockpit comfortably. You’ll also learn how to hold and use the paddle! There’ll be instruction on safety too.

Then you’ll head out on the Willamette River to Ross Island, one of Portland, Oregon’s best kept secrets. There, you’ll see ospreys, blue herons, kingfishers, and probably a pair of nesting bald eagles!

When done you’ll also receive goodies like 10% discounts on Next Adventure merchandise!

To reserve your spot call 503-722-1122, visit Next Adventure at 426 SE Grand Avenue, or use their online reservation sytem at http://shop.nextadventure.net/ross-island-kayak-tour.html

September 26th, 2009 70 NW Couch . White Stag Building . Portland Celebration begins @ 6:00 pm

Gourmet Hors d’oeuvres . Live Music . Fine Wines . Local Brews . Good Times for a river that provides clean water for all

Honored Guest: Oregon Attorney General John Kroger

Mr. Kroger has made protection of water quality a priority, including creating the first environmental crimes unit in Oregon’s history.  Mr. Kroger stated, “As Attorney General, I have pledged to do everything in my power to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause to our air, land, water and health. I hope you will join me.”  Join Mr. Kroger at CRK’s Art + Experience Auction where he will speak to kick off the live auction. This Just In! Take a tugboat tour of the Portland/Vancouver Harbors!

Tour the Portland/Vancouver working harbors on the tug Black Hawk! This voyage for four on a two-hour tour will be led by the tug’s captain and the company’s owner, and CRK’s very own Captain Peter Wilcox. The Black Hawk has towed from Vancouver to Shanghai along the Yangtze River, and regularly tows between British Columbia and Portland. On this tour she will be yours!  You won’t want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity — buy your tickets to the auction today!

Auction Item Preview: Royal Nebeker monotype . 3-day Hells Canyon Rafting Adventure . snorkel adventure on Mt. Hood- swim with the salmon! . Noel Thomas watercolor . Deschutes River rafting trip . handmade quilt by Collen Blackwood . Columbia Sportswear gear package . sculptures by Deb Sether . Mt. Hood Meadows family season pass (for 6!) . Roger Hayes oil painting . club-seat tickets to Beavers vs. Huskies during Dad’s Weekend at OSU . vintage beaded jewelry by Laurel Clark . John Day fishing trip . stoneware lamp from NW potter Stan Gibson . Hood River vacation stays . experience Astoria packages . and much, much more!

Tickets $75 ON SALE NOW! ($25 Limited Income Rate)
Click here to purchase tickets online, mail checks to 724 Oak Street . Hood River, OR 97031, 
or call 541.387.3030 Pre-registered guests will have the opportunity to use the Express Check-In registration line at the event! Purchase your tickets today! Thank you for your support of a clean + healthy Columbia River!

Northwest River Guides is teaching beginning whitewater kayaking river classes this weekend! This Saturday and Sunday NRG is holding classes on the lower Clackamas River near Portland, OR. These four-hour classes will teach the basics of safety, reading water, entering and exiting rapids, and more. We will go over on-the-water warm ups and stretching, bracing, peel outs, eddy turns, ferries, braces, t-rescues and rolling!

NRG instructors will be there to guide your every move. These lessons are offered Saturdays 9:00-1:00 and Sundays 2:00 – 6:00.  All equipment provided.

Contact Northwest River Guides at 503-772-1122 to register. No equipment necessary, but we’ll need to know your size so we can provide the correct fitting equipment!

Met up with several paddlers seeking a morning kayaking the Willamette river this past Sunday! They had reserved their kayaks through Next Adventure’s reservation system and were looking forward to a beginner kayak lesson on given by Northwest River Guides. It started in Sellwood Park at 9:00 a.m. with paddlers greeting the staff and an introduction to the kayaks. We learned how to sit in and adjust the kayak seats and foot braces. After a quick tutorial on paddling technique we set off. The river was quiet – we left about 9:15. We passed colorful floating homes and the Oaks Park Amusement Park. Soon we were at Ross Island, passing by great blue herons quietly stalking their prey. Ospreys called overhead. Then up ahead we pulled a left turn into the Ross Island Lagoon, where our guide Dave Hoffman took us to a bald eagle nest! It’s quite a sight.

You can enjoy this Sunday morning spectacular all summer by reserving a boat through Next Adventure’s kayak department. They last from 9:00-11:30. Stop by Next Adventure at 426 SE Grand, or reserve online through their registration system, or call 503-772-1122.

For me, this is what it is all about – teaching folks to kayak.  With my job I certainly have some tasks that I don’t enjoy that much – cleaning out the van, cleaning gear, entering class info into our database – but all of those tasks allow me to do what I really love: teach students to kayak.  The passion for instruction that we have here at Northwest River Guides is truly special.  We won’t try to sell you kayaks or gear and we won’t try to get you to take endless lessons.  Our only goal is for you to learn as fast as you can and have as much fun as possible.   We figure if that happens, you’ll recommend us to all your friends and then I’ll get to teach even more kayak lessons!  That would be awesome.  If you’d like to take a kayak lesson with Portland’s best kayak instructors, give me a call at the office, 503.772.1122 or check out our website.  I hope I see you on the water soon! -Dave

Northwest River Guides instructor Ben Liotta teaches the sweep stroke to a student.