Have you ever been packrafting with a group of experience boaters and thought to yourself, "I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about"? Well, like any sport, river rats* are part of a subculture in the outdoor world, so we're here to help you out!

• American Canoe Association (ACA): you might here the acronym 'ACA' referenced if you take a course with us. This is the national nonprofit that that provides 'educational programs, supports stewardship initiatives that affect paddlers, and offering competition opportunities to athletes of all abilities'. Learn more here.
• Class fun: the unofficial classification of a stretch of river where you can paddle with more smiles and 'whoops' than worries. The official American Whitewater river classification will be relative to each paddler and usually dependent on skill level. Alittle similar to 'flow state'
• Gage (aka streamgage or river gage): this is the instrument that helps determine the river discharge at a e.g. USGS gaging station...and yes, gage is spelled correctly :)
• Line: a line is the route you intend to take through a rapid...now whether that actually pans out is another story!; "When we were scouting, Rachel mentioned taking the more conservative line. I think I'll follow her."
• Must-make moves: these are moves you need to make to ensure you remain safe and on the line you intend to take through a rapid. This often requires things like well-timed strokes. "There are a few must-make moves in this rapid."
• Read-and-run: this refers to a rapid that your group feels comfortable boat scouting without getting out onto land. "I've ran this rapid before - it's read-and-run. Let's just boat scout and run it."
• *River rat: someone who lives and breathes water sports, but most commonly rafting. "Sarah is a huge river rat - we never see her in the summer because she's always leaving work early on a Friday to go rafting."
• Scary poops: "We're always between swims". Oh ya? Well, I think we're always between scary poops! Ok, admittedly, I think I may have ultimately made this phrase up but one that we can all relate to -- scary poops are when you need to 'relieve' yourself out of adrenaline and...maybe a little fear too. "We will run this rapid last. Maggie got the scary poops again so...we'll be a few minutes behind you."
• Some rivers, especially permitted ones that experience high summer traffic (e.g. Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho), have very specific rules for relieving oneself outside, whether it be #1 or #2. Don't be silly. Respect the rivers you're on so we can all continue enjoying them for years to come!
• Scouting: scouting is the process of pulling onto shore above a rapid, walking up the bank and downstream, finding a vantage point, and talking with your paddling pals about what line you will be taking in a rapid. "Let's pull over and scout this rapid. I haven't run in in a while and I'd like to take another look."
• Show up and blow up: this was a phrase coined by the great Luc Mehl and was the title he used to for a series of whitewater packrafting videos he made.
• Surfing: this refers to entering a hydraulic like a hole with the intention of "playing" in it. In packrafting, this generally just means 'stalling' on the feature, or 'surfing' back and forth across it...all this to say, there's a line between surfing and GETTING surfed so if you're just starting out, develop basic river skills first. Some holes smile and some frown - learning the difference before diving into surfing is an important skill.