The town of Glacier sits in the shadow of Mount Baker on the west edge of North Cascades National Park.
The North Fork Nooksack River flows through the trees at a quick pace, fueled by the continuous snow melt from the mountains.
Rocks and boulders dragged down by the water rise up to form
obstructions and narrow channels, churning the water into a froth to
create rapids.
It is the only white water rafting opportunity in
Whatcom County, a summer activity waiting to be conquered just an hour
east of Bellingham along the Mount Baker Highway.
Don Martin,
operations manager and river guide for River Recreation, said rafting in
Washington is special because each river offers its own microclimate,
from the deserts of central and eastern Washington to the lush forested
locales of western Washington.
Martin, who has been navigating
Washington rivers for 22 years, said the Nooksack River offers rafters
sights of some of most beautiful scenery in Washington.
"Short of renting a helicopter, the river is the best way to view Mount Baker," he said.
Martin said awareness of rafting opportunities in Washington has
dwindled since the closure of the Washington Tourism Bureau in 2011.
"I attribute it to the fact that Washington hasn't marketed itself as
an adventure state," Martin said. "It's frustrating to try to buck the
public perspective that we're all about the Space Needle and coffee."
River Recreation operates out of Monitor, Washington, just west of
Wenatchee, and makes trips to the Nooksack every weekend and on weekdays
when there are enough people registered. It runs from July to Aug. 15,
when the salmon return for spawning.
Martin has had to market
aggressively to keep revenue flowing and is puzzled by the lack of
rafting awareness from Washington locals.
"There is so much of Washington you haven't seen if you aren't on the river," he said.
Paul Engel, owner and guide for Wild and Scenic River Tours, said most
people think of Nooksack River as the canoe leg for the annual
Ski-to-Sea race, but the river offers much more boating opportunities
people aren't aware of.
The Nooksack is divided into three main
sections: the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork. The only section
for rafting is the North Fork.
The 8-mile run starts with class three intermediate rapids (out of six classes) and ...
more
