Without Hesitation

Photo by Jon - Sam looks like he's falling asleep

July 12, 2010

The group’s last day of mountain biking proved to be an awesome ride.  They got a shuttle up to Tumalo Falls, and when it was time to ride, they grabbed their bikes off the roof, and headed out on their lengthy journey.  From Tumalo Falls, they climbed about 3 miles uphill, then got a huge reward of a downhill terrain course.  They loved it so much, that they rode back up the hill to get to the terrain course again.  Exhausted after the ride, the guys of Ultimate Oregon hit the sack, and got themselves ready for their 3 day rafting trip. 

The food on the rafting trip was excellent.  They ate steak, and shrimp, and every breakfast was hot! The first day on the river consisted of some smaller rapids with more calm sections, and the group got to work on their rafting techniques.  The shop also provided them with 2 inflatable kayaks that everyone could use if they wanted.  Everybody got a chance to hop in them, but Jon, Chad, Max, and Will were seen in them constantly.  The inflatable kayaks were exciting because whoever was in it got to run the rapids by themselves, and that meant being lower to the water which made the rapids seem that much bigger and more challenging.  The second day of rafting was a step up in difficulty.  There were more rapids, and each rapid was a little bit more challenging.  They also found a great spot that the rafting guides let them get out and jump off a huge rock into the river.  They also got to swim through a class 3 rapid without the boat!  That night, Matt woke the guys up in the middle of the night so that they could see the incredible stars, and a great view of the Milky Way.  The last day of their rafting was by far the most action packed.  That morning, they had the option to go on a hike with one of the rafting guides to a couple of caves where they got to hear some local history, and learn about the spectacular place that they were getting to raft.   Throughout the course of the day they went through rapids like Boxcar, and Oak Springs.  All of the rapids were class 3 and 4.  They also got a chance to check out the glacial river that runs off of Mt. Hood, and they got to ride through a few chutes in the glacial flow.  After reaching the end of the rafting, they packed up and headed to Mt. Hood. They stayed at the same campsite as the Surf Oregon group, so they got to have a big campfire and make some smores after a long day.  Needless to say, they hit their sleeping bags early.

            Yesterday was their first day of riding on Mt. Hood.  Though exhausted, these guys got up at 5:30 and headed to the mountain to get a full day in.  They skied all morning, and then got to watch the world cup in the afternoon at Timberline Lodge. When they left the mountain, they did some laundry, made dinner, and headed to bed. Today is their second day of skiing, and they were at the mountain by 6:45 when the lifts open at 7.  These guys are absolutely dedicated to adventure.