Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Whitewater Rafting in California

What a surprise... the rain, the snow in late February has changed the entire landscape once again in California. Just a few weeks ago, we were planning on having a shorter spring rafting season. We just thought mother nature wasn't going to cooperate this year.

Now March is here and the storms are coming one right after another. I look up at the sky and see another round of dark clouds rolling in from the west...

white water rafting in california

North Fork American was at 10,000 cfs a couple of days ago. The flow, of course is far to big to go whitewater rafting on that stretch. The crew is on standby watching the rise of the rivers, waiting for the chance to jump on the rapids. A precious gem of crystalline waters rapidly descending from the mountains and into the river of dreams, is finally calling to me again.


forward paddle!

This is a river that challenges the seasoned paddler. Not fun in the sun, but fun under the gun! One right after another, the class 4+ rapids thrill and excite like no other extreme sport. Team building? This is the ultimate team building sport. No question... hands down, this river rafting trip is the best in Northern California.


california whitewater rafting

Friends of the River had a monumental victory this year regarding this precious resource. The North Fork American has staved off the water barons for now. The Auburn Dam has been shut down, at least for this round.


north fork american chamberlain falls


california rafting trips

Those of you who are mad about rivers and whitewater rafting should know: this is looking to be an incredible North Fork American season. We ask you to reserve now with the thought that this year, we need you to be experienced, aggressive paddlers on the Chamberlain Falls run


The Deal: call us now and receive the 2009 NoFo special; includes lunch, wetsuit, splash jacket, lifejacket, shuttle and our professional guide service. This year the price is all inclusive. We want reservations to be simple so pricing reflects that.

north fork american class 4+


kayaking north fork american river

There are three companies over there that we highly recommend:

WET River Trips (largest & longest use; most experienced)
American Whitewater (2nd largest use; experienced guides)
American River Recreation (regular use; experienced guides)

Note from WET River Trips: Russell Towle, champion of the North Fork American drainage system died a few months ago in a tragic auto accident.  A profound loss to the conservation community since there are so few with his passionate embrace of this river. There was a tribute for him in Dutch Flat, California. Here are some photos of Russell.

From the last post of his blog: "... brilliant and innovative mathematician, entranced by higher-dimensional forms. He was a computer animator. He was an extremely doting father who enjoyed every single moment of life with his kids. He was a lover of classical Latin literature and Shakespeare, of Tintin comics and Terry Pratchett novels. He was a historian and a writer; a geologist; a linguist; an artist; a builder; a musician with a special love of Brazilian music; a nature lover and photographer."

2 comments:

CrochetBlogger said...

Ooh this looks like so much fun. All that rain has been good for that state even if it's not too fun to go out in it!

W.E.T. River Trips - raftWET.com said...

ahhh the Europeans think it's awesome (they kinda think we whine about the weather too much lol!) and so do the paddling enthusiasts (class 4 and up). you sound like more fun in the sun! come out during the summer instead... but you will miss out on these awesome flows... thats why we wear gear... just like the ski slopes... otherwise, we'll see you in the heat of summer!!!