Rafting on the Klickitat

On Sunday, May 25th we drove about an hour or so from Portland through the Gorge and across the Columbia River to White Salmon, Washington to go rafting. Barbara's sister Dede set up the trip for us and her husband Jeff and her daughter Tana.

Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys is a family owned guide outfit that runs tours down the White Salmon River, the Klickitat River and several other rivers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The guides are all super nice and very professional. The trip begins at around 9:00 a.m. when you change into your wet suits and board the bus that takes you out to the River. If you are looking for a little more adventure, you can do the White Salmon River where they launch you into class IV or higher water right behind the shop. We had opted for the tamer rout on the Klickitat River.
After about a half hour drive we got to our launch point. There we got a short lecture on safety and what to do if you fall out of the boat, which not only could be dangerous but also very cold as the water was about 40 degrees. The trip down the river took about five hours, but it seemed to go by pretty fast. We got out of the boat and hiked around a couple of times in spots that were a little more dangerous, but otherwise you are in the boat the entire time. Between the wet suit, the fleece and the splash jacket they give you, you stay pretty warm. The only bad part was your hands and feet get pretty cold as you hands are exposed and your feet are in a puddle of cold water the entire time.

Where you sit is an important decision. If you are up front, you will get the best view, but you have to paddle a little harder and you get a lot wetter as every wave hits you first. If you sit in the back you are dryer but the water can pool at your feet and keep you a little cold. Either way the paddling is not very strenuous, most of the time you are just floating and enjoying the view. And the view is why you go, it is beautiful. The rock formations and the cliff sides are amazing. The Wonder Falls waterfall is also a highlight of the trip. There are also a few fish hatcheries along the way that the guide will stop and show you.

Once you get back (around 2:30 p.m.), you change out of your wet suit and you get a nice home cooked lunch and the opportunity to check out the pictures of your trip to see if you want to buy them. The guided tour and lunch is $90 per person and the pictures are $35. On the way home we drove along the Washington side of the Gorge where we saw a lot of wind surfers and took the Bridge of the Gods back over to the Oregon side which offers great views of the Gorge.

Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys
1248 Hwy 141
White Salmon, WA 98672
800-366-2004
www.zooraft.com