ANSWER:
Our guides have their proverbial dancing shoes on each and every week starting around Wednesday at noon regardless of the guaranteed recreational release. More water over the dam and through the spillway than originally planned is a welcome sight! Adventure is out there despite the weather.

All the rivers we run are dam controlled. That means regardless of drought conditions to date, there is a guaranteed amount of water being released as scheduled. This is called a "recreational release". These recreational releases are scheduled during the late winter months with a calendar and the amount of water in cfs (cubic feet per second) as public knowledge. So there will be water and it will be a fun whitewater experience here in northern NH. Structural repairs to local dams have only impacted paddling trips once to date as well, which is something out of all our control. This was the first ever reported breach of contract in the history of whitewater in the state.

ANSWER:
A wise man once said that if a weather forecaster went "missing" every time a prediction went awry, we'd either have far less forecasters or much more accurate predictions when we watch the news each morning. Not a bad idea!

​We have only had to delay one trip by 10 minutes due to thunderstorms. Our guides run the trips in the late summer with an eye out for growing storm clouds and approaching weather. Should weather chase you down the river, we climb into the bus and wait for a bit before returning back to an awesome adventure under safe conditions, which we have done less times than you can count on one hand. Our team works hard to ensure that each trip is family friendly and safe each and every run on the river without sacrificing the experience.

Late in the summer our trips often run in summer heat and humidity that builds afternoon and early evening thunderstorms. It is the nature of the beast, with weather predictions being 50-50 chance in the north country. We plan for intense storms by packing splash jackets and pulling out wetsuits, and find ourselves warmed by bluebird skies and an ever-glowing summer sun that beats down and compels us into the deep, clean waters filled with belly laughs and backflips. Needless to say the splash jackets stay on the bus and the wet suits never see the light of day.

That being said, thunderstorms and rain add more water to the riverbed for increased water levels and a guaranteed cool-off of all paddlers. Depending on the timing of a rainstorm, river levels can dramatically increase overnight with higher haystacks, varied drops, less exposed rocks, and more quickly moving rapids for even more fun. River conditions can change drastically within 6 hours of a storm, making for an amazing experience for all our whitewater families and groups. A solid class II/III river may turn into a VERY solid and steady class III experience from start to finish.

And yes, we'll still provide an amazing barbeque meal for you all, of course! We'll even throw in some coffee, hot cocoa and entertainment from our guides!

People often ask us "What happens if it rains the day of our trip? Do we still go?"

​Great question, especially when planning a fun-filled weekend!

For rafting trips, we provide guests with splash tops, wetsuits for frigid temperatures, and wetsuit booties to keep feet warm and safe. Helmets and pfds provide safety, warmth and flotation as well. Rainy days can produce fog over the river, with warm water temperatures, which is pretty cool! This occurs when the air temperature is colder than the water below. Rain is usually warm, refreshing, and is referred to by guides as the rinse cycle or prewash cycle. After long stretches of hot weather, it is very much welcome by all!

For trail rides, we hit the trails as long as riders and horses are happy and safe. Thunderstorms and torrential downpours sidelining the fun? We can reschedule in the event of horrid weather.
Long story short......adventure does not wait (most of the time)! We're going, and your coming along for some fun! 

Welcome to rafting season 2015! We have had great runs on the Androscoggin River these last few weekends. Now the rain has come again, and the river is on the rise, which means even more fun than usual to be had by everyone. It seems groups seem to be taking advantage, booking all inclusive packages, complete with white water rafting in New Hampshire and Maine, guided horseback trail rides, Tukaway Sled Dog Kennel Tours, and comfortable lodging here in the Mahoosuc Inn. We are looking forward to more work on this years' project, our yurt ground! Stay tuned for updates, or better yet, come along for the adventure with us!

In 2002, North Woods Rafting was just getting started; we set up Wicked Good Outfitters as an LLC, but did business as North Woods Rafting...that's the name we built our reputation on.  In 2012, we opened Porky Gulch Bike Shop and in 2013, we decided to pull the two companies together under one roof; it just seemed natural to use Wicked Good Outfitters as a name.

Goofy as the name may be, we really try to be a wicked good outfitter - the best that the North Country has.  Being the first to raft NH waters, we set the standards for rafting in this area and if you look carefully, you can see our influence in the way other outfitters do things.  That's not a bad thing...area outfitters are now being more careful about wearing helmets and the level of safety on the river has increased.  We hire and train the best raft guides - our guides go through training that is modeled after the nationally recognized Maine Guide certification standards.  We have advocated at the state house for NH standards for raft guide licensure. 

In the world of bicycling, we have hired one of the North Country's best mechanics, Jonathon Dodge - formerly of The Balsams Resort and currently of The Spoke 'n' Word Bicycle Shop in Columbia, NH - to assist us in training our employees and growing our shop.  We're learning about what our community needs in a bike shop and are trying to satisfy those needs.

Besides company interests, we try to be wicked good community servants.  We give back to our community: we've hosted a free summer movie series for area youth; Heather served on the board of directors of the Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce; Lincoln volunteered many hours to obtaining his First Responder certificate and volunteers on the local ambulance crew and Heather and Lincoln both volunteer on multiple other committees and service organizations  for the betterment of the North Country.  

Quality, service and community involvement are all important to us; we hope that our efforts are important to you, too! 

We're excited to be preparing for our first rafting trip in Maine this year!  North Woods Rafting added our Magalloway River trips four years ago and it has since become a status trip amongst our guides...they all want to raft the BIG WHITE WATER in Maine!      The Magalloway can be a real game changer for our guides.  Only the best of our guides are brought to Maine to train to be Registered Maine Guides.  Our NH rafting trips require our guides to have exceptional navigational skills and they put those skills to work guiding the Mane white water.So today, Lincoln, Mary & our photographer, Norm head to Maine for the first of many exciting big white water trips.  Stay tuned to Facebook for pics!