# Rafting (River logs)



## oarframe (Jun 25, 2008)

I do, with pretty much the same info. Makes for good reference later, especially for flow levels.
Twains "Life on the Ms"goes on every river trip


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## Nubie Jon (Dec 19, 2017)

I keep one as well... I also add meals,hikes and campsites. I also mark I my river guide and augment descriptions, and add information that is meaningful to the flow at the time.


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## Infidien (May 27, 2013)

Nubie Jon said:


> I keep one as well... I also add meals,hikes and campsites. I also mark I my river guide and augment descriptions, and add information that is meaningful to the flow at the time.


I do that too and after a few years when it's full of good info, lose it overboard.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I do of grand canyon trips, it's hard, only getting to go once a year to remember all the cool things down there, especially on 20+ day trips.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Boating since 1997, but just started mine in 2012. Wish I had started it sooner, but glad I started it when I did. Without it, I wouldn't have known I'd made my 70th Lochsa run this June or that I'm now at 370 river miles on an exceptional season.
Best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. 2nd best time to plant a tree is today.

Every day on the river: CFS, group, weather, 'special circumstances', and campsites on multidays...that's about it. Haven't logged gear, have you found it helpful, wack?

Brought a childhood buddy and his family on a Main trip last year; gave his kids empty Rite in the Rain notebooks to start their logs.


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## Waterhopper (Jul 3, 2017)

Captain's Log,Riverdate XXX20. All good captains keep logs. All the above info. I add wildlife sightings, plus some personal observations on events of the day, if so moved.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I can tell you the exact date both my girls ran the Lochsa, the days they learned to roll, and the first times they kayaked whitewater. that's pretty damn special to a river dad!


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## GeoRon (Jun 24, 2015)

Logs are a source of great satisfaction. I've maintained a WW river log since moving west after getting my degree in geology back east from Georgia State University. I don't have a record of my college days WW runs north of Atlanta as far north as West Virginia. Nor my flat water paddle days south of Atlanta doing adventures in the Okefenokee or Everglades or on the coastal waterways. No one will care but me I guess.

But actually my greatest satisfaction is from maintaining a log of birds. Seeing a particular bird checks off not just the bird but the eco-system of where you saw that bird. Consider the magic of having a log allowing the flashing back to an entire eco systems.

My log of birds includes for example from observing Torrent Ducks running class V rapids on the Bio Bio in Patagonia to Eiders species in violent surf in Alaska. Always with a date and who I was with.

Logs are a flashback of the most treasured moments of your life. Maintain them if it pleases you. 

For me, each entry will be a Rosebud moment at my passing, e.g. "Citizen Cain", the movie that ponders treasured moments that someone might have but never share.


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## mtzirkel (May 25, 2011)

I have written a website that I keep a log on. It is hosted on Heroku. It is not finished. The hope would be it would automatically grab the level based on what day it was if it has a gauge. I thought it would give AW some good numbers when going into lobbying for river users. I used to keep flip calendars with levels and names of runs that worked really well.


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## Utah78 (Apr 28, 2018)

Waterhopper said:


> Captain's Log,Riverdate XXX20. All good captains keep logs. All the above info. I add wildlife sightings, plus some personal observations on events of the day, if so moved.


I like that. You will have to read the entries out loud with your Picard voice. Of course recording the "Captains Log" takes on a new meaning after visiting the groover.


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## Aknoff (Aug 24, 2007)

I keep one via Google Sheets, so typically just add info once I'm back from a trip (but could always add notes in offline mode while on the river). I include dates, miles, flow, gauges, camps, people, and major notes (e.g. very slow at a certain flow, kid firsts, exciting encounters, horrible wind/bugs, etc.). I've had it since 2012 and it's now to the point where friends ask me about different rivers at different flows to aid in their trip planning. It's definitely helped us avoid repeating mistakes and/or better time different stretches. Super helpful resource to have.


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## jabbers1921 (Jun 28, 2019)

I started boating 5 or 6 years ago. Finally decided to get a Log together. Thanks for putting this thread together. 
I'm creating a Log in Google Sheets. So far, I have Date, River, Section, Put-in, Take-out, Boat, Paddle/Oar/Combo, Guide/TL/Passenger, #hours on river, #river miles, CFS, Weather, camps, People, and Special Circumstances (notes). 

Would you all recommend anything else to include in this log?


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

jabbers1921 said:


> I started boating 5 or 6 years ago. Finally decided to get a Log together. Thanks for putting this thread together.
> I'm creating a Log in Google Sheets. So far, I have Date, River, Section, Put-in, Take-out, Boat, Paddle/Oar/Combo, Guide/TL/Passenger, #hours on river, #river miles, CFS, Weather, camps, People, and Special Circumstances (notes).
> 
> Would you all recommend anything else to include in this log?


Since you're tracking all that, why not a log of groover levels and food served lol


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## jabbers1921 (Jun 28, 2019)

MNichols said:


> Since you're tracking all that, why not a log of groover levels and food served lol


 to much? Definitely looking for input here.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

jabbers1921 said:


> to much? Definitely looking for input here.


For me, yes. I would think date, section, miles per day and total miles of the trip along with the flows would be sufficient, but that's just me...


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## gnarsify (Oct 5, 2020)

Are you guys doing this for day floats? Or just for bigger trips? Seems pretty redundant if you run the same river frequently. I keep a log for bigger trips (>5 days or a shorter float on a new river) but not for shorter or frequent floats.


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## IDriverRunner (Aug 18, 2015)

gnarsify said:


> Are you guys doing this for day floats? Or just for bigger trips? Seems pretty redundant if you run the same river frequently. I keep a log for bigger trips (>5 days or a shorter float on a new river) but not for shorter or frequent floats.


I keep a log of every time I hit the river. Day float or Middle Fork, IK or multi-day raft... it all gets logged. I only track craft, date, river, flow, and crew/group.


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## jabbers1921 (Jun 28, 2019)

I'm planning to log every river day.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

I log my ski days and river days. Just date, location, and any details I want to remember. Sometimes that's flows, sometimes a good camp, or some other detail that made the day memorable. Makes for a nice way to review the year.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I used to log every trip until I became a commercial boatman, the company logged all my trips and I fell out of the habit on every river except grand canyon, there I always keep a day by day journal as there's SO much down there I can't remember right offhand...


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

IDriverRunner said:


> I keep a log of every time I hit the river. Day float or Middle Fork, IK or multi-day raft... it all gets logged. I only track craft, date, river, flow, and crew/group.


metoo.

Track the crew, and anything memorable that happened--big hits (at a given flow), flips, crazy weather (hot or awful), etc.
Really enjoy looking back on it especially a couple years later. 

I track CFS but not hours on the water...which would be useful info in the future to recall how long it took to run a particular section.


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## wack (Jul 7, 2015)

I also log ski days, but fell out of the habit this year. I need to go back and log some epic pow days from this season in my log. Google photos and Ski Tracks helps me with remembering who I was with on any given day.
I like looking back and seeing what the earliest and latest I've floated/skied in a given year is.


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## SanJuanGuns (Oct 30, 2017)

The Hammer Factor Pod has a softcover whitewater journal available on their site


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

SanJuanGuns said:


> The Hammer Factor Pod has a softcover whitewater journal available on their site


That they do, but is little more than a notebook for 20$ plus shipping, rite in the rain sells waterproof journals on Amazon for 17$. Granted they aren't rafting specific, but if you're going to take it along on a trip, the waterproof aspect sure is nice...


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

MNichols said:


> rite in the rain sells waterproof journals on Amazon for 17$. Granted they aren't rafting specific, but if you're going to take it along on a trip, the waterproof aspect sure is nice...


That's what I've been using. Started it in 2010 or so.








Amazon.com : Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Hard Cover Notebook, 4 1/4" x 6 3/4", Tan Cover, Universal Pattern (No. 970TF-M) : Office Products


Amazon.com : Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Hard Cover Notebook, 4 1/4" x 6 3/4", Tan Cover, Universal Pattern (No. 970TF-M) : Office Products



www.amazon.com





I keep it in a ziploc in my dry bag. Ziploc isn't for water..but to keep the pages from getting all wrinkled by other gear. I generally write in it with a regular ink pen as pencils tend to smudge. Pen will smudge initially on the waterproof paper, so let it dry a few minutes before repacking.


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

I wish I would have started a long time ago when I started running rivers. I have run too many now that I can't remember.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

LSB said:


> I wish I would have started a long time ago when I started running rivers. I have run too many now that I can't remember.


I feel ya! I used to say, back in the day, that I have more river miles in boats than most folk have in cars...


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

LSB said:


> I wish I would have started a long time ago when I started running rivers. I have run too many now that I can't remember.


I've said it before, but even if you're late starting it, get started.
I started boating in 1997, but didn't start my log until 2012, and am darn glad I did.

the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.
The second best time to plant a tree is today.


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

I have a friend who does charcoal drawings and watercolors of lunch and evening spots as part of her daily river journal. Here‘s a quick one she did of my boat Huerfano on a Deso trip.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

That’s priceless.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

That totally rocks !!


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