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All we can say is. "our guests say it best."
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Guest Stories Rafting Blog - About Us |
"The family that plays together, stays together."Some families talk about their commitment to each other. Others live their loyalty. The De Nault family fits into the latter category. In their play time, in their business ventures, in their friendships, in their personal lives…this is a family that understands the value of togetherness. The De Nault's world would have provided great copy for author John Steinbeck. This family has weaved a rich tapestry of decades-old traditions, pride, and devotion to one another. They are also a family filled with characters. Sitting down to an evening's meal with the family during their 2003 Rogue rafting trip was an education…in psychology, business dealings, and fierce personal loyalties. Their high-intensity dinner conversation ping-pongs from high finance, to property holdings, to a grandson's upcoming wedding (and every other possible subject in between).
The family's patriarch, John De Nault Sr., was introduced to Rogue River rafting by his friend Fred Turner. That was nearly 25 years ago…and the family's annual rafting/lodge trip tradition with White Water Warehouse continues today. "I like having family around me. I enjoy the wilderness experience. And, I'll tell you, over the years this trip has provided a lot of laughs," says John.
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John's son, John "Jack" De Nault III, speaks to why the river is a cunning teacher. "The folks in our family aren't spectators in life. We like being physically involved and interacting with our environment. Our yearly Rogue adventure allows each generation to learn from the other. Early on, dad understood the power of this teaching tool. This isn't simply a rafting trip for us. It is a coming together of different personalities and knowledge. The trip provides us a small window of time, free from the pressures of the outside world, to re-connect, appreciate and learn from one another's differences." What 25-year rafting history would be complete without thinking back on the great memories? Maybe these are tales the outfitter wished she hadn't heard…but, here goes. "Remember the fingernail marks that Tim left on the wall at Devil's Staircase after he bit it in the rapids?" "Oh, and what about the time in early August it was so cold that we started a fire in the lunch salad bowls!" (BLM administrators please note this was years ago before fire restrictions!) "Bears. Lots of bear stories over the years but the top one has to be 15 years ago or so when a lodge employee shot clean-through one of our dry bags late one night because he swore it was a gigantic bear!" "The trip Harper (a former WWW guide and De Nault family friend) attached a trolling motor to the back of his raft and pulled all 20 inflatable kayaks through the quiet waters." This stranger walks away from the dinner table with a renewed spirit that family may, indeed, be alive and well in America. Well, at least this confident clan is thriving. The De Nault's are a family unit that have elevated playing together and staying together to an art form. |
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