Testimonial Britt – 8/7/19 Posted On: August 9, 2019 By: Britt Runyon Filed Under: Great guides Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, testimonial Testimonial Britt – 8/7/19. Your testimonial is greatly appreciated and can be left on Trip Advisor, Yelp or our Facebook page. The Moon family “Hi Britt!. These photos are awesome! Yes what fun! So much fun! We are so grateful to you. What an amazing day. What a memorable day for all of us… With warmth and thanks to you! Christina “ The Moon family Great scenery, great water level, great weather. Can’t be beat! Read More…
Testimonial – Britt Runyon Posted On: July 23, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Testimonials Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Taos Box Testimonial “Thanks so much! We had such a great time! You are a wonderful guide, made our experience so fun….great memories. One of our family favorites! Wishing you the best! Holly Brousseau” A testimonial is the best way to share your adventure. Britt is the Operations Manager of New Wave. He has been with us since 1984. As of now, he has done over 40 trips in the Taos Box this summer. There is no other place he would rather be than rafting the Taos Box with new found friends. This full-day river trip traverses 16 miles of wilderness gorge, encountering demanding rapids guaranteed to get you wet. This is our most exciting whitewater river trip and is NOT for the timid. Participants must be mentally and physically prepared to paddle in earnest and assist in their own rescue in the event of a “swim” or flip (Class 4/Difficult, Class 5/Very Difficult, in high water). In addition to complementary shuttle and all rafting related safety gear, wetsuits and wetsuit booties are provided in cool weather. The Box season begins in April, with the highest flows usually occurring around early June. Minimum age is 12. Booking online saves you 10% with our “Online Special”. One way to share your testimonial is on our Trip Advisor page.
Testimonial Ted K. Posted On: July 9, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Great guides, Testimonials Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Orlando, Rio Chama, Rio Grande new mexico Testimonial Ted K. “Taos Box with Joey and Britt Terrific-thoughtful careful and fun Chama with Orlando – a day of wonder beauty magic and spirit – Truly, one the best days of my life.” Taos Gorge – July 18 would delight working with any one of the three. Each amazing and quite fun! Thank you and Kathy again for your work, dedication to safety and fun and thoughtful support for those who are out there on the river. But more importantly for the remarkable people, who like yourselves, offer themselves on these trips which is why I celebrate my 23 year working with you both and all. The Reverend Canon Ted Karpf Santa Fe, NM” Orlando Joey Thank you for your testimonial Ted K. More reviews can be found at Trip Advisor. About our Taos Box Trip This full-day river trip traverses 16 miles of wilderness gorge, encountering demanding rapids guaranteed to get you wet. This is our most exciting whitewater river trip and is NOT for the timid. Participants must be mentally and physically prepared to paddle in earnest and assist in their own rescue in the event of a “swim” or flip (Class 4/Difficult, Class 5/Very Difficult, in high water). The Box season begins in April, with the highest flows usually occurring around early June. Minimum age is 12. Book you Taos Box adventure here.
Sunset Rapid of the Taos Box Posted On: June 29, 2019 By: Britt Runyon Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Taos Box Sunset Rapid Wow. That is one big wave! It can knock you right into the lap of the person behind you, as is seen in the video below. Sunset is the last rapid of the trip, just a quarter of a mile upstream of Taos Junction Bridge and the take-out. Also known as Taos Junction Rapid, at high water is a definite Class IV with a eight foot drop and a huge hole river left at the bottom of the rapid. What a way to end the trip. Video by guide extraordinaire Britt Runyon. This an image taken from the right shore by Southern Exposure. The moment the raft team drop into the hole. About the Taos Junction Bridge 20 miles to the west of the bridge and up on the mesa was the Taos Junction Railroad Station for the Denver & Rio Grande (Chili Line). The Taos Junction bridge was the principal route across the river before the completion of the Gorge Bridge in 1965. There is still evidence of the settlement around the area of the takeout today. Paul W Bauer writes in his book “The Rio Grande”, “In the 1890’s, Long John Dunn purchased the original wooden bridge, which was destroyed by the 1921 floodwaters that exceeded 14,000 cfs.” New Wave Rafting, Embudo, NM Read the latest trip reviews on Trip Advisor.
Wet winter gives rise to robust Rio Grande Posted On: May 6, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Dixon NM, Rio Grande, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument Excerpts from article in the Santa Fe New Mexican, May 5, 2019, by Robert Nott Wet winter gives rise to robust Rio Grande RIO GRANDE DEL NORTE NATIONAL MONUMENT — The Rio Grande was running fast, high and wide … as John and Michelle Hood stood near a 14-foot rubber raft, preparing their 4-year-old daughter for her first rafting trip. Was Elizabeth Hood excited about her watery sojourn? “Yeah,” said the girl, whose family was visiting from Denver. Minutes later, the Hoods were off, paddling a raft helmed by longtime river guide Britt Runyon of Dixon-based New Wave Rafting. The party trailed behind a small flotilla of at least a half-dozen rafts moving down the river. With the river benefiting from runoff generated by a strong snowmelt this year, Runyon predicted a good season for river tourism. “Everybody says it’s gonna be a huge year and I think they’re right,” he said. Below the surface, that runoff could serve an even greater benefit, Runyon said. The rushing water will clear away sediment that had collected on the river bottom during drier years. It will provide water to the flora and fauna along the banks, offering nourishment to insects and other land animals. The fish, in turn, will have more bugs to feast on and the wet conditions will help those fish spawn. That’s because the Rio Grande, long accustomed to dry spells, will, in essence, get to take a much-needed drink of water. Runyon, who has worked for New Wave Rafting since 1984 and has traveled the Rio Grande since 1968, keeps a daily journal of his observations about the river. He doesn’t think there is a “normal” anymore when it comes to the Rio Grande. “It’s like a lot of rivers,” he said. “It’s having trouble because of water, or a lack of it.” Wet winter! Britt Runyon
Rafters looking for big water, big year Posted On: May 5, 2019 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: Albuquerque Journal, Britt Runyon, New Wave Rafting Co, Racecourse rapids, Souse Hole, Taos Box Rafters looking for big water, big year For all you rafters out there, Excerpts from Albuquerque Journal, May 5, 2019. “And as Northern New Mexico’s rafting season gets underway, local outfitters say they are gearing up for what are expected to be “phenomenal” conditions … “ “We’re tickled pink,” said Steve Miller, co-owner of New Wave Rafting based in Embudo. “For us, water is everything …” Two rafts from New Wave Rafting Co. leave John Dunn Bridge and head through the Taos Box on Thursday. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Britt Runyon, top, the operations manager for New Wave Rafting Company, guides a raft through a rapid in the Taos Box stretch of the Rio Grande on Thursday. River flows are starting to build toward a peak expected in late May. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Read More…
Family Adventure with New Wave Rafting | Super Fun | Rio Grande River Posted On: June 15, 2018 By: admin Filed Under: Great guides, Testimonials Tagged In: Britt Runyon, Orlando “The absolute best! We took our family with 5 boys and had the BEST time. Orlando and Britt are so kind and super fun!” Read More…
“The most wonderful raft trip down the Rio Grande” Posted On: July 29, 2017 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Testimonials Tagged In: Bighorn sheep, Britt Runyon Guide Testimonial Britt Runyon, 7/29/17 “On Wednesday Susan and I took the most wonderful raft trip down the Rio Grande south of Taos. Our guide, for the second time, was our friend Britt Runyon, with New Wave Rafting. Britt has such a great love for this area, along with deep knowledge of the plants, animals and the river itself (and is such a great guy), that the trip was a total joy! We highly recommend him and the river itself.” Read More…
Out of the Raft at Sunset Rapid (Movie), Rio Grande Posted On: June 13, 2017 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: River trips Tagged In: Britt Runyon Out of the Raft at Sunset Rapid, Taos Box, Rio Grande, New Mexico Taos Junction Rapid (aka Sunset Rapid) ends the Taos Box run on the Rio Grande, in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It’s called Taos Junction Rapid because it’s just upstream of Taos Junction Bridge – this bridge having been named for the reason that it connected Taos and the Taos Junction station on the Chili Line, a narrow-gauge railway that once ran west of the gorge. Also, it’s located at the “junction” of a major tributary – Taos Creek – and the Rio Grande, Taos Creek being the source of the boulders that make the rapid. Read More…
Bighorn Sheep and Channel Fill Posted On: June 12, 2017 By: Steve Miller Filed Under: Nature Tagged In: Bighorn sheep, Britt Runyon, Rio Grande, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument Bighorn Sheep and a “channel fill” are seen in this arresting photo by Britt Runyon (below), taken in the Taos Box portion of the Rio Grande Gorge. “What’s a channel fill?”, you say? Bighorn sheep and channel fill OK, I’ll explain. But first, I need to discuss the geologic history of the Rio Grande Gorge. In this part of gorge, the Rio Grande is incised into a succession of lava flows, one sitting atop the other, like a layer cake – and I’ve counted as many as 7 different layers in that cake. Before these lava flows began, let’s suppose that the Rio Grande was running through a valley, as rivers do. The first lava flow into that valley dammed up the river, causing a lake to form behind the dam. When the lake rose to the height of the lava dam, its waters began to spill out and meander over the surface of the lava flow. Depending on the amount of time that elapsed between the over-topping of the lava dam and the arrival of the second flow, the Rio Grande would (with less time) have cut a channel into the flow, and (with more time) cut a gorge. This same process would have repeated with the arrival of each new lava flow. The Rio finally had the opportunity to cut down more fully through that stack of layers once the lava flows stopped coming. Read More…