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 the middle— not [...]
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 Rivera’s Colorado, 1765. In the mid 1700s, [...]
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 [...]
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 possibility of souls swimming [...]
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 for Mild to Wild [...]
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, with the entirety of the company equipment stored [...]
