Experience the thrill of whitewater on the Sauk River

Brian Pernick knows the Sauk River. He’s floated it more than 200 times and talks about it like it’s an old friend — one he never gets tired of visiting.

He knows each rapid, each boulder. He knows which are friendly and fun and which should be avoided.

The Sauk is a powerful, wild and free-flowing river — a river with some fabulous white water.

“As guides, we do multi-day wilderness trips, in the Grand Canyon, in Idaho. The Sauk is as close as you can get to the wilderness experience on a day trip. It’s so remote, such an intact ecosystem. That’s the reason I love running the Sauk and why I love sharing it with other people,” said Pernick, co-owner of Adventure Cascades.

From their base in Darrington, they offer full- or half-day rafting trips. They run the Sauk with its class-3 rapids and the Suiattle River, with class-2 to -3 rapids.

Catherine Austin took a trip down the river recently with her family. Austin lives in Darrington and she’d gone out with Pernick before. She enjoyed it so much that she made the trip a Christmas gift for her father, stepmother and her younger brother and sister.

“This is a great river, and Brian has a lot of enthusiasm,” Austin said. “It’s the thrill of whitewater and great guides.”

She also appreciates supporting a local business. Austin lives in Darrington and has noticed the decrease in traffic after the devastating landslide that hit Oso and blocked off the town’s main access. Highway 530 is open to all traffic again, although it’s a single lane for now. Local business, like Adventure Cascades, as well as public officials including Sen. Patty Murray, are encouraging people to visit the area, which relies on the money it gets from tourism.

A map of areas around Darrington features the Sauk and Suiattle rivers as one of the many options for outdoor recreation.

Pernick and the crew know both rivers. And they’re clearly having a lot of fun on the trips. Guide Neil Comeau did a safety talk before the trip. He kept everyone’s attention with his stand-up style delivery.

‘What’s the first rule of rafting?” he asked. “Stay in the boat. The second rule? Stay in the boat. The third rule?”

He paused and his audience responded “Stay in the boat!”

“Don’t fall out of the boat, I thought you’d get that for sure,” he said.

The full day trip begins with some gentle water, giving everyone a chance to get used to paddling together. Soon, the river enters a mile with three excellent rapids stacked close together. It’s a thrilling ride and after it everyone was soaked, especially those in the front of the boat.

After more rapids, the group stopped for lunch. The lunch spread sat on a rustic slab of wood, milled for Pernick by Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin. It was a perfect setting for an on-the-river lunch. A small fire, in a metal container to minimize the environmental impact, helped everyone warm up.

David Austin, Catherine’s father, said before the trip he wondered how his younger children, Eric and Emily, would enjoy the trip because whitewater rafting can be intense. It turned out, though, that “They were thrilled, they would do it again.”

David Austin said it helped that the whole family was together in one boat and that the guide was never intimidated and always enthusiastic about the river.

The family has spent a lot of time on the river, Austin said, but it was different to see it from the water.

“They kids were really delighted with the adventure aspect of the trip,” he said. “And they really enjoyed seeing the river from the inside rather than the banks.”

Jessi Loerch: jloerch@heraldnet.com; www.heraldnet.com/explorenw.

If you go

Adventure Cascades runs full- and half-day trips on the Sauk River. Full-day trips cover a longer stretch of river and include a stop for lunch. Trips on the Sauk will run through mid-July. Rafters need to be 12 or older. The company also offer all-day trips on the Suiattle, which will be available through the summer. For that trip, rafters need to 8 or older. Wetsuits, life jackets, helmets and fleece jackets are provided to keep everyone safe and warm on the river. Call 360-393-6815 or check www.adventurecascades.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.