Awesome man, I’ve taught quite a few people how to surf. The best advice is to just get out there as much as possible. Paddling uses different muscles than any other activity, even swimming. Paddle Paddle Paddle… there is a familiarity with the ocean you need to develop and the only way to get that is to be in it! Skateboarding isnt a bad idea to work on balance/flow. But really just spend as much time in the ocean as you can. Before the wife and kids I would be in the ocean for 8 hours a day almost everyday. I would surf before and after work/school and even surf on my lunch break when I worked next to the ocean. It would be great to meet up with you for some water activities!
First River with timid wife?
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If he goes to guide school, I’m sure he can get a few high mileage loaners to take for a test drive.
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WTF-a peculiar river trip - Fretwater Boatworks
Walter’s Camp to Fisher’s Landing (WTF) is a little visited flatwater run on the very lower Colorado. Slow flat water, no rapids, complicated […]
fretwaterboatworks.com
Lower Colorado??
I believe this might be exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!WTF-a peculiar river trip - Fretwater Boatworks
Walter’s Camp to Fisher’s Landing (WTF) is a little visited flatwater run on the very lower Colorado. Slow flat water, no rapids, complicated […]
Lower Colorado??
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Now we get where each other are coming from!
🍻
Sounds like the OP has a really solid foundation to get into this with experience in other water sports and swiftwater training. I think with a positive attitude and perseverance, you're going to crush it! California is tough for mellow rivers - maybe heading up and boating the Sacramento River could be a good family trip. Here's a video of some guy running Redding all the way to the delta. The Sacramento - At Current Speed | Cataract Oars. The American downstream of Folsom is also really chill for the family. As others stated you should definitely get out on some commercial trips to see how the family enjoys that.
Thanks for the encouragement! I can definitely get addicted to exciting activities and can see myself being a guide in retirement. Gonna start slow as I had a way of pushing the limits when I was younger. As I get older I have learned to ease into things! Thanks for the tips on the rivers up north, I will definitely look into them
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Desolation/Gray is a pretty good first multi-day trip, especially at "normal" (i.e. low) water levels. You can just about hit anything and go through in any orientation and still be okay. Pretty low consequences. Pretty good drive from Cali though.
I’d say maybe try the Lower American once the flows come down to below 5k, two rapids, easy enough put in & take out, (mostly a lazy float) try something like Sailor bar to gristmill/Harrington river access. If she’s keen on that, maybe jump up to Coloma to Greenwood on the SFA, or the Lower Middle Fork, all three are fairly scenic.
Exactly the information Im looking for. Thank you!
Timid better than frigid... not going where you think. Timid can be cured with a few positive experiences, err on the side of creature comforts, great weather, good food, not too much heavy lifting... frigid, whether immersive or weather-related, will likely result in lifelong aversion... if you're lucky, just to rafting!
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There's timid about the risk. Scary rapids, bad swims etc. But some people are just timid about being outdoors, pooping in a groover etc. Figure out what bothers her and try to avoid/minimize that stuff. I mean, if it's the rapids that are scary, go do some flat water. If it's the camping, do a few dailies.
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My wifey doesn’t love big whitewater or sleeping on the ground but she doesn’t mind shuttling and loves river culture.
The Lochsa is her favorite place in the world to camp so it’s a great compromise for us!
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Don’t go with wallrat if you wanna stay married…
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One great family friendly option for a float on a beautiful mellow stretch of river is on the Truckee, from Tahoe City to the takeout at River Ranch at the bottom of the road to Alpine. It's pretty much Class I, (there are harder stretches below the River Ranch). There are raft companies that rent rafts for ppl to float it themselves, without a guide. To give you an idea of how mellow it is, when I was a kid, maybe 7 or so, my totally non-boating parents rented a raft, my mom was 7 months pregnant, and they brought my grandma and great aunt, along with with my sister. It was a truly formative experience for me. When I saw a solo kayaker continue past the "danger take out here" signs at the River Ranch takeout, I was captivated. I said to myself "I want to do THAT!!!", the seed was planted in my little 7 year old brain, and thus began my lifelong love of running rivers and kayaking. I'm sure the Truckee will be high and swift for awhile this year, but for most of the summer it's a lazy, trout fishing, swimming, picnic along the way, family friendly for all ages kind of river. It's very popular, so expect to see lots of people, but it's a great option for a first river experience, especially with a timid wife 
I agree with the other posters, that finding someone(s) willing to mentor you, or going to guide school, is a great idea, before trying your luck on a section of river with any kind of rapids. Even rivers that appear mellow can have swift currents with obstacles like strainers that can pose serious, life threatening dangers, especially to inexperienced boaters. I think it's great you want to get into this with your family, just be heads up so you stay safe and everyone wants to keep coming back for more! Cheers!
I agree with the other posters, that finding someone(s) willing to mentor you, or going to guide school, is a great idea, before trying your luck on a section of river with any kind of rapids. Even rivers that appear mellow can have swift currents with obstacles like strainers that can pose serious, life threatening dangers, especially to inexperienced boaters. I think it's great you want to get into this with your family, just be heads up so you stay safe and everyone wants to keep coming back for more! Cheers!
Awesome man,One great family friendly option for a float on a beautiful mellow stretch of river is on the Truckee, from Tahoe City to the takeout at River Ranch at the bottom of the road to Alpine. It's pretty much Class I, (there are harder stretches below the River Ranch). There are raft companies that rent rafts for ppl to float it themselves, without a guide. To give you an idea of how mellow it is, when I was a kid, maybe 7 or so, my totally non-boating parents rented a raft, my mom was 7 months pregnant, and they brought my grandma and great aunt, along with with my sister. It was a truly formative experience for me. When I saw a solo kayaker continue past the "danger take out here" signs at the River Ranch takeout, I was captivated. I said to myself "I want to do THAT!!!", the seed was planted in my little 7 year old brain, and thus began my lifelong love of running rivers and kayaking. I'm sure the Truckee will be high and swift for awhile this year, but for most of the summer it's a lazy, trout fishing, swimming, picnic along the way, family friendly for all ages kind of river. It's very popular, so expect to see lots of people, but it's a great option for a first river experience, especially with a timid wife
I agree with the other posters, that finding someone(s) willing to mentor you, or going to guide school, is a great idea, before trying your luck on a section of river with any kind of rapids. Even rivers that appear mellow can have swift currents with obstacles like strainers that can pose serious, life threatening dangers, especially to inexperienced boaters. I think it's great you want to get into this with your family, just be heads up so you stay safe and everyone wants to keep coming back for more! Cheers!
I will definitely check out the Truckee! Great information. Thank you, sounds like exactly what Im looking for. Guide school sounds awesome, ill probably start another post asking about that! For some reason when I heard about guide school I assumed it would be on condition that I would work for them. But if I can just pay someone to teach me, then hit some rapids on my own, sounds ideal.One great family friendly option for a float on a beautiful mellow stretch of river is on the Truckee, from Tahoe City to the takeout at River Ranch at the bottom of the road to Alpine. It's pretty much Class I, (there are harder stretches below the River Ranch). There are raft companies that rent rafts for ppl to float it themselves, without a guide. To give you an idea of how mellow it is, when I was a kid, maybe 7 or so, my totally non-boating parents rented a raft, my mom was 7 months pregnant, and they brought my grandma and great aunt, along with with my sister. It was a truly formative experience for me. When I saw a solo kayaker continue past the "danger take out here" signs at the River Ranch takeout, I was captivated. I said to myself "I want to do THAT!!!", the seed was planted in my little 7 year old brain, and thus began my lifelong love of running rivers and kayaking. I'm sure the Truckee will be high and swift for awhile this year, but for most of the summer it's a lazy, trout fishing, swimming, picnic along the way, family friendly for all ages kind of river. It's very popular, so expect to see lots of people, but it's a great option for a first river experience, especially with a timid wife
I agree with the other posters, that finding someone(s) willing to mentor you, or going to guide school, is a great idea, before trying your luck on a section of river with any kind of rapids. Even rivers that appear mellow can have swift currents with obstacles like strainers that can pose serious, life threatening dangers, especially to inexperienced boaters. I think it's great you want to get into this with your family, just be heads up so you stay safe and everyone wants to keep coming back for more! Cheers!
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Here's a glimpse at what Guide School looks like:
I have no affiliation with OARS, but have a couple friends who are OARS guides and they're great people. Have also had numerous encounters with OARS trips on the rivers, and they've been uniformly positive. As one person said at the end of the last video, there's a lot more to it than running rivers, and I think they'd teach you a lot about people/expectation management on river trips, and that might be even more beneficial to your goal of taking your wife down.
+1 for the south fork american outside Coloma. Took my wife there for her first time paddling and she loved it. You can also bike shuttle the run.
www.americanwhitewater.org
American Whitewater
The primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve goals within our mission.
www.americanwhitewater.org
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