The River Boss

Seth Coates is my boss at Windfall Rafting. He is a 30 year old father of three that has a passion for three things; God, outdoors, and the river. He is one of the better guides in Maine and has picked up the sport of rafting in just a few short years. When he was first selected to manage Windfall, he had never been rafting before, but he quickly mastered the art of guiding and has become a leader physically and spiritually for his employees.  Before every trip on the river, Seth, or one of the guides leads the staff in a quick word of prayer and encouragement. Since Windfall is a commercial rafting company, they don’t make the trips directly religious, but one of the goals of every trip is, as Seth puts it, “to give every customer one positive experience with a Christian.”

When I asked Seth why he liked managing Windfall he said, “because it gives me an opportunity to do something I love every day, and it gives me countless opportunities to share my faith and give unbelievers a good experience with a Christian.” Rafting is fun, but it also takes up a lot of time.

Rafting can be a huge leech on family time, but Seth balances work with his family quite well compared to most owners. Seth guides on just about every trip Windfall goes on throughout the summer.  He says “In the summer, I work a lot and see my family a little, but I always take at least one day of the week to spend time with them and be the Godly leader I should be.”

Seth has a heart for people, and God has placed him at Windfall for a reason. He may not be the type of person to push his faith on people, but every person that goes down the river in his boat is positively impacted towards Christ.

Here is a link to Windfall Rafting's website. Come on out and have an adventure this summer with Seth and our crew!
http://www.windfallrafting.com/

The Maine Whitewater Experience-Awesome showcase of Maine Rafting

This is an awesome video showcasing rafting in Maine. They show shots from both the Kennebec and the Penobscot Rivers. They also show some other cool stuff to do in Maine at the end. Overall very cool video put out by the Maine Office of Tourism. A must watch if you're interested at all in Maine Whitewater Rafting!




Whitewater Rafting Experience in Maine from Maine Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

Best and Cheapest Gear

The best and cheapest river gear is arguably NRS. NRS or Northwestern River Supply is widely considered to have the biggest and widest selection of anything to do with river sports. They have even received the nickname "The Walmart of river sports" by many. Started over 40 years ago, NRS specializes in Whitewater gear but also offers a wide selection of other outdoor items you may need too.

Anything from whitewater rafts to hats and sunglasses, they have it all. NRS' closest rival is River Sports Outfitters, but they do not have the selection NRS has.  One of the downfalls of NRS gear is the quality. NRS gear has the tendency to be cheap and usually made in China, but it holds up to moderate use and is adequate for most things.

 NRS is primarily an online mail order company because of the remote locations of most of their customers, but they do have a large warehouse type store and showroom in the state of Washington. They also offer excellent sales and some of the best pro-deals in the nation for anyone working in the industry (guides, outfitters, or even pro kayakers). Overall they are a great company and a place where I will be shopping for all my river needs for years to come.

Whitewater Tubing??

Not only can you take a regular commercial raft down the river, but it is perfectly legal to take whatever floats down the river as well..... if you have the experience and the guts to try! Check out this sweet vid of some of my buddies taking regular old tubes down some serious class IV whitewater on the Kennebec River.





Whitewater Tubing! from AerialFly on Vimeo.

AIRE Whitewater Rafts

If you are rafting in Maine, you want to be using the best equipment available. That's why many  outfitters in Maine choose AIRE rafts. These are the best rafts money can buy and many Maine outfitters are now using them. Check out this Prezi for some awesome reasons why AIRE rafts are the best!

Rafting the class V rapids of the Nob

The class V sections of the Nob!

As I mentioned in my last post, the West branch of the Penobscot River is the wildest whitewater rafting experience in Maine. It has two major class V sections of rapids, "The Gorge" and "The Cribworks." Class V rapids are defined as rapids with only one safe way in which to navigate them and at least one very dangerous feature.

The Gorge

The Gorge 

The Gorge is the first major class V section of rapids on the nob. It is also the first set of rapids after you launch from the dam. The very first hit is called "Exterminator" and it lives up to its name. This one wave is responsible for the majority of raft flips on the river. If your crew and guide do not work together to hit the wave at the correct angle, this massive wall of water will stand up a 15' boat and flip it like it was nothing.
If your boat flips at Exterminator, it is a long treacherous swim to the bottom of the gorge, but your guide should be able to get everyone on the raft before the end.

Exterminator

The rest of the gorge is filled with large features like "Fist of God." This is a huge rock in the middle of the river that you must miss in order to navigate safely.

The Cribworks

The Crib is the second major class V section of rapids on the nob. It is right in the middle of your trip and is widely known as the hardest section of river to guide in Maine. It is extremely technical and starts with "Turkey Chute," a 8 foot opening between two massive rocks that the guide must maneuver the raft through.

The Cribworks

After missing "Pain in the butt rock," the guide must then turn the raft 45 degrees to the left while not flipping in "Typewriter Waves." Once past those, you'll need to watch out for the wailing wall. This 30 foot wall of rock is undercut and extremely dangerous. Once you get past the wailing wall, you're almost out. You'll just need to get by the last huge hit, "Bone Crusher."

THE NOB!!!

The most wild ride you can get it Maine by far is the Penobscot River in north central Maine. This river is the only river in Maine with multiple class V rapids running daily. Nicknamed "the nob," this river is extremely dangerous and not for the first time rafter. Its features have names like "Fist of God, "Exterminator, and "The Wailing Wall" and they all live up to their names.  Several companies run this river commercially, but it requires special licencing for all the guides so it is a little more expensive but worth the money for the ride.
Here are some awesome pictures of the river and some of its hits.