Harpers Ferry Guide Raft Race

Last Thursday May 21st, 2009 - 12 raft teams gathered along the banks of the Shenandoah River to race for The Coveted Doah Cup. The level was 3.8 on the Millville gauge. ASCI was coming down in an attempt to hijack the Cup, but had to decline @ the last moment, causing quite a stir among the local teams. Our independent team from the US Coast Guard was in stealth mode, sneaking in a practice run and long time Shenenadoah guide Doug Spindle Krutsinger at the helm, they looked serious from the sign in to the finish line.At the finish line 1st though was Team Struggle from River & Trail at 37:04. This was River & Trails first ever Doah Cup victory, congratulations! 2nd was the Coast Guard in 37:55, followed closely by Team Analog from River & Trail at 37:57 There was a new rule in place this year, the bib wearer in each raft had to exit the raft as it touched shore at Potomac Wayside and run to the bottom of the big hill, hand over the bib and stop time!Thank you to CROCS for sponsoring the race, Team Struggle walks away with the new shoes!Congratulations to all of the racers, you raised $600.00 towards river conservation! Awesome job.Thanks to our local outfitters Butts, River Riders, and River & Trail for supporting the Harpers Ferry Outdoor Festival and Tim Gavin Downriver Race, Butts for hosting the after race party!Don't forget: JUNE 20TH THE SHENANDOAH RIVER WILL BE RELEASING FROM THE MILLVILLE HYDRO STATION, WE ARE EXPECTING TO HAVE 3-3.5' ON THE MILLVILLE GAUGE THAT DAY FROM 9A-3P, ALL DEPENDENT ON NATURAL FLOWS

Here is a list of the results of the 5th Annual Quest for the Coveted Doah Cup.1]Team Struggle- River and Trail 37:04Kyle GagnonAustin RussellAndy MollohanJermiah CarrollJake Rakowski2]Coast Guard- 37:55Chuck DavisErich KrueckBen DurrantDoug Spindle KrutsingerBill Rogers3] Team Analog- River and Trail 37:57Dave HubbardSam HubbardMark HillJason OneilEZ Everett RuppertChris CarmanShane Labrush4] Team Ram Rod- Butts Tubes 38:13Brendan LinggJeff IsaksonJohn KeeneyJohn MarstanWilliam "Fatman" Stubbs5] Team Catfish- River Riders 38:23Isaac KernsAlex KernsBuckwheatMeghan Williams6] Mauve Avengers- River Riders 38:49Chris GoodellCliff RylandJoe MartinGenelle BotjeTanner Haid7]Gitbox revenge, AKA Red Rockets- Butts 39:12Eric Crash VanceEric Mojo MorrisonMike Metro McCauleyKevin Tsunami TsuneishiJohn Sickenburger8]Unguided Missle- Butts 40:15Rhett ColwellRyan ColwellChris McMunnTom HaroskyBen KirkendallMichael Clevencer9]Haz Beens- River & Trail 40:39Moose Terry MilliganRobert McimteerMargaret Schill10] Team Vag- River& Trail 43:01Alyson WhitacreEmily ReeseMaddie VidmarSarah MaxleySarah Bidinger11] Lanky Pants- River Riders 53:47Nikk BonneauBen Case12] Blue Ridge Representin'Mitch Grove, Richard, Artie, Ciera Boggs, Tanya Hapgood
They were slow but set new course record with 30 beers consumed supposedly!Prepare for next years race, more independents coming into town in an attempt to hijack the Cup, will River & Trail repeat? Will ASCI show, or the Coast Guard improve slightly to take the Cup???Awesome race folks, we will see you all again next May for the paddlin' of The 6th Annual Quest for the Coveted Doah Cup!

Written by Lisa

Thanks to all the HFOF volunteers for putting on another great race!

And a special shout out to all the River Riders guides who put in a hard paddle, especially the "We paddled so hard we broke the oar" Ben Case and Nik Bonneau Team :)

The New River Adventure of the Year - High Water Road Trip

Tuesday May 5th 7AM - The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers are pretty high right now and we knew that other tributaries to the Potomac Basin would be up, too. So, we decided to head West with plans to run the North Branch of the Potomac. The subject of Stony and Abram Creeks came up, and since I was the only person on the trip that had done the Stony before, and no one had ever run Abram, we decided to take the route less traveled. Besides, none of us wanted to set shuttle all the way out on the Kitzmiller which was another hour away.
So with Matt in the captain’s seat and Ed as co-pilot, we proceeded to find where Abram Creek meets the North Branch. Amazingly, we were able to get there without any wrong turns. When the road became the equivalent of an ATV trail, Matt took a survey of everyone in the van to see if we should continue. We decided that we had enough pushing power to get us out of almost anything, so we shoved on. Along our way, we were able to road scout the majority of the creek, paying close attention to bends in the river and large trees that might be across our path. We were fairly confident that we would be able to navigate through the creek without any problem. After moving from the van to the truck and changing into our river clothes, we headed back out toward the put-in.
Rob was now behind the wheel with Ben C. riding shotgun. We finally made it back to paved road and soon realized that it was a poor decision to ride in the bed of a truck when we had an enclosed van that we could have taken, instead. Man, was it cold! We quickly warmed up by inflating boats with a hand pump, though, and off we went. Within the first quarter-mile, the creek was choked up with boulders and strainers making it impassable by raft, resulting in our first portage of the day. Luckily, it was a short one of only about 10 feet.
Catfish and Ben manned the first boat, with Rob, Anthony, and me following behind in boat #2, leaving Matt and Ed to run sweep. The creek mellowed after the first mile and by mile 4 I started to think that we should have picked the Kitzmiller or Stoney for a more exciting ride. The scenery was beautiful, though, and it gave you the feeling that you were in a truly remote area of the state. We came to a second portage of the day and we could tell by the huge amount of debris

that the recent rain had taken the water level to at least 100 feet wide in that spot. It was a cool spot to stop because we could see evidence of beavers and the trees they had chopped down.
After that, the creek’s pace picked up substantially and it was now comparable to the Savage, maybe even a little more intense. Matt and Ed took the lead at that point, followed by Fish and Ben, with my boat bringing up the rear. The river was rockin’ and rollin’ and steadily dropped. Everything was moving so fast that it was hard to keep track of the miles.
After awhile, we hit a third portage where the width of the creek was blocked by a giant evergreen tree. Beyond that, the river was littered with passable pathways that we aggressively paddled through. The R3 boat was a little heavier than the R2, so we did get stuck on a few rocks along the way. But nothing that a trio of Shenandoah guides can’t handle. Who knows rocks better than us?!?
Finally, we started to notice a few landmarks that we’d seen while setting shuttle. We thought that we would paddle under two bridges, but actually passed under four before reaching the take-out. At this point, the gradient was higher than it had been earlier making for a very speedy ending to our trip.
It was great to have an opportunity to try a new run and it was even better to have had a swim-free day. A swim on the Abrams would have probably been a pretty painful dip, so we were happy that everyone made it through safely. All in all, it was a great start to the season. And boy were we glad that we left the van at the take-out. Dry clothes and a heater were the icing on the cake of our day!
Written by Bill

The Road might be closed, but the River is wide open!

PBs Rock and Run

Adam and I set up our River Riders' booth at PB's Rock and Run Festival Saturday April 25th. The weather was absolutely fabulous and everyone had a great time. There was live music, a petting farm, and lots of other offerings. Too bad we couldn't bring the river with us! WHEW!

All in all, it was a great day for a great cause!

~Kym and Adam~

RIVER RIDERS' 2 day RIVER CLEAN UP in celebration of EARTH DAY

Press Release:

Harpers Ferry, WV Saturday April 18th and Sunday April 19th. River Riders launched their second annual 2 day river clean up combined with a white water rafting adventure in order to unite volunteer service and fun in celebration of Earth Day.

Each day River Riders launched two trips, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The groups were loaded up with gloves, trash bags, and plenty of room to gather any unsightly garbage along the way. In all four trips, the clean up effort brought in a total of over 16 bags of garbage from 8 1/2 miles of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, from the Millville Dam to Potomac Wayside. Ed Shelley, a Trip Leader for River Riders said “It was so refreshing to see the enthusiasm and effort everyone put into our clean-up this year! From those of us that spend our days on the river we would like to thank everyone who has helped to keep it beautiful.” from the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, stretching from Millville Dam to Wayside on the Potomac.

For additional information on other service projects or philanthropic events, please contact Kym Grove e: kym@riverriders.com p: 304-535-2663 or check out our website at http://www.riverriders.com/.

About River Riders: River Riders is a family owned and operated, licensed professional outfitter in Harpers Ferry, WV. We are committed to provide safe, affordable, quality recreation through exceptional guest service, offering white water rafting, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, biking, fishing, teambuilding, Outdoor Adventure Camp, orienteering, rock climbing, ropes course, shuttle services, and more!

River Riders at I 81 Welcome Center

Because we had a beautiful day full of sunshine, there were numerous travelers visiting the I-81 South Visitor Center. Many folks were headed to the Shenandoah Valley to visit the caverns and Skyline Drive but I made sure they knew all about River Riders and what we had to offer. Several people had our raft trips confused with those in southern WV, they said they heard the waters in WV were very dangerous and were definitely out of their comfort zone. I reassured them that our trips were on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers with Class I to III rapids...great for playful family "daycations". There were several tweens that were excited about our camp adventures and eagerly took the brochures and ran them to their parents. I was greeted with open arms by Wanda and Canza, the guest services specialists at the center. They were very friendly and willing to help promote the fact that I was there to all their guests. Overall, I had a great day and was grateful to have met many different personalities traveling through our great state of WV. ~ Sarah L. Knott

King Abdullah of Jordan visits Harpers Ferry

King Abdullah II from Jordan and more than ten other diplomats visited Harpers Ferry on Saturday the 18th. The group was out for a motorcycle trip through Jefferson County and parts of Virginia. It was certainly a beautiful weekend to enjoy the country side. As residents of this great town, we are proud to have received his visit, and hope he and his fellow travelers enjoyed their stay.

Lisa Edel, owner of "The Country Cafe" in Harpers Ferry poses with her husband, several relatives, and King Abdullah of Jordan who stopped by Saturday for a visit during a bike ride

Teambuilding - Staff - Spring Event

Friday April 3, 2009 ten of us traveled to our friends at For Love of Children's Outdoor Education Center. FLOC is situated on over 350 acres of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where we had the opportunity to take part in one of their many outdoor vertical challenge courses! We were lead by their outstanding facilitators, and one of our current part time outstanding staff members, Shane Hovatter (commonly known 'round here as Buckwheat) and Todd McKinney.

We began our morning with 3 activities- Sword Fight, Trust Circle, and Magic Carpet. Sword Fight was a competitive match similar to thumb wrestling, only you lock hands, stick out your index finger, and try to "sword" your opponent on the leg, without being "sworded" first! Next we circled up, and "passed" each team member around a circle of hands, while the person in the middle completely let go of his/her own balance. Lastly, we embarked on the "Magic Carpet"

challenge, where we vertically lifted each team member from lying on the floor to lying on our hands over our heads!

Next we traveled to the Climbing Wall where we were faced with the challenge to get all team members over a 16ft wall. If that doesn't sound "easy" enough, we were also given several limitations to make the task at hand even more difficult. With a little brainstorming, strategic thinking, and a lot of muscle, not only did we succeed, but were applauded by our facilitators for successfully completely a challenge which would traditionally defeat many teams.

LAST, but certainly not least, we found ourselves high about the forest floor in the canopy of the ropes course! Team members surpassed personal goals and fears, as well as supported one another in individual challenges. At the end of the day, we were all a little sore, and mildly exhausted, but walked away with a sense of accomplishment as well as new camaraderie found among the rain, mud, tree tops, and Sword Fights of our Spring Event.

A HUGE THANKS GOES OUT TO: Our friends at FLOC for hosting and facilitating our event. Angela "Mama Hen" Cogle for the "special" lunch (I owe ya big tyme). Our Office and Administrative staff for making it possible for us to leave home and take the day "out". And to everyone who came out to make the event possible: Matt, Ben, Kym, Bill, Ed, Catfish, Anthony (I need a reminder) Dumps, Gennell, Nick Fridge C., and Frinfrock.

I'm sure I can speak on behalf of each one of us when I say it was nice to sit back and be the guest for the day:) In exchange for our team building program with FLOC, we will be hosting their staff for a development program on our Shenandoah white water rafting trip. Check back after Friday May 8th for the story to come. More pictures coming soon!

Staff Welcome Back Day

Each year we have an opening meeting to welcome back returning River Riders' staff. This year the opening date was set for Saturday March 28th, and each year our family gets bigger
and bigger! Our itinerary

included: catching up with friends (it's been a long 6 months away from our fellow Riders!), filling out 2009 paperwork, and reviewing new and re-fresher trainings. Our staff favorite is our customer and leadership training program called - "Give em the pickle" by Bob Farrell! Certainly a quirky name for an excellent philosophy!

In addition to the business side of things, we exercised a couple fun team building scenarios, and then kicked off our Staff Physical Fitness Program by running 2 miles, as well as other strength based challenges.
Coming in first place for the 2 mile challenge was our Bicycle Manager, Ed Shelly, finishing in a few seconds over 15 minutes! That's 7.5 minutes/mile! He certainly doesn't need a bike to make excellent enviro-friendly travel time! With over 35 staffers taking the challenge, everyone did an excellent job showing we're ready to shape up for the summer fun!

We're gearing up for the season! Are you? Be sure to ask us for "your pickle" when you visit River Riders in summer 2009! Until then, Your Friends, The Staff at River Riders

Delayed but with lots to Say

Has it really been over a month since our last post?!? Shame on us! Well, don't let our delayed blogging fool you. We've been up to lots of exciting stuff, preparing for the coming season! Read on for more info!

River Riders in Timonium, MD and Shepherdstown, WV

The second and third weekends in February, River Riders was well represented as we traveled to Timonium for the RV show. Alongside our long time friends, the Harper’s Ferry KOA, we greeted new faces and made new friends that we hope to see in the warmer months this season. There was great food, numerous palatial RV’s, and enthusiastic adventurers. Everyone was gearing up for another exciting summer to see where the road would take them. To all of those wandering across the country this summer, we hope you’ll find time to stop by and say hello to the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers with us!

Also on Wednesday the 18th, River Riders ventured just across the county to Shepherd University for the Recreation and Wellness Expo sponsored by the Intramural Department. Sleet, snow, and freezing rain could not stop the fitness focused Shepherd students from coming out to see us! The expo featured a fashion show of antioxidants, a firefighter relay from the volunteer fire department of Shepherdstown, and a sample of the Ab Attack class held at the Shepherd Wellness Center. It was wonderful meeting some of this summer’s up incoming first year raft guides, who eagerly filled out guide applications. We thank all of the recreation fanatics that came out to support us and our cause for wellness awareness!

WVRC fundrasing

This last week a number of the River Riders crew got together to volunteer for the West Virginia Rivers Coalition annual raffle drive. The WVRC works tirelessly to promote good stewardship of WV's rivers and streams through education, research, and grassroots programs. Each year they cover their operating costs through donations and the annual raffle is a large part of that. Bill Ward, Kym Grove and I all gave some time to man the phones, making calls and asking for support. We were all impressed with the amount of support people were willing to give. Despite these tough economic times people still value the headwaters, we do all live downstream! The drawing will take place @ Cheat Fest, May 2nd, with twenty five thank you prizes to be handed out. I enjoyed my time on the phones, I even knew some of the people I called. It feels good to volunteer your time to a worthy cause, and our rivers and streams are definitly worthy!

Camp and Summer Activities Fair

River Riders: On the Road Again to Dulles, VA

This weekend we made another road trip to Dulles, VA for a Camp and Summer Activities Fair at the Dulles Town Center Mall. While at the expo we had the opportunity to meet lots of families and children and chat about all the fun summer activities and camps that we're offering for our 2009 season. We did a raffle drawing to give away 2 free tubing trips, and passed out coupons a plenty!

To top off the excitement, our booth was recognized as the "Best Display" and we were rewarded with a basket full of tasty goodies!

If you would like to come see us in a town near you, we will be at the following locations:

2/13-15&2/20-22 44th Annual RV Expo Timonium, MD

3/7 Chesapeake Family Camp Fair Annapolis, MD

3/7-3/8 Camp & Summer Activities Expo Manassas, VA

4/8 Shepherd University Career Fair Shepherdstown, WV

If you would like to check out other shows, sign up for our newsletter for calendar updates or visit our website at http://www.riverriders.com/ and we will keep you up to date!

River Riders' staff: Art and Music debut

What does the staff at River Riders do in their "off-time"?


At River Riders we often boast about our eclectic staff, and here's our opportunity to wave our creative paddle.
Friday February 6th was an evening abound with creative juju! An artistic collaboration of River Riders staff showcased their talent at Jumpin Java, a coffee shop in Charles Town, WV. Amanda and I displayed our creative visuals on the walls, while Rootless filled the air with funky rhythms. Rootless is a band showcasing two stellar River Riders' staff, Adam our Camp Director, and Ben our Operations Director.

So you wonder what we're up to? Well we four at River Riders are making the atmospheres beautiful and rhythms catchy until next time!



Rootless

Special thanks:

The show was a great success, and an entertaining evening for all. Amanda and I want to thank everyone who stopped by to support us, and a special thanks to Rootless for complimenting our artsy atmosphere!

Amanda and Kym

If you'd like to check out our work, it's not too late! Our collages and paintings will be on display through the month of February!

Visit Jumpin Java at: 109 W. Washington St Charles Town, WV