all41

Hello, for those of you that don't know me, I am Eric (Ambrosia's husband). Here's some answers to questions that may help (I'll start with the most recent). Footwear of course is your personal preference. The boats we're using are not a self bailing boat. What this means is that the floor is solid (hypalon which is like rubber) all the way across and it doesn't allow water in (unlike a self bailing raft which has an inflated floor with openings all the way around). Sorry if this is too much detail, but what this means is that in an ideal setting we should have no water on the floor of the boat and feet should stay dry, so wear what is warm and comfortable. That being said, we are on a river and the process of getting in and out of the boat, the possibility of a rare splash, and the possibility of rain will decide if the floor of the boat is wet. This is why we recommend a winter/hiking boot with warm/wool socks. Water proof/resistant always helps. Water shoes are fine, but as you know offer no warmth to your toes which could be rather uncomfortable (of course if you wear wool socks with water shoes it's not as bad). As far as shuttling, what works well is to have as many vehicles at the take out (with warm dry clothing in case it rains) so that when we get out people have their things. The way we do this is, once everyone has arrived we choose the vehicle (or 2) with the most seats, along with all other vehicles (and one driver) and we shuttle them to the take out (before we begin the trip and while others are getting ready) with the vehicles with the most seats bringing the drivers back up to the put in. This way at the end of the trip we only have to shuttle one or two drivers back to where we started to retrieve their cars. Hope this all makes sense, and sorry if it's too much detail. Eric P.S. If all goes as planned we should be done well before kickoff (in case you're concerned about watching a certain football game). Looking forward to a great trip, the weather looks like it will be decent (so far).

Finally some answers (sorry for the delay), as for transportation we will have a 12 passenger van that can shuttle people from the take out to the put in so really there's no need for anyone to bring 2 cars. There will be plenty of people in our group who can watch your boats at the take out while you retrieve your vehicle from the put in. That is a VERY good question! I beleive the PUT IN is a public fishing area and just might require a Vehicle Use Permit. I havn't been there in a while so I don't remember for sure. This could be a problem for some people. If this is the case the permit needed would be the 2007 permit, not 2008. The 2008 permit does not start until March. I had one but lost it I really prefered the days when that permit was a window sticker and not just a receipt. I seem to recall that the scheduled take out is a county (or city) park. The put in I'm nearly positive is permit free. I believe that it's forest service land so no fees there. The take out is a county park and there should be no fee's there either except for our larger commercial rafts but we've got that covered with the help of donations to cover trip costs.

Hi, my name is all41, and I'd like to be added. Thanks.

So, I've run the river now 3 times in the last week and I thought I'd post an update for any who might be wondering. The water is excellent right now. The rivers not flooding like it was a week ago. All the caches are ready to go and we should be set. I took a group of high school students down yesterday and we even practiced flipping the raft upside down and floating it down the river sitting on the bottom side of it. This move is reserved for those times that it rains (in case those west siders bring their weather with them ) so all you have to do is float in the water underneath the raft so your hair doesn't get wet . Just be prepared to paddle hard if you want to get "dig in". To cross into the cave takes some good paddling strength right now. See you Sunday All41

Well, if there are people going to get this cache, and there is some place in town to grab a tank or two, count me in. Just with all of the other camping stuff in the car, I would never convince Mama Cita to also pack my wet suit and tanks. cheers, Poppa J There's a Scuba place in Wenatchee. It's where I got my certification. I might consider doing a dive if I can find a wetsuit to fit my svelte frame. I have a really nice drysuit but the darn thing went and shrunk on me. It has been a while since I’ve dove so I may have to do a refresher dive or 2 in the Sound between now and the campout. I'm up for the dive. I've been wanting to do that one for a long time. Just need a bc and tank and I'm ready to go.

Test.

Yay, it's time to georaft again. This time no ripped boats please . Fortunately the water should be at least 4 plus times higher than the last time we did this. In answer to a few questions. Age is really up to the parent. I have taken my kids down many times (ages 8 & 11 last time we did it) but I usually wait for the warmest weather and mid to lower water levels. It's up to nature as to what kind of water we'll have . There should be plenty of water but that could range from mild and fun to big and raging (which to some is scary and others (like me) is excellent). The river is class III (scale goes from one to five) which is perfect for beginners and thrill seekers alike. It's known as the safest river in the Northwest and is the most popular in Washington . See link for more info. As far as kids are concerned just be aware that some love it and some cry like babies , depending on age and character. I would personally suggest 10 and up if they're decent swimmers. As far as weight limit don't worry, these are commercial rafts and are very solid. I've taken 300lb plus individuals with no issues. Just keep your own personal health in mind. No heart attacks please . The river is rough and some of the paddling (and big waves) will get your heart rate going but you certainly don't have to be an athlete for this. Wet suits are available but I believe the biggest we have is adult Large, maybe XL also. I wear a XXL I believe, and I am 6ft 5 inches. We may run out of certain sizes so the options are bring your own if you have one or we may be able to rent some from a local rafting company if needed. It will hopefuly be a hot day and in that case you may not need one. I usually go without if it's warm and sunny. On that note, footwear is of utmost importance. No flip flops , you want water shoes or old tennies but something that can handle walking on rocks with a strong current flowing by. Wet suit booties work great if they have a rubber sole for walking, plus they keep your feet warm . Your feet will get wet (obviously) and the water is very cold so if you're worried about frozen toes then go for the booties (you can rent them (about $5) if needed since we don't have them available), or wear wool socks with your tennies to keep your feet warmer. One other note that I know people will ask about is about money . In the past we've asked for $35 per person for the trip, but we're doing it different this year. The equipment and guides we'll use are from a local church that does this as a ministry for youth and community. The equipment is all commercial quality and is very expensive. Because this is a church though they simply ask for donations as a person feels they can afford, this way no one gets left behind because of finances. Keep in mind that to do this same trip with a rafting company will run you $80 or more. Our trip will be much more fun though. We're just asking to give as you feel you can afford and as it was worth to you. A suggested amount would be $35 per person but do as you feel on this one. We're looking forward to an awesome time with lots of geocaching along the way including one inside a cave that you must literally raft in to (paddle hard). Wow, I've written a book now. All41

Just wanted to say thanks again to all the generous cachers who were willing to share their gps with me the other day . I borrowed Blue Jays but couldn't get my maps loaded in and when asking Gadgets advice on how to fix this he offered his gps which already had the maps. It's very nice to have such generous friends around . Thanks again All41

Thanks to all you generous cachers for your willingness to share. I just picked up Bluejays legend c today and should be back in this decade as far as electronics while traveling for my weekend away. Now let's all just hope for nice weather to play in. Eric

A desperate geocacher is seeking help My wife (ambrosia) is stealing my gps this weekend for the fling. Patudles is being mean and won't share her gps with me and now I'm desperate. I'll be driving through Vancouver BC this weekend on my way to Whistler and will be spending a day playing/caching there on the way back on Sunday. Without a gps I'll feel like I fell back into the dark ages, especially when it comes to navigating around Vancouver. If there is any kind cacher that would trust me with an extra or unused gps I would be eternally grateful. I've got a couple options to borrow from already but would really prefer a gps with some road mapping ability . Thanks for helping a cacher in need. Email me through my profile if you can help. All41

Adventure caching at it's best! Did a whitwater caching trip last year, doing 10 caches along the class 4 Wenatchee River. Just before the cache Boulder Bend we hit a log and popped part of our raft. Several of us voted to complete the trip anyway. Can't keep some of us from caching! Me, TotemLake, and MarcusArelius.

Thanks so much ClydeE for the email. It works fine now on both, my desktop and laptop.

I just downloaded the gsak program and was excited about using it. When I tried to export it to mapsource a window popped up titled exception log and it said (List index out of bounds (0)" I then had to go through several steps to exit out of there and it even wanted to access my email files for some reason. I've tried this several times and get the same issue every time. What am I doing wrong?

I am Ambrosia's husband. I've checked out some of the threads a few times.