Rafting the Yakima a great way for novices to get their feet wet

Call it river rafting 101.

A three-to four-hour trip down 13 miles of the Yakima River is perfect for first-time rafters who white-knuckle at the mention of whitewater.

"It's a Class 1 ride,'' Ninon Rill, owner of Rill Adventures Raft Rentals in Thorp, says soothingly as she checks in two boatloads of clients.

When Rill learns the camera-laden P-I photographer will be shooting during the trip, and that the reporter doesn't know paddle from spatula, she suggests a guide. She has a student from Eastern Washington University working for her this summer who would be perfect.

As recommended, we're checking in 30 minutes before a 10:30 a.m. departure, acquiring a four-person craft with three paddles, signing personal and equipment liability forms, and meeting our guide, Brad Edlin.

Another party of eight longtime friends -- four adults, four children -- are preparing to leave at the same time.

Boats are loaded in a trailer behind Rill's vintage Suburban. Guests can either climb in for a ride, or follow her down the road in their own cars to the launch site. En route, there's a stop at the riverbank where our trip will end.

Rill points out landmarks and warns us to be on the right (west) side of the river as we approach the pull-out site later in the day. A large sign hanging from a limb makes it easy to spot, and a pumping station preceding it by a few hundred yards is another landmark.

A few miles farther north, rafts are unloaded at the side of the road and carried down to the rocky riverbed under the Teanaway River bridge. Life jackets are passed out and put on.

It was time to shove off. The two-boat convoy drifts left on the Teanaway and enters the Yakima.

The eight-passenger boat has no official guide, but one of the occupants, Patti Woodruff of Puyallup, grew up in the area and worked as a river guide while in college at EWU. She's up front as head paddler on the eight-person raft. Edlin paddles from the back of our smaller craft.

The Yakima looks inviting -- crystal clear, with barely a ripple. Edlin says conditions are ideal: The river isn't too high or too low, and the wind isn't blowing.

The trip is slow and peaceful. In the distance, some white ripples ruffle the surface. Whitewater? Nah, nothing that challenging. More like little strips of lace bobbing on the surface.

River trips are rated on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 having maximum turbulence. But that doesn't mean the Yakima's 1 classification is boring. Rafters have a choice of steering into more ruffled waters, or drifting in calmer water along the edges.

Edlin says we're floating through a glacial valley. The rocky cliffs are basalt. Two geese float by. A fly-fisherman casts from shore.

As we float along, there are a few cries of "heads up,'' and a little frantic paddling for better position or to avoid hitting the waves sideways. That angle almost guarantees some water in the boat, and the water is cold, probably about 50 degrees.

Forty minutes into the trip, the gang of eight in the neighboring boat is breaking open boxes of cookies. A train rumbles past nearby. Some gentle rapids provide a little excitement, as did the sighting of an eagle.

The calm is interrupted with cries of "Slow elk! Look at the slow elk on that ridge.'' All heads turn to see a herd of milk cows ambling in the distance. Everyone laughs. A local joke.

Edlin leads both rafts to a small beach, complete with picnic table, for a lunch break. Some head discreetly into the bushes, some take dips in the river.

Joy Rucker, one of the gang of eight and a local, says the "eagles" that people see are really just turkey buzzards. Then she reminds everyone to look at the swallow nests visible on the next leg of the trip.

The nests appear to cascade down the rock cliffs, looking like a series of small round pots resting on their sides. Hundreds of swallows fly about.

Canyon walls fall away, fields and irrigation sprinklers reappear on the riverbanks and it's time to look for the landing.

The water is running fast. Edlin leaps out of the raft and pulls us to shore. The eight-person craft has a rockier landing. While trying to slow her raft, Woodruff slips on rocks and gets drenched, but not injured.

Rill says she's sent thousands down this stretch of river over the past four years without incident.

"We have a lot of families, fly-fishermen, reunions," Rill says.

Rob DeGroot, undersheriff of Kittitas County, calls the Yakima a family-friendly river. "The Yakima is a far, far cry from whitewater." It doesn't flow very fast and it's fairly shallow.

Once all our rafters are ashore, Edlin pulls out a cell phone to tell Rill we've landed. The four kids are polled for their opinions of the trip. Megan Woodruff, 10, gives the excursion a 10. Her brother, Ben, 15, rates it a "nine or a 10."

"It's a lot of fun. Good rapids, some slow points," he says.

Kristin Rucker, 11, gives the trip both a 10 and an A-plus. Her 13-year-old brother, Derek, calls it a nine. A very wet Patti Woodruff proclaims it "better than Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland." And she's been rafting the Yakima for years.

Reservations and information: Rill Adventures Raft & Gear Rentals, in Thorp; 509-964-2520 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Directions from Seattle: Head east on Interstate 90. Take Exit 101 (about nine miles west of Ellensburg). Turn left at the stop sign and proceed into Thorp. Rill Grocery and Grill is about 1.1 miles down on the left.

Timing: Owner Ninon Rill says leisure rafting season runs from May through early October, depending on weather and water depth. Most clients like to depart between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., but other hours can be arranged. The 13-mile trip between Cle Elum and Thorp can be made in about 2 hours, but most spend three to four hours.

Safety tips: Kittitas County Undersheriff Rob DeGroot doesn't recommend taking very young children rafting. Any time you mix children and water, you need to think safety. Personal floatation devices are an absolute necessity for children, and they should never be allowed to take them off while on the water. Each child should have a responsible adult dedicated to his or her care.

Rafters traveling independently should let someone know when and where they're going, and when they're coming back. Alcohol and rafting are a dangerous mix.

Cost: There are no individual fares. Clients pay by the raft. A raft for four is $55, a six-seater is $60 and an eight-person raft is $65. This makes a raft trip for eight cheaper than seeing a first-run film. A guided trip is about $75 more.

Attire: Rill says, "Be prepared to be wet.'' She advises layering: A swimsuit, pants or shorts, shirt, maybe a sweater or jacket depending on the day. Top off with a life vest issued with the raft. Wear shoes that can get soaked. Flip-flops may be waterproof, but they're easily lost overboard. So are sunglasses, so wear cheap ones. Take sunscreen and use it.

Food: Bring your own or order in advance from Rill. Be sure to use a waterproof container. Rafts get wet inside. All garbage must be brought back. Don't litter!

While you're in Thorp: The Thorp Mill Town Historical Preservation Society has saved a grist mill from the 1880s that was powered by the Yakima River. Today it's an interpretive site and museum containing a rare lateral turbine and other original mill equipment. It's the oldest industrial artifact in Kittitas County. Admission is by donation. Hours are 1-4 p.m., Wednesdays-Sundays.

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