The Wetass Life–River Guiding: When you are young and immortal, and it’s time to put life on hold for some adventure, there are two main options: you can chase snow and mountains, or you can follow the water. The culture of the ski bum and the climber is a familiar one. But what about the river rat? The LA Times’ Ashley Powers heads into the rapids to chronicle the lives of whitewater river guides. Check it out here. Here’s part of her take:

 

This is guide life: The sweetest pad is a six-person tent. Washing machines and Yahoo inboxes are nearly nine miles away. From a beam, a gauzy blue bra dangles. Calvin Klein, 34C. Anyone know whose it is?…

 

Guide life is spartan. Showers are rare or icy. Therm-a-Rests outnumber Beautyrests a thousand to one. One hundred bucks a day is considered good pay. Still, there’s this: The put-in spot for the American River’s middle fork is called Oxbow, and it might as well be named Wish You Were Here. Under a cloudless sky, regiments of Ponderosa pines march down steep canyons to glassy water. 

Sounds like a good deal…



“Uhhh, Guide Dude, I know you are hungover, but that’s my daughter falling out the back of the boat…”

(Photo: Myung J. Chun / LAT)