WHO: Nate Pascal, @natergator90, @RaftTiger
WHERE: Asheville, North Carolina
WHAT: Whitewater Raft Guide, Custom Van Builder
Meet Nate, a raft guiding, van building badass. He’s one of my best friends, and it was a ton of fun catching up with him to write this story. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like raft guiding, read on and hear Nate’s story.
(Don’t worry: adventure tours are safe)
How did you get into guiding?
Nate: I wasn’t feeling fulfilled with my job, didn’t like being inside, and I didn’t feel like I was doing something productive with my time. So I quit my job on Friday, ran a marathon on Sunday, and started raft guide training on Monday.
Training was probably the hardest three weeks I’ve ever done. It was 12 hours of training every day, 6 days a week. We’d blast the river first thing in the morning, practicing getting the boat in and out, reading the water. The water was 40 degrees or colder because it was April in Denver. But it was a great decision. Best job I’ve ever had. You get to be on the water with the guests and be your own boss. You’re just having fun enjoying life. The river is the coolest adventure of someone’s vacation, and I get to see it 3 times a day.
Tell me about a typical day with Nate. Somebody gets in your boat, what can they expect?
Nate: I start with a serious tone talking about safety and paddling. My first thing is to have an efficient boat going down the river. I also like to learn everyone’s name, get to know them, ask them about their lives, see what kind of things they want to do on the river. I want to see if they want to try something new or stay conservative, so I can make it about their adventure.
M: What river were you on?
Nate: I was on The Clear Creek in Idaho Springs. I did that for three summers and took two summers off, and now I’ve been on the Pigeon River for a few years, near Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Why should I take a trip with you?
Nate: Because rafting is a super fun, relaxing way to get out in nature, have a few beers on the river, hang out with cool people, and just sit in the boat together all day and chat about life. Every once in a while there’s a rapid we have to pay attention to so we don’t drown, and then after that we have a few more beers together and shoot the shit together. I mean I could do that right now.
What would you tell somebody wanting to get into raft guiding?
Nate: Don’t go to college.
No. Lets see. You’ve got to be ready for raft guiding, you’ve got to be ready for training, and you’ve got to be ready to get thrown into it. My training was three weeks long, super intense, and then everything was just uphill after that. It just keeps getting better and better. But you’ve got to put the commitment upfront and you’ve gotta be able to stop whatever else you’re doing. It’s hard to have a full time job and do it, they expect you to be thrown into it.
Oh and also, quit your job, move out of your house, and move into a van.
So tell me, what’s next with you right now?
Nate: I’m just gunna raft for fun. I’m not gunna work for anyone this summer. I build custom camper vans now with my company Raft Tiger Vans and I’m all in on that. I just moved into a shop near the airport and am building full time. Raft Tiger is about all I have on the radar for the next year. I’m putting everything I have into it right now.
