Page 211 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

A pair of rafters sizes up Rainie Falls on the
Rogue River. They decided to run it far right and
avoid the main falls. Opposite: A mother
merganser ( a kind of fish-eating duck) and her
brood of a dozen ducklings paddle in an eddy on
the Rogue River in southwest Oregon.

I’d run the 15-foot falls years ago, back before I ladder a 3.”
had children, other responsibilities and when I There were other class 2 and 3 rapids that day
possessed a higher skill level. And maybe I’ll try it with names like China Gulch, Tyee and Wildcat, but
again one day - after my youngest son is off in college the best part was a hike up Whiskey Creek to see a
- but I kinda doubt it. gold miner’s cabin. Maintained by rangers from the
Zachary Collier, who runs Northwest Rafting, federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the
said he, too, has walked around Rainie. (He’s also run redoubt has bottles, cans, household utensils and
it, too.) He said he’s seen plenty of other kayakers mining gear left behind many decades ago.
and rafters take it on and never seen anyone get We camped that night and had a delicious
stuck in the reversal at the bottom of the falls. salmon dinner prepared by our guides as we sipped
Trashed, recirculated and then regurgitated wine and other libations while playing an old Viking
downstream, yes. But kept in the hole, thankfully, game called “kubb,” which has gained popularity in
never. recent years. Something of a cross between bowling
“I give a talk at the beginning of the trip about and horseshoes, the objective is to knock over
the difference Class 3, 4 and 5 rapids,” he said. wooden blocks by tossing wooden batons at them. (I
“Rainie is a great illustration of them all with the won.)
main drop being a 5, the middle chute a 4 and the fish
210 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019