Whitewater Hotshots

Sep. 1—A half-dozen local river guides spent 28 hours Monday and Tuesday transporting firefighters through the Lower Rogue Canyon after the Hotshots were dropped from helicopters over the weekend to dig fire line and clear trees.

Guides from two rafting companies, Arrowhead River Adventures and Northwest Rafting Company, were contracted by Bureau of Land Management to move Hotshot crews downstream to Black Bar Lodge, giving crews some much-needed rest.

A few hours of relaxation and a fun ride on the river helped break up a seemingly endless battle to stop what was deemed this week the top-priority fire in the state.

By Wednesday, the Rum Creek Fire, which claimed the life of Talent wildland firefighter Logan Taylor last week, had burned more than 12,000 acres, with some 2,000 people working to contain it.

With Hotshot crews digging lines by hand in brutal terrain with few roads, river guides who had been grounded due to fire danger eagerly set out just after 5 a.m. Monday, putting in at Grave Creek by 8:45 a.m.

Northwest Rafting Company operations manager Michael Hughes said it was therapeutic to contribute in a small way to firefighting efforts. Nineteen wildland firefighters had been dropped off by helicopter over the weekend, spending two days digging, with a base camp set up at Wildcat Camp. Hughes said representatives from various outfitter companies had attended fire meetings to offer their services.

"We just had said, 'Let us know what we can do to help.' The incident command team came to us and said, 'Hey, can you get some Hotshots from one place to another?' It's definitely an area where the only way to get access was by helicopter or going down the river," he said.

"There are a lot of places up there where roads don't go."

River guide Joshua Blu Gutierrez, one of three from Arrowhead River Adventures, was first on the beach at Wildcat Camp. A former wildland firefighter for Grayback Forestry, Gutierrez was familiar with how Hotshot crews work, and he recognized pink flagging to denote a helicopter landing area and work areas.

Gutierrez said firefighters let out an occasional "hoot" sound to keep others apprised of their location. Doing the same, Gutierrez said one of the Hotshots heard him call out and came out of the brush to the river's edge.

"As soon as we got close enough to talk, I asked him, 'Did you call for an Uber?'" he recalled with a laugh.

Northwest Rafting Company guide Tate Tomlinson said there was a spirit of "all hands-on deck" and a willingness to rally for the firefighters. Guides arrived early, waiting three-and-a-half hours at Wildcat Camp while setting up rigging for the fire crew and gear.

"When they got back to camp, we loaded up six boats — three gear boats and three paddle boats. The gear boats took all the Hotshots, which included the 50-pound packs, trash, all their camping gear, all their shovels, four chainsaws and their other tools," Tomlinson said.

"We put four firefighters on gear boats and the rest on the paddle boats. We only took them about 4 river miles total, but the only way for us to get out was to raft the rest of the way. Each of the six of us rode our empty river boats the rest of the way."

As with any river trip, guides gave firefighters a quick how-to on paddle commands and river safety before heading out. Gutierrez said the firefighters were given a taste of the Wild and Scenic Rogue.

"We went through over 10 rapids, mostly class 2 with two class 3s at the end. I was shocked at how much energy they still had after a full day's work. Those boys could paddle — basically endurance athletes on another level," he said.

While the river trip provided a small break for firefighters at their end of a 14-day assignment, Tomlinson said it was sobering to see the burned areas along the river canyon.

"We went right past where it had already burned, near the mouth of Rum Creek. We were just 3 miles downstream of where the fire had crossed the river," she added.

"It was crazy because, as we were floating down, there were a bunch of small fires and random trees on fire that almost looked like candles. All of us were blown away by how much green there still was. It would look like the ground was black, or even white where it had burned really hot, but a bunch of the trees hadn't burned at all."

Tomlinson said the river travelers endured over 15 miles of heavy smoke, a small price to pay to help those working to keep flames from threatening nearby communities.

Kyle Drake, who owns Arrowhead River Adventures with his wife, Ashley, supplied three of the six boats, manned by himself and two of his guides.

"It was definitely not something we get to do on a regular day — picking up 19 firefighters. We showed up in shorts and river sandals and they showed up in their long pants, long sleeves, heavy leather boots, and they're sweaty and dirty," said Drake.

"We had a bunch of cold drinks ready for them. We were like, 'Grab a soda or Gatorade and take a seat while we pack the boats for you.' We take care of people when they're on the river with us. It was a little abnormal for them, but for us it was pretty normal to just do what needed doing. The biggest difference was obviously the equipment we were hauling was a little different than we usually haul."

Drake said the river and its banks were noticeably affected by the fire.

"For us, the more notable thing was you lose stability in the hillside, so there's quite a bit of wood debris and logs and other things in the river," he said.

"For river travelers, that's a real hazard. It was quite a bit more than we normally would see when we're out there, so we were definitely being more cautious."

Tomlinson said firefighters were happy to be on the river after several long, hot days fighting flames. The positivity of crews, despite grueling work on a raging fire, made it especially meaningful to lend a hand.

"They'd been digging a line and cutting down trees for the past 16 hours in just the one day we picked them up. That's a huge day, but then they met us on the river and were happy to be there. They were like, 'Hey, that was a good day of work, you guys! It was a great day. We built the line!'" she said.

"They were exhausted, but as soon as they got on the raft, they were excited to be there. And the dynamics between the crew — they were so at ease with one another. They spend so much time together doing really hard stuff."

All told, Tomlinson said, the six guides rafted 21 miles Monday and 14 Tuesday.

"We were with the firefighters for only 4 of those, but we had to raft for 35 miles to take them 4," she noted.

"It was totally worth it because they were so grateful for our help. All the firefighters were like, 'This is so much better than a helicopter ride!' They never get to do fun things during the summer, like rafting, because they fight fires all summer."

Tomlinson said river guides were as vested in protecting the river and the surrounding communities as those 19 firefighters who hitched a ride on their rafts this week.

"It was cool to feel like you were helping the river that you love so much. We practically live on the river all summer, at least four days a week," she added.

"All of a sudden your home is burning so, of course, you want to help the people that are trying to save it."

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.