Guest Letters & Trip Feedback

Feedback from a Boy Scout rafting trip on the South Fork American River on April 27, 2008.

The trip was a great adventure. To be honest with you it was great for Scouting and they did have a blast but there was more to it. Two Scouts pulled out after I paid. That left 2 openings.My Wife and daughter got to go and that meant my whole family was there.

My Wife and I discovered how great this trip was for us and we are looking at booking a trip next year on the Middle Fork for a two day trip. We had an absolute blast and realized we found another thing in common that we LOVE to do together. We have been together 25 years and are high school sweethearts and Rafting has brought to us another great moment in our marriage. I want to thank you for this even though you didn’t know this was going to happen.

Arron was our guide and he did an excellent job. Our boat had the younger kids in it, so he was being extra careful with us. I was on point and I was pushing it more than he liked because of the kids. I was the biggest on the boat. We did fine, he was just concerned when the splashing got to close and was concerned that somebody my get hit by an oar. Which he should since he is responsible for the rafts safety. I knew this and understood but sometimes you get caught up in the moment. Laura was the other guide and she was excellent. She let the other boat get a little wilder because it had the older scouters and adults on it. They were very happy in that boat also. The food that Arron and Laura made was excellent and the Boys scarfed it up. I could not believe how they attacked the food.

This was my first Rafting Trip and on a scale on a 1 to 10 I would give it a 9. Reason being My Wife and I wanted more adventure. That is why I tell you that we are going to book a trip next year on the Middle Fork. We want to go on the 2 day event. We would like Arron and Laura as our Guides again and yes you may get a hold of me next and get it booked. I don’t know if it will be Scouts or Adults. I have Adults and Adult Couples wanting to do this trip next year.

Thanks again to you and Laura and Arron.

Tony L. Hartland
Troop 152

Feedback is from a 1-Day South Fork American rafting trip on the Upper “Chili Bar” section on 4/14/2008.

Hi Deborah,

We had a great day out thank you.

The guides were informative, entertaining, polite and enthusiastic.
They
prepared us an excellent picnic in a beautiful spot by the river.

The rafting was good although next time I think we shall pick a run
with
some class1V+ rapids to liven things up a bit!

If we find ourselves your way again we shall most certainly be
contacting you for more adventure.

Thanks and best regards,

Bill C,
Norfolk, UK

Feedback was sent to our Walnut Creek office by Christine C. of Danville, CA. Christine joined us on one of our South Fork American River trips.

Dear David and AO Staff,

Wow! What an incredible trip we had! We can’t stop talking about and grinning over our experience. We’re trying to see if we can squeeze in another trip this summer!

When planning the trip, Cameron at AO was great. He helped me plan a trip that would please both my timid 14 year-old daughter and outgoing 12 year-old son. We decided on the lower portion of the South Fork, and it worked out great. It allowed my daughter to ease into the rapids, and my son to gain an appreciation for the power of the river. We had a great time, and all of us are ready to step up to a class IV.

The guides were fantastic! Our guide Tasha was fun and knowledgeable. She catered to my son by keeping him on the “wet” side through many of the rapids. She was patient with our often awkward paddling, and complimentary when we managed to get it right!

We enjoyed lunch. Some of the ‘gourmet’ sandwich fixings (salami, avacado, peppers) helped make it a little extra yummy! The only complaint I heard from my kids was that the lemonade was watery, though from a mom’s perspective that was probably better for hydration!

While on the river, I felt we were with a professional and high- quality operation. I will definitely plan another trip with AO, and have already recommended you to friends! I would love to receive information on your class IV trips.

A million thank you’s for a wonderful trip.

Christine C.
Danville, CA

Feedback was sent to Taylor in our Walnut Creek office from Brian G. in Roseville, CA. Brian joined us on one of our South Fork American 1-Day trips.

Hi Taylor,

Our trip was great! Everyone in my group loved it. Our guide (Tasha) was absolutely fantastic and we really enjoyed being in her raft. I thought the food was good and the brownie for my wife’s birthday was very much appreciated. Overall, there’s nothing I can think of to improve upon. We’ll definitely be back next year.

Thanks!

Regards,
Brian G.

This feedback was sent into Diana in out Walnut Creek office from Michael K. of Davis CA, Michael and his 9yr old son rafted the Gorge Section of the South Fork American River on July 22, 2007

Diana,

My son Max and I loved just about everything about it. He was the first to volunteer to jump in so Joe could demonstrate how to rescue a swimmer. Then he jumped in at every other opportunity — about 5 more times. He really got into the classification of the rapids, and kept asking Joe what the class was for each ripple we went through. He loved the class 3’s.
We appreciated Joe’s briefing us on what each of the class 3’s would be like shortly before we entered them. Lunch was
perfect. We even enjoyed Joe’s silly jokes. Max told two, one not so bad and the other that no one could figure out. We appreciated the discipline of 4 rafts traveling together and watching out for each other, such as waiting if one got perched.

The guides seemed to respect and get along with each other. One might take that for granted, but if it were not the case, it would send vibes to the customers.

I chose All-Outdoors just based on your website. It seemed the most informative about what the day would be like, and the prices seemed competitive with the other sites I looked at.

There’s certainly a good chance we’ll want to go out with you again next year.

Michael K.
Davis, CA

This feedback comes from Laura C. of Dublin, CA. Laura and her family joined us for a 1-Day trip on the South Fork American.

We all had a fantastic time. Our guide Cory was very good. My husband liked the way he prepared us before approaching any big rapids. He felt that was very helpful. The kids loved it, especially Hospital Bar. The food was very good also with enough healthy choices to keep me happy. My family and I hope to plan an overnight trip the next time we come. Mark nd I did that once before before kids and would love to do this type of trip with the kids now. Please feel free to send me an e-mail next Srping to remind me about rafting for next season.

Enjoy the rest of the season and thanks for a fun day.

Laura C.
Dublin, CA

Feedback was sent to David at our Walnut Creek office from Rich V. in San Jose, Ca. Rich and his family joined us on a South Fork American Value Trip.

Hello David,
My (Our) rafting experience with All Outdoors was FANTASTIC. And my grandchildren enjoyed every bit of it. My grandson and would love a class IV trip next year. My grandaughter and the granddaughter that did not attend this year want to go again. Ben and Lewis were our guides. Ben was in our raft. They were great with instruction and Ben displayed true leadership in our boat. I and my grandchildren have nothing bad to say about any aspect of the rafting experience.

Thank you all very much and will see you next year.

Rich V.

Feedback comes from Bryanne C of Dublin CA. She rafted the South Fork American on July 2nd 2007.

We went rafting on the American with AO yesterday the 4th of July. We have been rafting NUMEROUS TIMES. However we had the best guide we have ever had.. His Name was DJ. I wanted to make sure someone knew over there what a great asset he is to your team.

Look forward to coming to see you guys again!