There cannot be a better way to spend a hot summer day than on a whitewater excursion on a wild and scenic river. I came to that conclusion after embarking on a full-day trip with Noah’s River Adventures, splashing down the Upper Klamath River through rapids ranging from Class II to IV-plus. The river, belying its source in calm, shallow Klamath Lake in central Southern Oregon, rushes through timbered canyons, squeezing through narrow gorges and over massive boulders before it’s slowed by a hydroelectric dam just over the California border at Copco Lake, thence making its way to the Pacific Ocean. Our journey encompassed a 14-mile stretch of the river, and it provided thrills, chills (although the water isn’t too cold — about 70 degrees in late summer — compared to most Northwest rivers, we got drenched well and often), wildlife viewing, a little history and a massive amount of fun. Our trip started out early Sunday morning, meeting up with one of Noah’s minibuses (towing a trailer stacked with our six-person rafts) outside a hotel in Ashland. I’m confident there’s no other place in the country — perhaps the world — where you can spend the day rafting Class IV rapids and return in the evening to watch world-class theater (at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival). There would be 10 “guests” in our two-raft party, a relatively small group for a summer Sunday, but our guides noted this summer bookings have been down, due, they speculated, to our smokey skies from numerous large wildfires in the area. Perhaps word of the drought here also lends folks to believe the river levels would not permit an exciting experience, but the Upper Klamath boasts an unusual advantage over other rivers. We would put in just below a powerhouse located on the river which runs water from a diversion canal through its turbines before releasing the water back into the river. Through a gentlemen’s agreement with the rafting companies, the release occurs each morning at a specific time, so rafters can time their launch to coincide with this “bubble” of increased flow (about 1,600 cfs), allowing for a faster ride and greater ease in getting over some of the more prominent boulders in the course. A one-hour ride up and over the 4,551-foot Green Springs Highway summit, a very windy but  scenic route, brought us to a gravel road dropping into the river canyon. After receiving safety instructions from our guide, Matt, and gearing up with helmets and life vests (and plenty of sunscreen), we claimed our positions in the raft and practiced paddle strokes with our team before approaching our first rapids, a not-too-intimidating Class III named Osprey. I’ve been on one other whitewater rafting trip (a brief two-hour jaunt on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon), and it seems the nomenclature for rapids goes something like this: The tamer sorts are named for local wildlife (Otter), geographic features (Stateline Falls) or local residents (Ned’s Run); while the rougher Class III-plus try to warn (or terrify) you in advance with names like “Garbage Grinder” and anything with “Hell” or “Devil” involved. So it was that we roared down exciting Class III rapids like Bermuda Triangle and Scarface, but the real fun came in the seven-mile stretch of Hell’s Corner Canyon, where we ran Class IV and Class IV-plus rapids like The Dragon, Satan’s Gate and Ambush. Matt expertly steered us around boulders and into plunging holes — and safely out the other side — while shouting out instructions (to paddle) “all forward,” “left back,” and “grab on!” That last one usually wasn’t necessary, as we’d already abandoned paddling and hung on as we aimed into a mass of roaring whitewater dead ahead. Screams of delight and terror mingled as we dropped, splashed and shimmied down the course, water crashing over us and into the boat (thankfully equipped with a self-bailing system). After stopping for lunch (a very nice spread prepared by the guides while we wrung out our sodden garments), I happily relinquished my middle-row seat to a fellow guest so that I could experience the front-of-the-raft views. It’s impossible to express the thrill of looking straight down into a Class IV drop in that moment before you plunge into it, and then bracing for the wall of water dumping over you at the bottom and paddling like crazy to pass beyond it to the next. Talk about an adrenaline rush! I laughed and whooped in glee like a cowboy on a bucking bronc. In reality, Matt did the vast majority of the work, steering and rowing from the back of the raft, all the while sharing some of the history of the lands we passed (sites special to Native tribes and, later, gold mining and ranching and banditry) and pointing out wildlife along the way. We encountered lots of osprey, a few bald eagles, pelicans, turtles and even a river otter, and Matt kindly steered us closer and stilled the raft for better looks. We pulled out of the river a little after 3 p.m., wet, tired and exhilarated by the experience. My husband, Harry, admitted that he had been concerned at the start, not knowing just how terrifying it might be, but he stated he would gladly run the rapids again, as would I — and at the front of the raft for the whole trip! Noah’s offers trips down the Upper Klamath from May to October as well as excursions on other rivers in the region, including multi-day camping and fishing trips. You can be sure I’ll be planning other trips in coming seasons and taking friends and visitors along with me. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor