Aaron Stone first floated the Rogue River in 1976. Since then, he’s worked on the Rogue as a professional guide and been involved in the whitewater manufacturing industry with his work at SOTAR and Sawyer Paddles and Oars. Back in the day, he was the Chairperson for the Nugget Whitewater Rodeo in the middle to late 90’s and now he helps out with the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival which is in May every year.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

My connection to the Rogue River started around 1976 when my parents took me on my very first Wild & Scenic Rogue trip, and from that trip I felt a deep connection to the Rogue River, as well being on and around rivers. In 1982 I discovered the world of getting paid to guide people down the river with Smith River Adventures and my mentor Willie Joe Smith. This took me to such companies as Noah’s and The Adventure Center to name a few, on rivers such as the Rogue, Upper & Lower Klamath, Smith, North Umpqua, Illinois, Cal-Salmon & Scott. There are a lot more rivers & creeks I have found my way down via kayaking.

How long have you been floating the Rogue?

Recreating since 1976 and guiding since 1982, which is starting to make me feel kinda old! However, not old…..just very experienced!

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue?

Before moving to Colorado, it was location location location! What’s not nice about doing afternoon laps on a Nugget/Powerhouse run or knowing that Grave Creek is an hour away? It was nice knowing that it was always there and seemingly unchanged from when I first gazed at the Rogue many many years ago.

Favorite place on the Rogue?

Wow…..all of them! But if I had to pick one place that is always special it is the Grave Creek launch. When I am there I know that I am beginning another Wild & Scenic trip that will allow me to forget almost anything for 2-4 days.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue River?

Of course there is a feeling of community! I have to believe that every person who has been on the Rogue River from Crater Lake to Gold Beach understands what a special river system it is and all that it offers.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

Definitely changed me. Had I not had my first experience on the Wild & Scenic in 1976, not sure that I would be who I am today….seriously. It was that amazement that I had back then that inspired me to continue boating and be involved with Guiding trips, kayaking, being involved with events/races, working for outdoor industry companies, and most importantly….gave me the friends that I have today who are very like minded.

Does the Rogue have a personality?

To me, the Rogue River has so many different characters and personality traits. From Old Growth forest near Crater Lake to meandering floats to the always fun Wild & Scenic section. This river has something for everyone!

One of my most memorable experiences on the Rogue River was in the Spring of 1994, when a group of us decided to do a flood stage float through the Wild & Scenic section. From what I recall, we launched from Galice around 9am and arrived at Foster Bar before 2pm if I recall correctly. I went on the trip thinking how “easy” it would be since everything would be under water and filled in…..not so! While some of the rapids filled in, it was a scorcher in terms of speed and nerve wracking floating with trees. Mule Creek was crested which created converging eddylines and some of the scariest hydraulics I had seen to date, and Blossom Bar while not having any rocks, was a pretty serious rapid. So last year when Will Volpert invited me to replicate the trip, it was one of those times when I could say, “been there, done that!” and kindly give beta on what to expect.

Any last words?

If you have not been on the Rogue you probably don’t understand how a lot of us feel and perhaps don’t get the connection to this wonderful river. Take some time and float the river and you will understand how special this river truly is.

On my bucket list is to hike the Rogue River trail, but somehow I know that from the trail I will be looking at the water and longing to be on it……

Nicole Smedegaard works for O.A.R.S. Rafting Trips and lives in Eugene, Oregon. She grew up in Wimer, Oregon, and first started exploring the Rogue River as a child (her nickname as a kid was “nature girl”). When she’s not exploring rivers she works as an Environmental Education Coordinator.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I’m a guide with O.A.R.S. Oregon and a recreational private boater.

How long have you been floating the Rogue?

I’ve been recreating on the Rogue in one form or another since before I can even remember, so since the ’80s. One of my first memories is along the banks of the Rogue as a kid learning about the finer qualities of mud. My father would take me out in his jet boat back when Savage Rapids Dam (1921 -2009) created a reservoir near the town of Rogue River. We went to Boatnick every Memorial Day and despite listening carefully I never did figure out what a blown picklefork drag boat was. I inner tubed my way down the recreational section of the Rogue through the ’90s; first behind a jet boat and then sun burnt on a tractor tube with high school friends. I started backpacking and hiked Crater Lake and the North Fork Rogue. This was before I couldn’t look at a stream without picking my line through each rapid. Then in 2010 I saw the Wild and Scenic section for the first time as a private boater via raft. I got hooked on whitewater, bought my own boat and in 2012 I became a guide. Now I live and love summers on the Rogue.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue?

The water, geology and flora. The water quality as well as the friendly quality of most rapids (thanks Glen Wooldridge) make it a great river for swimming and whitewater boating. The fluting in the sandstone and slate of Kelsey Canyon is my favorite geological feature. Madrone and iris are my favorite plants.

Favorite place on the Rogue?

At the base of Stair Creek Falls.

What’s the community like on the Rogue River?

The community on the Rogue is defined by the common interest that brings many diverse micro-communities together: the river. Each community has their own values. Everyone has a different idea of what a river trip should be. We form a community when we join in the common interest of preserving and enjoying this beautiful place.

How has the Rogue shaped your life?

I have chosen to live a seasonal life style in order to continue my affair with the Rogue River. The shape of my life is a cut bank. I’m obsessed with exploring rivers and the power of this obsession deepens the channel my life takes towards this goal every year. I can’t climb back up that bank now, it’s too steep and I’m happy here. My aspirations to identify a new flower or to nail my line through a difficult rapid won’t make sense to everyone in my life. I can try and explain it, but it’s easier to get them out on the river and just show them.

Does the Rogue have a personality?

The Rogue is a people person.

Everyone has their own story of the Rogue. Native peoples have survived and traded here for thousands of years, passing down river stories. Prospectors struck it rich here…or didn’t. Farmers sustain their fields from irrigation provided by its waters. Dams are built, dams are removed. Lodges get broken into by bears. Kids catch their first fish. Kayakers shred the gnar. Hikers contract poison oak. Drift boats line the falls. Rafters get wrapped on the picket fence. Guides keep it real, except when telling a story…

Any last words?

If you want to ensure good river karma for the next time you row through Blossom, make sure to pick up some litter along the way and pack it out.

Thomas Hood and his family float the Wild & Scenic Rogue at least once a year. He lives in Grant Pass and works for Frontier Communications out in the Applegate area. He has spent the last 18 years of his life working in the Communications Industry in Oregon and Idaho.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I’m a recreational boater.

How long have you been floating the Rogue?

I first started coming to the Rogue when I was 5 years old or so. We initially would head to Agness and spend a week or so in the Fall chasing Half Pounders. We then found Indian Mary Camp Ground and started camping there usually in July and started rafting. This was my initiation to rafting. I still take my family out to the Galice area and raft every free chance we get during the Summer.

What are the best qualities of the Rogue?

Year round fishing, great weather, awesome scenery and exciting rapids.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

My favorite place on the Rogue would have to be Mule Creek Canyon. It is just a beautiful canyon and the whitewater is fun.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

The boating community on the Rogue has been ready and willing to step up when someone needs it. I’ve seen groups work for hours to help total strangers out. Seems that most of the time you would have more people offering to help than you would actually need.

How has the Rogue shaped your life?

The Rogue was my introduction to rafting which now is a huge part of mine and my families lives. We spend as much time floating on some river as we can.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

Mellow river that can be fun for the whole family but also exciting for everyone.

Any last words?

The Rogue is just and awesome river whether you raft, fish, or hike. I feel extremely lucky that I get to live next to and raise my kids on this river.

Bill Cross wears many hats. He’s an author (Western Whitewater), a whitewater instructor, and registered nurse. He lives in Ashland, Oregon and has been running the Rogue River since 1977. He does volunteer river conservation work for American Whitewater, a non-profit group that works to protect rivers and preserve opportunities for whitewater recreation. With AW, he’s helped open whitewater runs on the Upper Rogue River, high in the Cascade Range, far upstream from the Lower Rogue Canyon run. He is also currently working to open up new runs on the Klamath River.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I used to guide on the Rogue, but now I’m a recreational boater and a river conservation volunteer.

How long have you been recreating or working on the Rogue?

Pretty much since dinosaurs roamed the earth — my first Rogue trip was way back in 1977.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

I love the gentleness of the place. It’s a very friendly and welcoming river.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

Mule Creek Canyon, without a doubt. I wish it were longer! It’s such an exotic stretch of river, and the rock walls are beautiful. There’s no place quite like it.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

Definitely. The Rogue attracts a lot of devoted “regulars” — both recreational boaters and guides — who just can’t seem to get enough of the place. They know every camp and riffle, and they have a very strong ethic for protecting the river and its canyon. I always run into people I know down there.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

The Rogue is where I first got the whitewater bug. In fact, if it weren’t for this river, I might never have discovered rivers and rapids, which are my life’s passion.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

Above all I think the Rogue is fun and forgiving. It’s a great place for families and first-timers to try out whitewater — to get a little excitement without a total white-knuckle ride.

Do you have an example?

Well, back in 1977, as a customer on a commercial trip I actually ran Blossom Bar in an innertube. Needless to say, nobody would let me do that today! It wasn’t smart, but it was definitely memorable! I was just a dumb 18-year-old kid who didn’t know any better.

Any last words?

The Rogue is where my lifetime passion for rivers began, and for that I am eternally grateful to the place.

Tyler Wendt works at O.A.R.S. Rafting Trips and lives in Angels Camp, California. He first floated the Rogue River in 2008. When he’s not on the river, you can find him at O.A.R.S. headquarters helping others plan their trips.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I work, mainly on the office/administrative side of things, for O.A.R.S. I tell people I talk to that the Wild and Scenic Rogue River is my favorite river trip. I can’t seem to manage getting myself out on one trip a year, although that will always be my goal.

How long have you been recreating or working on the Rogue?

I came to the Rogue later than I would have liked; 2008 was the year of my first trip.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

I love the densely forested canyon and the fun and challenging rapids. And I love that we can find a true wilderness out there.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

Mule Creek Canyon, at the base of Stair Creek Falls.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

River magic bringing people together.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

I was lucky to go on many river trips as a kid, but the Rogue wasn’t one of them, which is too bad. Now that I have two little ones of my own (3 year old daughter and 6-month old son), I’m anxious to get them on their first Rogue trip. Might have to make it annual thing.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

Like Goldilocks, the Rogue finds a glorious middle: not too long, not too short; not too easy or too hard. Perfect.

Anything else?

Everyone who takes a trip on the Rogue River loves it!

Bob Volpert owns Rogue River Journeys and Idaho River Journeys. He first floated the Rogue 40 years ago and continues to visit the Rogue annually. During the summer, he and his wife Mary oversee Idaho River Journeys’ Middle Fork of the Salmon operation and live in Salmon, Idaho. Their winters are spent in Inverness Park, California, just outside Point Reyes National Seashore.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

Owner of Rogue River Journeys

When did you first run the Rogue?

My first trip down the Rogue was 40 years ago. It was on that trip that I decided that if I was to pursue a career in outfitting, it would focus on running multi-day trips on exceptional rivers like the Rogue and Middle Fork of the Salmon. Everything that followed came from that realization on my first Rogue trip.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

What could be better than a year-round, multi-day trip on a spectacular Wild & Scenic River that is so easily reached and accessible? All the highlights someone looks for in a river trip can be found on the Rogue.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

Lots of great places on the Rogue but my favorite is just a few strokes from put-in at Grave Creek. There is transitional moment when you wave good-by to the launch site stuff and look downstream at a beckoning river canyon knowing that the first rapid of the trip is just around the bend and your trip is underway.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

The Rogue is a small river with an extensive family. A trip here is like a visit to a home-town reunion. You always run into people you know.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

My first trip on the Rogue shaped my outfitting life. More importantly it is a place that Mary and I have been able to share with our sons. Our trips on the Rogue have created a lifetime of memories. In our family, when we reminisce about vacations, no one ever mentions Disneyland. It’s always about a river trip.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

Here is proof that I’ve written too many brochures: Charismatic, whimsical and sometimes stubborn.

Lisa Byers worked on the Rogue River as a BLM Park Ranger for four seasons; two in the winter and two in the summer. Outside of work, she has boated on the Rogue River recreationally, often on self-support kayak trips during the winter. She is from Knoxville, Maryland, studied Outdoor Education at Salisbury University, and has spent the last couple summers working for the Forest Service in Yakutat, Alaska.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I’m a recreational boater and I also worked as a Park Ranger with the BLM on the Rogue River.

My used to work with the Grants Pass office of the BLM, but I am not currently in that position anymore. I worked in the Rand visitor center, issuing boaters their permits and educating on LNT and rules and regulations. In the winter seasons I helped run the Lottery for the permit system, updated documents and the website, helped get Rand ready for the upcoming season, etc.

How long have you been recreating or working on the Rogue?

I worked on the Rogue for four seasons, the summer of 2011 and 2012, and then the winters of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. I have been recreationally boating the Rogue since 2011.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

My favorite qualities of the Rogue is the beautiful scenery, the whitewater, and the people I meet on river trips.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

Mule Creek Canyon is my favorite part of the Rogue! It is so much fun in a hardshell kayak to snake your way through the walls.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

Honestly, I haven’t floated the Wild & Scenic Rogue much in the summer months when there are a lot more people floating down it. Most of my personal trips are done in the fall, winter, spring months. I don’t mind the cold and prefer a little more solitude. The times I have been out there with more of a crowd, I have had rafters offer me food and beverage (after they realize I am self-supporting myself in my kayak!). As far as feeling a sense of community, I feel it as a broader aspect in the river community in general and not just on the the Wild & Scenic Rogue River.

About a year ago I helped produce a video for the BLM that is on the website and shown in the Rand Visitor Center. For this video I recruited volunteers to be in the scenes to be filmed and go on a three-day float. The float consisted of BLM staff, filming company staff, volunteers, and a couple dogs. Some of these people had floated the Rogue many times before and some had never seen it previously. We even had volunteers come from as far away as Idaho and California and all of the volunteers were in charge of figuring out their own logistics (boats, gear, food, shuttle, etc.). We didn’t all know each other but we came together because of the shared passion for floating on beautiful rivers, immersing ourselves in wild places, being part of a boating community and making memories. Some of the volunteers even took the initiative to clean up tires and trash along the way without even giving it a second thought! We gathered around the campfire in the evening and shared river stories, smiles, and laughter. It was an unforgettable fun experience for me, and I also believe to the others that were on the trip too.

So all in all, it is the boating community, new and old friends that I meet up with on the river and the stories that are created along the way, that make a trip down the Rogue, as well as other Wild and Scenic Rivers, so special in my eyes.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

I do believe that the Rogue River has changed me. It was my first official River Ranger type of job that began my career path and since then I have gone on to see other incredible areas of our country and work on other river systems.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

The Rogue to me personally seems like it has an easy going personality.

Dove Miller is a guide for Noah’s Wilderness Adventures. She studied Botany at Lane Community College and lives in Eugene, Oregon.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

Raft guide for Noah’s Wilderness Adventures.

How long have you been recreating or working on the Rogue?

13 years

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

I love the amount of wildlife on the Rogue. In the spring when the wildflowers are popping you begin to see the black bears awakening from their hibernation, the spot on their side they slept still showing. Golden eagles, bald eagles, king fishers, huge sturgeon, salmon and river otters. In the fall you see many more bears and the trees change color and the salmon and steel head make their runs. It is just incredible to get to see such a diverse amount of animals and ecosystems in one area.

Favorite spot on the Rogue?

I always try and catch the confluence of the west and main fork of Mule Creek at a full moon.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

I’ve met some of my best friends on the Rogue. There is a bond that forms between people who love the river. You share something that cant be taken away.

Most folks who know the Rogue intimately seem enthusiastic to tell it’s many tales. From high water to low or the history of those who have lived along the banks.

How has the Rogue River shaped your life?

When I was a little girl I did not know who I would become. As a young adult I had to reflect on what made me truly happy. The journey has brought me to living simply and doing what I love which is guiding. I have become the woman I am today through my experiences on the river. It has taught me that the only thing that stops me from being my best self is me. Being able to share and empower others by supporting them through challenges on the water and off has allowed me to be part of my own internal change and that of many others.

What is the character of the Rogue?

The character of the river changes as you go down the wild and scenic section. The geology changes constantly, the plants and different ecosystems change along with the landscape. From Oak savannas, to old growth forests and vertical canyon walled in gorges.

The personality of the rogue is to be interpreted individually. Treat her well and she will do the same for you.

Any last words?

The Rogue has been a constant in my life. When I return to the boat launch and begin the familiar pattern of rigging for another trip it feels like I’m going home again. It is a magical place that touched and changed the lives of so many. I know I would not be the person I am today were if not for having the chance to work in such a special place.

Josh St. John lives and grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Today he works for the Union Pacific Railroad and visits the Rogue at least once a year. He has been floating the Rogue River since he was a young kid and first rowed the Rogue River at ten years old.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

I’m a recreational boater.

How long have you been floating the Rogue?

I grew up on the Rogue river. My first trip down the Wild and Scenic Rogue was when I was 6. My family and I spent at least one trip a year on the lower Rogue when I was growing up. Every year we took at least one trip down the river whether it was in the spring or summer. My first trip rowing my own raft down was when I was 10 years old. From there myself and my brother Tim Gibilisco have been running rivers ever since. Having kayaked or rafted over 120 rivers and creeks since, the Rogue River is where it all started.

What are the best qualities of the Rogue?

I love the remoteness of the Rogue River. The scenery and wildlife is amazing also. I just like the feeling that you get when leaving the put-in, that you will not be hearing the sounds of busy civilization. It’s just you and the river.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

I really like to stay at Horseshoe Bend when I can. Most of my trips are in the fall now a days. The fishing is usually decent around there in the fall and I like waking up and looking for wildlife across the river grazing in the grassy meadow.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

I have met some amazing people down on the Rogue. That being said you do see some familiar faces every once in awhile.

How has the Rogue shaped your life?

Growing up on the Rogue River is where my grass roots began. Since those early days it was the Rogue where my river running began. I have been on many adventures since then whether kayaking or rafting.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

One the best overnight trips you can do. Good for family and friends. Intermediate rapids, with one rapid requiring some river running skill and knowledge.