It’s been about fifthteen years since I was loading up my truck to go on a river trips to run class three, but that’s exactley what I have been doing since the middle of July. Luckily my girlfriend,Danielle wanted to learn how to kayak so I could teach and have her experience the sport that has brought so much happiness to my life. Everything about going on a river trip is the same whether you are running class 3 or 5. You have get time off, pack your vehicle, drive hours to the river, set up camp, all the great things that make kayak road trips so much fun. For a beginner everything is new and exciting from where you are camping to whats around the next corner on the river. Shareing this excitement and wonders of the unknown is very gratifying when teaching a beginner because we have all been beginners and the unkown is always a part of paddleing that makes kayaking so great. There are some really fun and senic class 3 rivers in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho that we have been on the past few months and are definetley worth checking out if you are in the area looking for some good class 3. The Weber river above Odgen, Utah is a great river to learn on. It has all kinds of eddies to enter and exit, a few small waves, rock garden, and the take out rapid Taggart falls. The Daily section of the Colorado above Moab, Utah is as senic as it gets with towering red rock canyons and walls and is a fun float with a numbers of small fun rapids. The Alpine cayon section of the Snake river outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a must do. It is big water class 3 with world class play spots. Whether it’s running 20,000 or 4,000, there is always a epic play spot in. Lunch Counter wave and Big Kahuna are two of the best waves on the West coast. Introducing Danielle to Idaho was a treat, going back to all my favorite class 3 rivers. On the way to Boise,Idaho and the Payette river drainage is a really cool class 3 section on the Snake called the Birds of prey section. This section of river supports one of the world’s densest concentrations of nesting birds of prey. You will find Falcons, halks, eagles, and owls along this stretch of senic landscape with some fun rapids to keep things exciting. Then a short two hour drive brings you to the Payette river system with some of the best whitewater in the country. At the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Payette is Banks, Idaho and the put in for the Main Payette which is really fun big water class 3 section pool drop in chacter. There are also a few good waves along this section that will keep the experienced playboater entertained. Above all the class five chaos of the North fork of the Payette is a very senic and far from the road class 3 section called the Cabarton. This run is ten miles long and really gives you a remote wilderness feeling when your on it. The water come out of Lake Cascade and is bath tub warm.. The rapids build as the run progresses and the funniest one’s are at the end with the last rapid a steep slide into a big wave hole ending in a lake called Howard’s plunge. I have had a really good late summer and fall paddleing classic class three runs with Danielle that I would have probabley not gone back to do if I was’nt teaching her how to kayak. Being with someone who is experiencing the wonders of kayaking and enjoying what I love so much makes being on the water that much more sweet!