INDEPENDENCE FROM...CIVILIZATION

- Richard Weintraub is proud to be married to half the Tastybaby duo, Liane! He is the devoted dad of Ava (2 ½) and Cole (1 ½), and spends the rest of his time working in real estate in Los Angeles.

It all began with a guy in my office who grew up in Idaho and had spent many summers working on the river. He couldn’t stop talking about the Middle Fork River and how incredible and challenging it was to go river rafting.  As work pressures mounted, we couldn’t resist the idea of getting away with a few friends for a week of relaxation and natural beauty.

As the date of the trip got closer, I was excited but also nervous.  I was leaving my family, my home and my business to disconnect completely.  Anyone who knows me is aware that I don’t let go easily of these things.  Some may say I’m a control freak.  Say what you want, but the idea of being “in the middle of nowhere” with no way to contact home was pretty daunting.  I decided to bring a satellite phone, just in case.

We landed in Sun Valley and drove for an hour through beautiful wilderness.  We spent our first night at a hot springs, which was great.  Then, it was on to the river where the fun began. The first day, literally millions of white flies hatched and they were everywhere. I mean everywhere – in my mouth, in our boats, all over our food, etc.  I couldn’t stop thinking, “what have I gotten myself into?”

I was mercilessly teased about the satellite phone. Apparently, Bill Gates had spent the week before on the river and he didn’t seem to think he needed “back-up.”  Needless to say, I checked in with my wife and then the phone stayed in its case.  We had no TV, cell phone or iPod. Just the sound of the river, never ending. We fell into the rhythm of the river, and it was incredible. The days were awesome – the exercise is tremendous and all the hiking and river rafting works up a huge appetite. At night, the stars were indescribable and within a few days I felt was completely at peace being cut off from the rest of the world.

Every night we had to make our tents and every morning we had to break them down. Not easy for a first timer. It poured the first night but it didn’t matter as we had consumed our entire week’s worth of alcohol in the first 7 hours ... that led to us begging for cheap beer from a drunk bigot who espoused his views on women and every nationality every night. We all ignored what he had to say, but pretended to tolerate him in return for beer. 

Any food cooked on an outdoor fire tastes (and eaten after a day of non-stop exercise) great fantastic. Sleeping on the ground in a tent is not difficult because you are so tired and relaxed. It sounds like a cliché but the days literally disappear.  No watch, no newspaper and no worries.  It’s all good.  I got teased a lot because the river was cold and I didn’t want to get wet. I was like a cat jumping from boat to boat, trying (pretty successfully, I have to say) to keep dry.

Our showers were natural hot springs that felt great. My major concern (besides the lack of communication with the outside world) before I went to Idaho was what the bathroom set-up was going to be.  As you’ve probably guessed, I’m not an experienced camper, so this had me worried.  I knew that the people running the river are great environmentalists, and one of their goals (and ours) was to have no negative impact on the natural beauty of the river.  The plan was to leave no trace of ourselves behind.  Hmmmm.

And this is why I really doubt I will ever see my wife on the river. There is a pot called “The Groover” that is set up each day near the campsite. When you need to go, you put the oar up to signal that no one should come near. You sit on the communal pot and do your business. It’s seriously out in the open. When it is full, the guides (thank goodness this wasn’t part of our duties as campers!) seal up The Groover and put it back on the boat to be sent to a “poop Laundromat” to get it ready for the next trip.

The illustrious "Groover"

I often think about that trip and why something so simple gave me so much, and I realize that peace and quiet (no cell phones!) and being one with nature is the ultimate luxury. Doing something I never thought I would enjoy was a real pleasure. I was really proud of myself for getting through the challenging parts and, more importantly, enjoying each day. Would I go again?  Absolutely.  Maybe one day my wife and kids will come, too (better not tell her about The Groover!).

When I arrived home to our quiet town of Malibu, everything seemed noisy and I looked back with great memories of the river where time stands still.