Guest Letters & Trip Feedback

Harry Cardinale from New Jersey did 5 rafting trips with us this year!

• South Fork Lower 1-Day
• Tuolumne 1-Day
• Another South Fork Lower 1-Day
• Middle Fork 1-Day
• and a South Fork Upper 1-Day

Here is what Harry had to say about his experiences…

Hola Claudette/ Diane/ Roxanne!!!!!!!!!!!!

Estupendo, Electrificante …………… Exhilarating are the words which comprise the distilled description of my epic rafting with AO this August!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The S. Fork American [upper and lower], the M. Fork American and the Tuolumne Rivers provided the endorphin rush that makes one feel truly ALIVE. [ even a cave diver, sky diver and Muay Thai kickboxer]
The white water, mountains, gorges and the pristine forests are majestic and really defy description.

Kudos and accolades to NOAH, CHARLES, MASON, “HORSE” and especially GREG [aka UNCLE DUNKEL]. It was a pleasure to meet Scott Armstrong and to thank him personally for recommending the kayak adventure and to tell him in person what a dedicated, personable and highly skilled team he has at AO. It also afforded the opportunity to reaffirm something he already knew- Uncle Dunkel is the MAN, the river guide’s river guide!!!

Will be back in the spring and request your assistance in providing the scheduling of the Tuolumne, North Fork American, North Stan, Middle Fork American and possibly the Merced.

Thanks again,
HARRY from NJ

PS: You may elect to forward this email to the “gang”, especially Scott and Greg.

Boy Scout Troop 262 out of Clayton, CA rafted the South Fork American and had this to say about their California rafting experience…

Diana,

We had a BLAST. Our guide Kelsey could not have been any better. She set us up for success, instructed our Scouts on what to do, they did what she said (or close enough), and she complemented them over and over. Make sure you tell Kelsey we really appreciate her professional yet friendly attitude…..plus her obvious comfort on the water. Everyone on our boat had a great time, and we are already thinking that next year we may want to do a 2 day on the Class 4…..if my Scouts can start earning some money. Your operation was first class all the way. From the incredible amphitheatre at the start and the shining rest rooms to the case of ice cold drinks at the take out. Very well run organization.

We had our Troop meeting Tuesday and we had a slide show from the photos we bought and all the kids and parents that did not come are jealous and want to join for the next trip.

I hope to be getting with you next Spring.

Dan Condon
Troop 262
Clayton

The Shearer Family out of San Mateo, CA embarked on a 1-Day adventure on the South Fork American River and had this to say about their experience…

Just wanted to let you know that we had a great trip. Thanks for arranging the most perfect weather!!! I also wanted to compliment the guide staff we encountered on our trip. Everyone was positive, helpful and friendly. We were lucky to have Carson guide our raft. His enthusiasm for everything around him – the river, nature, people, – was infectious and most certainly added to the enjoyment for our entire family. Kudos to everyone, especially Carson!

Many Thanks!
Brigitte Shearer & Family

This bit of feedback hales all the way from Dubai, UAE.

Dear Lenka,

I would like to thank all at All Outdoors for making our first rafting trip run so smoothly. We thoroughly enjoyed our day on the South Fork American River. Lunch was delicious. The scenery was ‘awesome’ in the true sense of the word, not that over-used American way!!! A special mention for Sam our ‘raft master’ who was working his paddle far harder than the rest of us put together, we appreciate it.

Many thanks to all,
Jill Thorpe

The Neilson family out of Murrieta, CA recently joined a South Fork Express trip and had a great time…

Hi Howard,

we had an amazing day — and loved every bit of it. We will recommend to friends and hope to come back again next Summer. Colin our guide was EXCELLENT!

thanks for a great experience!

Margarete

A group of 4 out of San Jose joined us for a day of rafting down the Lower Gorge of the South Fork American and had this to say about their experience..

Hello Ian and Everyone at AO Rafting~

Thank you so much for an awesome trip! Your personalized service from beginning to the end was wonderful!
My mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and wanted to go on a rafting trip before she started radiation therapy. She had surgery 6 weeks prior to the trip so we were worried about her being able to row. We originally signed up for the Tom Sawyer Trip because of it’s easy nature. I got a call from the AO office the next day asking if that was really what we wanted to do and they suggested that we might like to go on the South Fork Lower Section. I want to thank you for personally making sure that my mom would be able to go on the trip and not have to row. That type of service alone made me so amazed with AO Rafting.

But it gets better:
From the moment we checked in all the guides were awesome. Melissa was so helpful with information. We had a few questions but before we could ask them, she had already addressed all our concerns.
On the trip our guide, Brian K, took good care of my mom and everyone on our raft. We had a wonderful time!!

Plus the lunch was awesome!! Appetizers, sandwiches with all the fixins and then some.
Before the trip was over we were talking about what rafting trip we are going to go on next year…of course with AO Rafting!

Thank you so much!!
Christina, Beverly, Vince and Michael Vincent

Some feedback from a family rafting on the South Fork American River…

Howard-

All went great on the big trip. Mel is an excellent, pleasant, hilarious, competent and professional river guide that AO should be very proud of. We’ll be back to do the middle fork next time and I hope to see her again.

Thanks Howard,

Rick

A mom and her son rafted for the first time on a 2-Day South Fork American rafting trip and had this to say…

Hi Howard,

My son and I had an awesome trip. This was our first river rafting trip and it exceeded every expectation. The provided meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner were very filling and delicious….Our guide Erika was the best….she guided us through rapids and rescues. We were put on a raft with two other moms that were there with their high school sons as well and the boys had a great time together….we all bonded on this trip. We were very excited when we were able to successfully rescue four grown men into our boat during a chain of rapids after their boat had tipped over from the first rapid and this was all because of our guide…..she did an awesome job calling out the commands and keep us working together to accomplish the rescue and getting through the remaining rapids. My son is already planning our next rafting trip for next summer with AO.

Carrie Reed of Anaheim, CA

Krista Parker booked a 2-Day rafting trip on the South Fork American for her family and had this to say about their experience…

Adam,

We had an AWESOME rafting experience. The guides (Kohner), the food, the scenery and most importantly, the river was spectacular. This is probably my 4th trip with AO and each trip is better than the last.

Next year we plan on doing the 2 day middle fork. My daughters will be requesting Kohner for our guide!

Please let the owners know what a great operation they are running and how happy we are the service. Starting with you in the trip planning phase, and all the admin staff down to the guides on the river. Everyone is so personable, well spoken and knowledgable. I felt so safe taking my kids down the river with Kohner. He was fantastic!

Thank you all once again for such a fun and memorable weekend. See you on the river next year!

Krista

The Cook family, hailing from Texas took their family of 4 through the lower gorge of the South Fork American and had this to say…

We had a blast! The guide, Erika, was awesome! She brought snacks for the 1/2 day trip which were much needed. The river was the prettiest we’d ever been on. Perfection. It was a great trip and we will for sure be back to do the class 4 rapids next time! It was a trip that provided memories that will last a lifetime!

Thanks Again,

The Cook Family