Not many kids get to grow up going on annual river trips, but since age five, that’s exactly how Tyler Wendt spent his family vacations.
In 1969, his dad George Wendt founded OARS, and Tyler and his brother Clavey, literally grew up with their parents’ fledgling rafting company. Fifty years later, the humble, family-owned and operated rafting outfit that George and his wife Pam grew into one of the most respected adventure travel outfitters in the world, is still in the hands of family with Tyler and Clavey at the helm.
With a family of his own now, and hopes of creating the same kind of memories for his kids that his parents made for him, Tyler is continuing the tradition of annual family rafting trips. Head downstream with him and his wife Rachel as they take their kids on their first multi-day rafting trip on California’s Wild & Scenic Klamath River. It’s carefree, unplugged family time on a wild river. Or as Tyler expresses, it’s why we do what we do. Because even as the next generation of OARS looks ahead, the company still reverberates with George and Pam’s original vision – that bringing people, especially kids, to see our most awe-inspiring landscapes and pristine waters is the surest path to their protection for the enjoyment of future generations.
