Mountainous and rough terrain can make battling wildfires in the Pacific Northwest even more challenging. Firefighters working the Rum Creek Fire in Josephine County got some respite last week by catching a ride with river rafters.
鈥淭he firefighters were so happy to see the guides, and the firefighters really enjoyed the rafting,鈥� said Zack Collier, owner of Northwest Rafting Company. 鈥淥ne of them said, 鈥楾his is way better than riding in a helicopter.鈥欌��
Before the trip, Collier and his guides were in low spirits because the wildfire had canceled their days-long trips along the in late August. A family had flown in from New Jersey to raft that weekend, and Collier had purchased meals and supplies ahead of time. He had to cancel that and another trip.
He had more of a heads up for that second trip cancellation, but he said his employees were still disappointed, as were the families who booked the trips.
Then, officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management called and asked if they could pay him to move firefighters downstream.
鈥淭he guides were super thankful of the firefighters and what they were doing, and the firefighters were super grateful that the guides were there to move them downstream,鈥� Collier said.
Collier鈥檚 company is planning to help move more firefighters through the area in the coming days, as they continue to battle the fire of Galice and Merlin.
The Rogue River is back open and people can again book trips, Collier said. Sometimes it鈥檚 smoky, and sometimes the skies are completely clear; it really just depends which way the wind is blowing. Either way, there are interesting landscapes to see.
鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 wanna be around fire, and that鈥檚 fine,鈥� Collier said. 鈥淏ut some people really like going during this time because they enjoy seeing what Mother Nature does.鈥�
He added that he would never take customers through an area where a wildfire would put them in danger, but if that were to happen, Collier said they 鈥渉ave the ability to move downstream really fast.鈥�
Around 2,000 people are working the Rum Creek Fire, and projections on the efforts improved over the Labor Day weekend as weather in Southern Oregon cooled.
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