CT Camping TeamAquatics Division
DGUTS '26 · Second Annual Deschutes River Run

Don't Give Up
The Ship II

"The rapids called. We answered. Again."

August 12–16, 2026 Maupin, Oregon Oak Springs Camp
Get on the roster → BLM boater passes sell out August weekends — Jeff buys on headcount.
DGUTS
'26
Don't Give Up The Ship · Season II
The flag. Hung somewhere along the bank since Mark's day. Find it, you've found camp.
0
Crew lost, Season I
8.3
Miles, put-in to camp
24
Feet dropped per mile
1
Crawdad eaten on site
01

Where The Name Comes From

Before it was ours it was Mark's. Nigel's dad ran this trip when Nigel was a kid — no group text, no RSVP link, no headcount spreadsheet. He handwrote letters to his friends, hung a flag where the river could find it, and hoped enough of them showed up.

The flag said Don't Give Up The Ship — Perry's battle flag off Lake Erie, 1813, which is a lot of sentiment for a stretch of Oregon basalt and that is exactly the point. We kept the flag, the name, and the hoping. The letters are now a Google Form. Sorry, Mark.

The Don't Give Up The Ship flag flying at camp
Letters → flag → hope for the best. Still the whole operating system.
Season I, Oak Springs — flag up on the bank, next generation already unbothered by it.
02

The River Briefing

Last August we launched, we paddled, we lost exactly zero crew members, and the books balanced. That's a successful voyage — anything you can float away from counts. So we're doing it again: camping at Oak Springs, rafting the Deschutes from Wapinitia Rapids down to camp, and eating like people who did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

We're not saying last year went swimmingly… but only because most of us stayed in the boat. Those who didn't are now part of the trip's oar-al history. Splash bragging rights are forever.

03

The Slate

Five days · two full runs
Wed
12
Aug
Advance team arrives to squat on the best campsites
Squatting: our founding skill, in every sense.
Oak Springs
Thu
13
Aug
Fly fishing, floating, aggressive chair naps
With the region's most decorated master baiters.
Maupin area
Fri
14
Aug
Full-day run · Wapinitia to Oak Springs
A real oar-deal.
Deschutes River
Sat
15
Aug
Full-day run, round two
Back in the saddle rapids.
Deschutes River
Sun
16
Aug
Break camp, destroy the evidence, depart
Deny everything.
Oak Springs

Schedule subject to current events. (River joke. The current. You get it. You groaned. Good.)

04

Scouting Report

Wapinitia → Oak Springs Camp
MileRapidClass
0.8WapinitiaRight out of the gate — wake up, paddle.III
2.0BoxcarLedge drop, big hole on the left. Don't meet the hole.III
7.9Surf CityWave surfing, maximum giggles.II+
8.3Oak SpringsLava island — the right hole eats rafts. Camp's right here; take out at the tents.III

Camp sits right at Oak Springs, so the run ends at the tents. Nobody floats past camp toward Sandy Beach — Sherars Falls below it is Class VI and not a suggestion.

05

Season I Highlights

Featured attraction, returning by popular demand: the crawdad hunt. Last year our littlest platinum-blonde deckhand out-fished the adults and ate her catch on the spot. It was a "Craw Daddy Delight." The crawdads have been notified we are coming back.

Crew on the raft
Crew morale: dangerously high
The littlest deckhand
Standing watch. Unimpressed by the rapids.
The Craw Daddy Delight
Caught it. Boiled it. Ate it. No remorse.
Camp kitchen under the canopy
Morning routine, camp kitchen edition
Steak and a baked potato
Dinner. On a paper plate. On a river. Undefeated.
Kids on the van roof
The lookout crew. Nothing was looked out for.
Camp at night
Fine dining, feat. the diesel heater
Carrying the boat to the water
The Deschutes U-Boat, portaged by committee
Boat ramp, pre-launch
Vested, arms crossed, ready before anyone else
06

Equipment Check

Tent, bags, pads, chairs, cooler — the usual convoy
River shoes (no flip-flops, we've discussed this, Kevin)
Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses with a strap you'll actually use
Layers: 90s by day, 40s by night, wind that files formal complaints
Life vests provided by the outfitter; personal ones welcome
A butt cushion — your cheeks will thank you by mile two
Baby wipes. Ask no questions. Pack the wipes.
Extra underwear. See: rapids, cold water, beans.
Paddles up

Get your name
on the list

RSVP by August 7. Plus-ones welcome — plus one through plus one hundred. Point positive, paddle hard. Mark would have mailed you a letter; you get a link.

RSVP now → See the costs