Durango to Telluride in a Day – For San Miguel Rafters  For Durango visitors who want to check out Telluride for the day (and partake in the righteous rafting supplied by the San Miguel River nearby) here’s a few how-to’s for enjoying the journey.  How far is Telluride from Durango?  Driving to Telluride from Durango […]

Mild to Wild’s Rafting Season Forecast for 2024 You better air out those Chacos and shake the dry bags out of that crusty hibernation hole, because it’s time for the Rafting Season Forecast of 2024!  In snowy sum, this year’s swell through the Colorado Plateau looks like it’s going to ripple and flow right down […]

Renaming the Rivers of Southwest Colorado — The Juan Rivera 1765 Expedition The majority of the information in this article about the naming (and renaming) of Southwest Colorado rivers on the Juan Rivera expedition, including Rivera’s journal excerpts, has been sourced from the incredible and comprehensive work of Steven G. Baker and Rick Hendrick’s Juan […]

Each Rafting Section of the Colorado River Explained “If you really love something, you want to see all of it, not just the most beautiful parts of it.” – Mike and Jenny Fiebig, River Advocates who spent five months paddling the entirety of the Colorado River Like any river, the Colorado begins with a small […]

Geology of the Upper Salt River Canyon — A Quick Look at a Billion Years The geology of the Upper Salt River Canyon is one of those stories that looks like Christopher Nolan picked up and ran with. First off, there’s a billion years missing from the narrative, while older rock layers are stacked on […]

The Animas River — A Tale of Untamed Resilience The appellation, “Río de Las Animas”—the River of Souls—was written in the journal of Spanish colonizer, Juan Maria Antonio Rivera while crossing the Animas River on horseback in 1765 (Durango Herald). One can only imagine what sights lended to this name.   Perhaps Rivera sensed the looming […]

Your Guide to Visiting Moab in March Ever found yourself dodging selfie sticks or wrestling with reservations? Or feeling more restricted than a penguin in a tuxedo during peak tourist season? Then visiting Moab in March could be your welcome respite.  Visiting Moab in March can allow you to score on the area’s best campsites, […]

River Guide, Sam Cook on 30 Years of Adventure I had scant knowledge of Sam Cook before our interview. As an Adventure Consultant, my world revolves around calls and keystrokes, tethered to the indoors. Sam, on the other hand, is a river guide, navigating the outdoors, guiding people down the river. Despite us both working […]

A 30 Year Journey on Rocky Mountain Snowmelt – Mild to Wild’s Beginnings If you’ve ever wondered how Mild to Wild has grown into the outfitter it is today, grab the rewinder and stop when you hit 1994.  You’ll find two Durango river guides illegally parking a bus on the side of their basement apartment, […]

What is El Niño and its 2024 Forecast for Southwestern Rivers A freaky weather phenomenon occurs every few years, known as El Niño, and fishers were the first to notice it (vox.com).  Beginning around Christmas, the sea surface warms up like the vacation of your dreams. Do not open up a new tab and Google […]