How to be a good River Angel

River Rats don’t need much of anything and are grateful for the few things River Angels are able to provide.  Sometimes people want to help but don’t know how—here are some commonly appreciated offerings :

• Fresh water or a cold beverage
• Coffee
• Warm meal
• Trash can/recycling bin access
• Electricity/wifi
• Opportunity to drive to a grocery store
• Shower
• Laundry (especially amazing if you can provide a robe so that all laundry can be done at once!)
• A bed for the night​

None of these are expected.  Anything you are able to provide is SUPER appreciated.  The smallest thing is enough!  Even if you offer and a river rat doesn’t take you up on your offer, know that your generosity is still accepted with gratitude, even without literal acceptance.  If you end up hosting a River Rat, remember that your river rat is exhausted because he/she has been paddling many hours a day for days, weeks, even months at a time.  When they are not paddling, they are setting up/taking down camp, and generally trying to keep the encroaching entropy that is nature from engulfing them (wind, mud, mosquitos, rain, etc).  They might seem lazy to you, but they are working HARD out there on the river, and the opportunity to take a breather is one we relish!  Please understand that if your River Rat goes to bed early, it’s not because they don’t want to talk with you—it’s because they are exhausted.  And GRATEFUL.  With that in mind…don’t offer to let us stay more than one night unless you mean it.  We’ll probably take you up on it ;)  Finally, you’re probably interested in the adventure your River Rat is undertaking, but meeting YOU is a big part of what makes his/her adventure interesting!  Don’t forget to share YOUR life, YOUR hobbies and YOUR town.