Windfall Trip Blog

Become a Raft Guide

Its a little crazy to think that December is here already....Mostly because we still don't have any snow on the ground here in Jackman. Currently it is rainy and about forty...so naturally I am thinking about rafting. As usual I am beginning to hear from/contact people about working at Windfall this next season. Currently I have hired one guide for 2012. You can read about the seasonal positions I am looking to fill below.

Positions:
-Office Manager
-Office Assistant
-River Manager
-3-4 more guides
-part-time raft guides
-part-time Recreation guides
*job descriptions can be found on our website here.

If you have worked for Windfall or Moose River Outpost or Brookwoods or Deer Run all you need to do is fill out the first page of the staff application. If you have never worked for one of these organization please fill out the attached staff application and submit two references. The fasted way for you to get these to me is to get them scanned and email them directly to me. Please make sure you indicate what position you are applying for specifically.

If you have never worked at Windfall please contact me so we can talk through the details of what our staff does and what Windfall Rafting is all about. Please call to find out what to expect from training if you are not currently licensed by the State of Maine as a Whitewater Guide.

I am anticipating these spots to be highly competitive amongst applicants, as they were last year. So apply early and feel free to pass this post on to anyone you know who is interested in joining Windfall for the summer.

Seth Coates

Windfall Rafting
General Manager
207-668-9224

Rumney, NH Climbing

One of the benefits of running a rock climbing outfitter that is owned by Christian Camps and Conference Inc. is that we get to travel all over New England for different industry meetings. So today I am sitting in the lobby of Rumney Bible Conference using their high speed internet to update the 2012 Big Water dates on both the Kennebec and Dead Rivers.

But the best part of my day already happened. Just a stones throw away from here is one of New Hampshire's best climbing spots. Rumney is well know in the climbing world as a great spot for bolted climbs. Today was Craig's first time on real rocks, first time on lead, and first factor two fall. It was great fun. The weather down here is in the low 60's today and overcast but perfect for getting in a late season climb!

* written on 11/15/11

Tips on: How to prepare for a raft trip.

It’s a common question on the phone, via email, or fast fingered text messaging. So you are going whitewater rafting in Maine and you want to know how to pack your bag before you leave from the metropolis suburb headed for the rivers of Maine’s mountains. Here are some things to consider.

Wetsuits can be rented and they will add enjoyment to a spring or late season rafting trip but the clothes you combine with them or you wear instead of them will be what makes or breaks you day. Bring a bathing suit! Girls wear your bathing suit under the wetsuit…boys wear your board shorts over the wetsuit (the reason is obvious). Now for some other layers…

This isn’t a Jeremiah Johnson film so you should not bring cotton shirts or thick itchy wool sweaters on the river with you. A couple things that might be a good idea are rash guards and polypro layers. Merino wool is the way to go if you prefer wool products, this wool can be made in thin layers and does not itch. Click the links to see example of products that Windfall guides enjoy wearing on the river. A light fleece is a good item for the lunch site. It can be kept dry by your guide in a special bag that he or she brings on the river with the trip.

If you raft on a hot sunny day don’t forget your sunscreen! At the end of the day you will most likely want to climb into the hot tub…don’t let a lobster red burn prevent you from enjoying the relaxation of 102 degree water at the end of a long day. If you wear prescription glasses or brought your favorite pair of Oakley’s (and their not as cool as these), you should consider picking up a pair of Chums in our gift shop.

The bus. The ride back to the base is short but your favorite cotton t-shirt or sweatshirt that you left on the bus that morning will make it much more enjoyable. These few tips can make any rafting trip a little bit better.

September 10th:

Today is the first of two Big Water Days in September. The next is coming on the 24th. Today we have one group that drove 12 hours through the night from PA! A couple of our guides go to school at Philadelphia Biblical University and decided to road trip in for Big Water with some of their friends. We also have a group of volunteers from a youth group at Calvary Chapel Orrington, ME. The youth pastor there decided a good way to say thanks is to ride some of the biggest waves the Kennebec River has to offer.

Should be a good day...

September 3rd:

Holiday weekends are special weekends for rafting. Memorial Day weekend typically has a Dead River release and the Monday of July 4th weekend is Big Water on the Kennebec River.

But today is Labor Day weekend and we are rafting the Kennebec River today and the Dead River tomorrow. Several of our families have made it a Windfall tradition to come for the weekend and raft both days! This is totally awesome because you get the opportunity to see two rivers in two days.

The last of the summer Saturday's:

Today was a great day on the river. We took a wide variety of people today. One group was a retreat group from Moose River Outpost. One group was a bunch of friends from the Boston area...they commented on how clean the air up here in Jackman is. We had a family of five that upgraded to a Babie Raft for the bigger ride.

We also did something special today. We had a bunch of young men from the Boy Scouts of America come join us for a Whitewater Merit Badge. Our BSA group was Troop 604 from the Pine Tree Council here in Maine. We did a class the night before and all the scouts had already done a canoe trip together so we were able to focus on the rapids and skills in an inflatable kayak.

Some good shots of Guides from the summer:

August 25: The Kennebec River has no upper age limit.

Today and two other days this season are testament to the Kennebec River being the family river of Maine. We take a program called Road Scholar every summer. This is a program for senior citizens that is world wide. The groups we take are hosted by Sky Lodge Resort here in Jackman, Me. Every summer three different groups of seniors come to raft and explore the rich history of the North Western Mountains of Maine.

August 24: The West Branch of the Penobscot River....

So since the end of the season is just around the corner I decided to take the Windfall staff out on a play day. We went up to the West Branch of the "nob" and had a great day together. Jacob of WhiteNoiseVideo.com put together this for us: http://vimeo.com/28070167

August 19: The coming fall

Are you into leaf-peeping?

Do you like the cool, crisp breeze of fall and the clean smell of pine in the air?
Are you still dying for a weekend away, and found that the summer has gotten away from you?

If these qualities describe you, then we at Windfall Rafting have got some good news to share. Some of the most spectacular scenery hits the North Woods in September, and Windfall is here to help you see it from the most unique angles. Here are two.

Come raft the Kennebec River on one of two high release dates this coming month. On September 10th and 24th water will be rushing down from Harris Dam at 8,000 cubic feet per second! Once you experience the rush of a big-water day, you’ll never want to go back to rafting any other time! After you watch the golden leaves drift down from the rim of the Kennebec Gorge and search for bald eagles on the lower river, all you’ll need to complete your day is a hot cup of joe and laughter with good friends– two things that we’ll all be sharing during your rafting slideshow at the day’s end.

If you are searching for something equally rare and pulse-thumping, come on up and spend a day rafting down the Dead River with us, which is being released less than a dozen times during the 2011 season. You’ll be able to count yourself among the proud few that have the opportunity to take this river on. If you’ve rafted the Kennebec before, consider the Dead as a totally different animal – she just keeps on coming with rapids that are spaced out over the whole length of the river! If you like action, this trip is for you!! Dead River raft dates are Sunday, September 4 and Saturday, September 17, along with our very last 2011 Windfall trip date of October 1st!

If you’re looking for a little adventure in the colorful northeast this autumn, we can help you find it here at Windfall Rafting! Give us a call or shoot us an email to find out more!

July 31: A customer video.

One of the customers in Seth's boat got a short video of a successful Eddy Dump. This boat is full of people from Camp Brookwoods and Camp Deer Run's Leadership Development Progam. These guys and girls joined Windfall two days in a row. They came up early in the morning and participated in the end of the day clean up to get a small taste of what it might be like to work at Windfall some day.

July 27: A new video..

The local Chamber of Commerce just published this video today of the surrounding area. Its got some great shots of the wildlife and senery we call home!

View the video!

July 24: Reflections on the people we serve...

I was just reviewing the groups we have taken rafting in the last couple days and realized there is a huge diversity to the people who come to Windfall. This past Saturday we had people from Mass, New Hampshire, Jackman, New Jersey, Quebec and more locations. We had a group from a small school in Maine called Deckhouse School. We had a band called Unspoken. We took young kids and a gentleman with a white handle-bar mustache.

I love looking at all the boats on any given day and realizing that not everyone that rafts is just like me. There are so many cool people to meet, learn from, and share life with.

July 23: Great day on the river!

Thanks Windfall for the GREAT experience with White Water Rafting!!!! Our 5+ plus hour ride was worth it all!! We had the time of our lives!! Our guide Ashley was the BEST! Our whole day was perfect. Can't wait to do it again!

Thank you,
The Robinson Crew!

Great pictures from the day. Check out Seth's, Mason's, and Tyler's boats.

July 21: Here is a great shot.

Here is a great picture from our last Waterfall Hike.
This adventure is for all ages!

July 17: Another happy camper!

Hi Seth,

Just wanted to let you know again how much fun our entire group had. The camping site was AMAZING Nancy was great and they were so friendly. The Group at Windfall definitely helped 12 people that never rafter before want to go again! I hope we can get everyone for the Dead next yr! :) thanks again

Everything was amazing,

Laura and group

July 14: Something not to do...

So if there was a "top five things not to do before your raft trip with Windfall" we had one of them today. If you wake up in the morning and think, "gosh I would really like some coffee." Just come to the base...we make it every morning. You should not drive up to St. George because you think Tim Horton's coffee is the greatest thing since sliced bread to satisfy your caffeine habits. Its not that great anyway.

Why not, you might wonder. Well because there is a good chance the US Customs officers might think, "no one in there right mind would drive over an hour for coffee." And then they will keep you there longer then you were anticipating. Which will in turn get your co-group leader nervous to the point where she will call and ask us to pick up the group because she doesn't even know if you will make it back in time for the trip. And this sequence of events will cause the bus not to leave on time which will in turn jam up the raft trip. Maybe next time you could bring your own Tim Horton's coffee grounds...we will make it for you...saves you the drive, saves me from writing about this in our blog.

July 9: Letter from a customer

Dear Windfall,

Just a quick note to thank you for a wonderful rafting trip down the river this past Saturday! Ashley and Mason were amazing guides!!! They were full of information and very professional. We had a exciting trip and enjoyed a very nice lunch by the river. It was yummy and the fire was very much appreciated!

I know it takes a whole team of people to pull the trips off and I wanted to thank everyone involved for making the "Finn party of 8 " a very pleased and happy group. We have already reserved our lodging with Lake Parlin Lodge for the second weekend of July 2012. We hope that we can raft again with Ashley and Mason next summer!!!!

Thank you again and enjoy the rest of your summer rafting down the Kennebec! What a beautiful place to be! *Please share this email with all the people involved in our trip ( Finn/ July 9th)

We love you guys!!! Your the BEST! :)

July 7: First Waterfall Hike!

Today we took our first group out on a waterfall hike. It was a perfect July day in Maine, warm sunshine and cool water. After a short hike through the woods we emerged into the sun. Awe-filled comments rippled through the group as the first set of falls came into view. We drank in the scenery for a few minutes, until we could resist the water no longer. Some ascended the rocks to take the plunge into the cool water, while others took some awesome pictures from the pebble beach below. We hiked on to other pools, took some giant leaps, swam under waterfalls, had rock skipping contests, and relaxed on the rocks. After enjoying the water, sun, and each other’s company we decided that we were finally ready to leave, but first…one more jump!

July 5: Climbing...then rafting!

So today we took a junior high school group from Christian Heritage School out to Kineo for some rock climbing. They are staying up at Moose River Outpost enjoying all that is available up there as well as Julie's great cooking. These guys are here for a total of four days in which they will rock climb, raft, play paintball, go mountain biking, have campfires and much more.

We host groups for multiple days all the time. A camp call Squanto will be coming this summer as well. They come each year and do three days of activities with Windfall. This is a great way to jump start an out of camp trips program without having to come up with the equipment or staff that are experts in the out of doors.

June 29: Waterfalls of fun.

Last night the Windfall staff went out to one of the locations we offer waterfall hikes. It is a short hike in on a trail that would be pretty hard to find if you had never been there before.

The falls are beautiful...and on a warmer night there are some good swimming holes above and below the first set of falls. We climbed up enough that we could see another two sets of falls. There is much more to explore back here. Here are some pictures of our evening hike.

June 28: Moose sightings.

So last night I went out looking for moose. This is a favorite past time of tourist when they visit Jackman. I drove around on back roads seeing great views of the surrounding mountains. I was out at sunset and it was one of those nights where the sun lights the sky with many different colors that can only be described as beautiful.

There are a lot of baby moose out in the woods right now. I see a mama and her baby on the way to work most mornings. Last night I saw two different sets of moms and babies and a random cow as well. It was a pretty night and I got pretty deep into the woods on some of the roads I tried out. I also ran across an osprey with some small animal in its claws and four rabbits. Good times!

June 27: New Deal on rafting!

Check this deal out.

June 25: Saturday on the river!

Calvary Chapel of Belfast joined us today. Tim brought us a bunch of kids from the youth group. It was a good time by all on the river today. Albert was out taking pictures for Rapid Shooters as usual and Jake had the GoPro's running for our video option through White Noise Video.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and spending the day with Windfall!

June 21: Rock climbs and fluffy clouds.

We took a party of six to Mount Kineo for their first time climbing on real rocks! Four boys and two moms enjoyed a climbing challenge and a refreshing swim afterwards. The weather was perfect! It was sunny and warm all day with big clouds that can only be described as Simpon's clouds.

The state of Maine has a great state parks booklet with destinations to collect stamps like a passport in it. These little books have great destinations and commonly visited state parks. We met a family on Monday that was collecting stamps as they vacationed around Maine this summer. We also found out that our favorite rock climbing spot is a destination in the passport!

June 18: BIG WATER.

Today is one of only four days this season that the Kennebec River is scheduled for what is referred to as a turbine test, high water release, or what we at Windfall Rafting like to call a big water day. We know that when you are looking for an adrenaline-pumping, over-the-top rafting experience on the river, only big water will do.

This is a day when the Kennebec, which normal flows around 5,000 cubic feet per second (imagine 5,000 huge Honeybaked hams flowing out of Harris Dam every second), is released at 8,000 cfs – almost double its normal flow. What this creates is a river filled with more whitewater, bigger hits, and better punch than any other day on the river.

If a big water raft trip sounds like your brand of fun, clear your calendar for the following dates and give us a call to book your wild ride down the river with Windfall Rafting:
Monday, July 4th (There’s no better way to celebrate!)
Saturday, September 10th
Saturday, September 24th

We’ll see you on the river!!

"The Kennebec Big Water release is one of the best rafting experiences! Riding the wave train throught he gorge at high water is what summer on the Kennebec is all about! I can't wait till the next Big Water run."
-David Butler, Main Path & Paddle Guides ....Windfall customer

June 17: Mountain Biking the Jackman area

The Mills Party went out on the trail system around Jackman today. The surrounding area has a great ATV and snowmobile trail system. Trails that connect to places like The Forks, Pistton Farms, Greenville, and Quebec!

June 16: Mt. Kineo Rock climbing trip and training.

We had a great day on the rocks up at Mt. Kineo! Most of the Windfall guides got a refresher/training day from Seth. We covered all the basics and climbed all morning. After lunch we hiked over to the pebble beach and all the guys tried out the little rope swing. If you have never seen a 6' 7" man skim the ground on a rope swing you should ask Drew to show you some time.

We do top rope climbing experiences. The style we do is where the guide and client both start at the bottom of the climb and then the climber ascends to the top of the climb and then is lowered back to the ground by the guide. This is a great way to get a first time experience in rock climbing.

Thanks Mary Ann, BJ and Pam for being such great students. They came all the way from North Carolina to spend a week in Jackman, ME...a place where "Adventure is our Maine attraction!" You guys were tons of fun!

Here are some pictures from our training: