WHITEWATER RAFTING ~ March 2013

March 1, 2013 is today. All day. Another year of rafting on our glorious rivers! Whitewater begins again this month with W.E.T. River Trips in California.

Call or reserve online as dates are flying out of here quickly. Email or verbal quotes are available by emailing us at wet (at) raftwet (dot) com or calling us at 1.888.723.8938. (Remember to clean up that email address! Use @ and . where appropriate!

Here is a brief schedule of 1-day, 2-day, multiple-day events this year for American River and other rivers in California.
All trips can add camping + extra meals to extend your packages; just ask!

W.E.T. River Trips are Available Daily!

March 2013 : start date 3/16th/sat
South Fork American Chili Bar Express
South Fork American Chili Bar run
2-day South Fork American
North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run (call for special rate 1.888.723.8938)
2-day American River Combo

April 2013
South Fork American Chili Bar Express
South Fork American Chili Bar run
South Fork American Full River run
Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run
North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run
2-day, 3-day Trips

May 2013
South Fork American Chili Bar Express
South Fork American Chili Bar run
South Fork American Gorge run
South Fork American Full River run
Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run
North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run
American River Combo packages
Cal Salmon
Scott
Group Trips
2-day, 3-day Trips

June 2013
South Fork American Chili Bar Express
South Fork American Chili Bar run
South Fork American Gorge run
South Fork American Full River run
Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run
North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run
American River Combo packages
Multiple day trips
Klamath River (after 6/15th)
2-day, 3-day, multiple-day Trips

July 2013
All South Fork American packages except Full River
All Middle Fork American packages
American River Combo
Klamath River multiple day trips
Youth Groups
Group Trips
Klamath River
2-day, 3-day, multiple-day Trips

August 2013
All South Fork American packages except Full River
All Middle Fork American packages
American River Combo
Klamath River multiple day trips
Youth Groups
Group Trips
Klamath River
2-day, 3-day, multiple-day Trips

September 2013
South Fork American Chili Bar Express
South Fork American Chili Bar run
South Fork American Gorge run
Middle Fork American Tunnel Chute run
Group Trips
Fishing Trips
2-day Trips

We can design your group rafting trip for you or you can choose your own package. Just let us know in a timely fashion so we can get you confirmed for your whitewater trip!

W.E.T. River Trips
RAFTWET.com
raftwet-store.com
1.888.723.8938

WET River Trips on Northern California Whitewater!

Rafting continues into day 2 of Northern California whitewater with WET River Trips! The boys had a great first day, if you recall (if you didn't read the first post, click here to read "Spring Rafting with WET River Trips in Northern California". First fun trips of the rafting season are always filled with ahem... stories of the antics of the whitewater guides. They get out there before the commercial scene starts up so that they are ready for you, our paddling guests!

DAY 2

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

After finishing breakfast and pumping up the raft, the WET guides hit the South Smith through the most difficult section of the three Forks of the Smith and the first legit Class 5 rapid of the trip: Grandma’s Pantry rapid. At over 3,500 cfs the rapid was a classic class 5 rapid. The crew came through without incident, and we took out and headed to the nearest Laundromat in Crescent City. Wolf had another idea, "...let’s take the back-route through Stout Grove." (part of the Jedediah Smith Park ) Note from WET River Trips editor: uhhh, haven't you guys learned that the Wolf way is the extreme way?

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

The drive through the park was incredible with some of the biggest redwoods in the world right along the single track road that actually did lead directly to Crescent City. I guess this is why we still trust Wolf way... a little. Note from WET River Trips editor: ok, ok... this time the Wolf path was the best... conceding with a bit of hesitation...

The Laundromat in Crescent City was assaulted by six of us with armloads of soaking wet gear that soon became dry, and we were off to the Cal Salmon for Day 3. On the drive we detoured through two more Redwood Groves, and Jon was able to marvel at the Trees of Mystery and he was also able to enjoy the view of Babe the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan…life-size of course.

From 2010-02-16

From 2010-02-16

When we hit the town of Orrick, we detoured over Bald Mtn Road that parallels the drainage of Redwood Creek and shortens the drive to the Salmon by coming directly into the Klamath River drainage and the Yurok Reservation and Hwy 96 outside of Orleans, CA. After a quick stop at Somes Bar and a look at Ishi Pishi Falls , we made it up the Salmon River Highway to Nordheimer on the Cal Salmon by 5 pm and tarped-up for rain as I made dinner.

From 2010-02-16

From 2010-02-16

Dinner was huge and we were able to feed Matt P. as he rolled in from his trip on the Smith river (he was with Paul G... remember that rascal from part 1 of this story?). Soon after dinner, Matt pulled out the Casio 420 keyboard, Justin unpacked his conga drum, Alex H. dried out his guitar, Wolf found his rhythm rocks, and Jon found a curiously empty beer bottle to blow a tune. Club Nordheimer was in full-effect with the drum being passed from Justin to Jon and the guitar from Alex H. to Wolf. We were treated to no less than 3 original tunes and a mix of covers. No rain, music, a few beers, and only two other folks in the entire area… nice.

From 2010-02-16

Day 3

The WET guides added Matt P. in his kayak, and we pumped up the second raft. Heffe and Jon R-2’d, and Wolf, Alex H., and Justin took the other raft. The Nordheimer run was awesome with a flow of about 1,000 cfs at put-in and about 1,500 at the Butler Creek takeout. No swimmers and no incidents…smooth and very clean runs.

From Spring 2010 Whitewater Opening Weekend

From 2010-02-16

We packed up said goodbye to Matt P., and we headed out of the Trinity drainage and back to I-5. We were back in Lotus at 9:30 pm. Ahhh, safe, happy, and dry.

1,100 miles of driving in 2 states, 45 miles on four rivers, no problems and an amazing start to the 2010 whitewater season!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Thanks to Big Poppah for his written series on Northern California rafting and his awesome whitewater photos!

Notes from WET editor: Northern California rafting trips are laced with incomparable beauty, lushness in foliage and flowers, and incredible awesome rapids on pristine rivers. Join our professional guides this year in 2010 and celebrate your special event or gathering on an upcoming whitewater season. WET River Trips is a professional whitewater rafting company since 1978 and pioneered trips on many rivers and creeks in California. WET rawks!

Join our fan pages in Facebook!

American River http://facebook.com/Americanriver

WET River Trips http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

For more information on WET River Trips, please see our website at RAFTWET.com.

The Perfect Storm

Ok ...check this: 13 feet of snow in 13 days and the storms stop two days before Christmas Day. The next 10 days are forecast to be clear and mild....Perfect timing. Perfect storm(s). Perfect...Just perfect. The 2009 whitewater rafting season looks to be solid!

Last year at this time, the snow pack was 56% of normal. The snowpack that feeds the North Fork American, Middle Fork American, and South Fork American Rivers is now at over 86%...30% more water than last year and last year was pretty awesome!

The news from the Northern rivers is even better with over 100% of snowfall on the Siskiyou and Lower Cascades Mountain Ranges that feed the Klamath, and California Salmon Rivers. Again...perfect!

Keep on eye on the snow packs @ Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl..for a few really good reasons: to plan you next few months of Boarding and skiing and to Book those early group rafting trips on the North and South Fork American Rivers. Also, the Middle Fork kicks in when the run-off starts to subside. The California trips fire up in March and then it is simply....ON!

Perfect Storm?...Bring it!

WET RAFTING RESOURCES

We are solidly into the crisp coolness of Fall, and 2008 whitewater rafting in California is officially over... and it has been a glorious season indeed….

We started out in March after getting tuned up on two forks of the Smith River, the North Fork American River, and the Cal Salmon in February and early March. The class 4+ North Fork American provided a more-than-adequate season that stretched into late May. The moderate early Middle Fork American flows allowed us to run all three forks of the American River system simultaneously and that just doesn't happen that often. We had over 10 days of three-fork action! W.E.T. River Trips dominated all commercial rafting entries in the North Fork race. We quickly provided a world record on three forks, one day runs of all: North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork the following week. Later on in the summer, W.E.T. River Trips also won the Outfitter's Cup race on the South Fork American during the annual American River Festival.

Aside from that amazing start and those accomplishments, our guides (new and old) stepped up with advanced paddling rivers on North Fork Giants Gap, Dream Gap, Feather, Tuolumne's Cherry Creek, South Fork Silver Fork, Upper Cherry, and Burnt Ranch Gorge. The kayakers in the crew went off with upper Kings, Silver Fork, Kyburz, upper San Joaquin, and some super secret creekin' runs. The crew is headed to the Rogue for a five day wilderness trip as I write this…They just keep goin'. Awesome Crew of white water rafting guides!!!!!!

Those of you starting your planning for your event and rafting trips, here is a handy list of great white water rafting resources. One of our favorites is raftinfo, a directory of rafting companies. American river trips are featured by regions that include California, South West canyonlands, South East, North East, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Alaska all rafting in USA, and Central and South America and lastly, Canada. There are also listings for favorite international whitewater rivers. "Choose a Rafting Outfitter" link will open up the list.

Another great resource for the Western United States (USA) is the California Whitewater Rafting site. This site lists rivers in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. There are also featured international trips such as the popular Futaleufu in Chile in South America. Another great American river trip! Lists of rafting outfitters linked directly to their website will help you navigate quickly to the rafting company.

The non-profit organization American Whitewater also provides several resources for the paddling community. White water resources can be found throughout their site with river information, a library and community forum.

And for those of you planning special events such as weddings, bachelor party, corporate team building, education outdoors, or just the family trip will find several places on the net that will provide you with how to plan your group trip, and who to call for your event or party.

The 2009 white water rafting begins NOW…We are getting ready to provide some new options, new gear, and improvements to our camp at Camp Lotus. Call us for your group rafting trips and freeze 2008 prices (deadline for this incentive November 15th) before any price increases for 2009. Over the next few months we will stay busy with preparations, and we'll be deeply involved with events and planning!

2009 looks amazing….

Now repeat after me (scream it!):

Rain! Snow! Snow! Snow! …and melt it easy!

Snowboarding and adventure motorcycle rides are ready to be done (oh yeh…Wolf will be creekin' in December and January somewhere off of the Foresthill Divide!).

Stay tuned!

Rain! Snow! Snow! Snow! …and melt it easy!

Klamath River and Salmon

I've been watching and reading the missives from Friends of the River in California about the bus company up in Oregon that refused to run an ad for the Klamath Salmon. Yeh, the fish. The bus company refused to post the ad on the bus. Why? Because of the political nature of the ad; not because it was pornographic or violent or subject to any strange interpretations. The ad simply says, "Salmon shouldn't run up your electric bill... They should run up the Klamath River."

Whoa... that's quite risque, isn't it? The picture shows three salmon fish swimming towards a barrier of electrical outlets. The bottom of the ad has a website address for the Salmon for Savings program. WOW. This ad could definitely offend... maybe a politician.

So Friends of the River sued their ass and the ACLU and the Karuk Tribe are happier than heck that Judge Henry Breithaupt wrote in his opinion that Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon "TriMet" has violated both the Oregon Constitution and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Judge Breithaupt stated that the "decision was made on the basis of the nature of this message rather than any risks or limitations expressed in its standards."

An appeal is expected. The Portland area residents that are getting their electricity from the Klamath dams deserve to know that dam removal can save them money on their utility bills. FOR's Hydropower Policy Advocate Kelly Catlett said today, "“We are pleased that the judge upheld the rights of Pacific Power’s customers to hear that dam removal can save them a significant amount of money.”

Friends of the River has been working to remove obsolete dams on the Klamath River. In my opinion, the lawsuit they brought is a significant one. At least the Klamath community will now have the right to decide for themselves. And those who mute or censor the information will now think twice.

Thanks to Friends of the River for this information! ...and F.O.R.... give 'em hell!

North Fork American : Poppies, Daffodils and Lupin

Today was sunny and 75 degrees and so was yesterday. 

Easter is coming in two weeks and my daffodils are in mid-bloom cycle. Yes, I plant daffodils... lot's of them. Is that a problem? Ok, then... 

Some bloom in early February and the latest bloom thoughout March. So... yea... I plant daffodils. I don't plant anything 

else. Why? Bulbs, like daffodils are low-maintenance. They transform a bleak winter garden and they come back year after year. I don't have time during the late spring and summer to fiddle with freakin' pansies (of all iterations). 

I also like daffodils because they are a vivid reminder that the River season is ON! There are other reminders in the surrounding flora as well: Western Redbud (in full magenta bloom), Flowering Dogwood, emerging

California Golden Poppies, and purple Lupin. 

California in the Spring is unbelievably beautiful and a unique contrast to the awesome golden hills of Summer. 

While rafting down the North Fork American in late March and throughout April, even the most jaded river guide and client is blown away when they look beyond the river. Look to the sides of the canyon (look upstream on river left just above Staircase) and you'll see an intense blanket of neon orange from a huge tightly packed field of Poppies.  Along the trails and roads on the ride out on the 

Upper Clementine or the Ponderosa take-out road, check out the intense purple Lupin that stand 3 feet high. 

Just take a look while you're ripping through the Class 5, Class 4 and Class 3 rapids on the South Fork American, Middle Fork American, North Fork American and California Salmon. In the words of PBS's Huell Howzer....It's Amazing! (He says: UH-MAY-ZING!

One last cool thing about Daffodils....you have to "Dead-Head" them by rigorously ripping off the stalks of each fading bloom... (Sorry Wolf...the Greatful Dead is still still banned from all W.E.T. River Trip vehicles as well as the Warehouse while I'm in da House!)

Posted by Big Poppa:: gee whiz... no Dead at the warehouse or shuttle vehicles??? Our friend Jackie will be disappointed, dude! Maybe we can sneak it onto the company iPods... hehehe...

California Salmon in February?

UPDATE about a recent W.E.T. River Trips Rafting Adventure
Country Mike wrote:

I hope all went well and everyone came home fine. As long as you did not have Mogely (spelling) splitting his thumb into pieces I am sure life was good! Is Sollie still ambiguously hetero? When we hitting the NoFo!!!!???? WHITEWATER!

Country Mike
Here's Sollie's first webcam from the helmet... I got dizzy watching it!




DAY 1: Sollie arrives at Sacramento International Airport at 1:00 PM
Meets Heffe at warehouse to load after picking up the W.E.T. rafting truck
Bird goes Frisbee golfing with Wolf (freshly back from Ecuador)
I ride my motorcycle home from Oakland to beat the traffic
I lane-split the entire ride and arrive at Save-Mart at 5:15 PM to meet Sollie for a food buy
Final pack and load
We then meet up with Bird, Wolf, and Heffe at my house
Waited until 7pm for Justin and his Bro stuck in traffic coming from UC Berkeley
Little Alex was stuck in the same traffic so Justin stayed back to wait for Little Alex
(He was carrying Bird and his Bro Brian as well)
We agreed to meet at Petro on I-5
Petro became an opportunity for Heffe to drink a 32 oz Miller High Life
We had ample opportunities to shop the wares at Petro...

Sollie bought a fluorescent orange fleece "Elmer Fudd" hat. Justin showed up at 9 pm and he off-loaded Bird to my truck after Bird power-smoked at least four cigarettes and bought his body weight in candy. We rolled out of Petro with Sollie, Heffe, Wolf, and Bird in the Dodge and Justin, Brian, and Little Alex following in the shiny, Black Toyota (important detail for later). We drove Hwy 299 to Hwy 101 (with an obligatory stop in Willow Creek and the tempting prospect of buying the only piece of Chester-Fried chicken: a cold wing). We arrived at Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park at 3:30 AM... stoked.

Day 2: I roused the camp up with some coffee
(hot water for Heffe & Sollie...Metro-tea boyz)
We head to the Oregon Hole Run

After the boys did the run twice with multiple swimmers and a near flip at the Hole, the consensus dictated a quick run on the South Fork and a chance to run class 4+ "Grandma's Pantry." All went well and smooth except for Big Poppa getting in the grill of a local "Game Warden" who thought it prudent to educate our guides on commercial operations and permits. He left by telling me to "talk to the tire" under his breath. He refused to clarify his comments as he loaded into his navy blue Silverado. (nice, Big Poppa... bite the hand that feeds us...)

That night we had a fat-feast and Little Alex and Wolf played guitars while Justin and Brian drummed along. Heffe was sick; however, he made a run at the Early Times until Bird thought he was at a Rave with Disco Eric and he dropped a glow stick into the bottle. Before shutting down, we all agreed to get up early and make a run to Nordheimer to put down a river run before dark through class 5 Freight Train.

Sun: Out of camp by 8:45 AM without a problem
Headed south to Orick
Took a Wolf-inspired Short cut to the Klamath River via Bald Mountain Road (why oh, why does anyone follow Wolf on these short cuts?)

This is an incredible road. Views of everything and everywhere unfolded of huge redwoods, amazing meadows, and the bonus of an un-tracked snowfield on the summit that Sollie made a first D on in Heffe's kayak with a last ditch bail-out 10 yards from the tree line at 30mph. Well done. We continued on a single track dirt road lined by snow fences getting both trucks filthy...that's why I go with White (remember the shiny new black truck). We hit a detour about five miles from the end of the line (we knew it was a possibility) and we took a detour through Hoopa and back out to the Klamath.

The boys put in at Nordheimer at 2:30 and made a run to "Freight Train." At "Whirling Dervish" the newbie-rookies opted out and Sollie, Justin, Little Alex, and Wolf took on new "Freight Train" and nailed it. Camp was awesome with a great fire and a tepid scuffed bottle of Early Times floating a dark-stick.

Monday: Woke up to find everything covered in ice
About 20 degrees Farenheit
Butler run on Cal Salmon with a put-in at 35 degrees

Everyone nailed it and we were on the road by 11:45 AM. We delivered Sollie to the Sacramento International Airport at 5:15 PM in time for his flight back to Newport Beach.

About 950 miles, 3 days, five different river runs, sunny skies, and a quarter full plastic, half-gallon bottle of Early times for the warehouse refrigerator. A great Winter rafting trip that will be hard to match or beat. We'll try.

Trains hittin' Berkeley... next stop Emeryville... see ya. North Fork American in 2 weeks puppies!

SHINY NEW BLACK TRUCK UPDATE: When we made a quick stop in Orleans for gas on the way to the California Salmon... Sollie, writes into the muddy side of Justin's truck. "I wish my girlfriend was as dirty as this truck!" in 6" letters not knowing (because Sollie rarely is in-touch with the pragmatic, real property aspects of life and the respect for possessions that was ruined by his upbringing in a hippie commune) that his letters would be etched into Justin's formerly shiny new black paint... uhmmm ... Justin was stoked, yet calm.

I'm fairly sure that Justin washed his truck Monday night.

Posted by Big Poppa w/ whitewater photos, rafting video and side notes by crew of W.E.T. River Trips

America Outdoors Confluence 2007

Last Wednesday, I took the drive over the then snow-barren Sierra to Reno to attend the annual International conference (Confluence '07) for America Outdoors. The Confluence is an annual 3-day conference that invites over 400 outfitters and whitewater equipment vendors from the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Thailand, Korea, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador. The "Confluence" provides a venue for industry in-service opportunities, marketing, sales, operations, government/regulatory changes, equipment innovation, and networking.

To stay current in marketing, I attended a session on Internet Marketing Tips. The session was interesting, validating, and featured (surprise) the W.E.T. River Trips California Whitewater Rafting Blog site! We were the premier example of Blog use! We've been blogging for years as a way to stay in touch, to vent, and refresh our information. It was way cool to see our website blown up to a 20' projection screen in front of an audience comprised of over 400 of our industry peers. I think we'll keep blogging!

The most controversial topic of the conference dealt with the Forest Service's proposal to completely change the Nation-wide permitting system. (W.E.T. River Trips operates on the California Salmon, Scott, and Klamath River under USDA/Forest Service permits). The Forest Service is the largest regulatory system in the United States for the whitewater rafting industry and sweeping changes to the system are a truly hot topic. When all was said and done, our industry has adopted a policy of: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" The system truly isn't "broken" and problems in the system seem to be limited to very small regions of the Forest Service's over-view (ergo: the Six Rivers National Forest where we operate is just fine, Thank You!). The discussion isn't over and the debate will continue with very strong opinions coming from outfitters in Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and beyond.

The highlight of the Confluence is always the Banquet/Party/Auction that was held Thursday night. Thanks to Zach and Steve, the party was complete with a "mineshaft theme"... think headlamps, helmets, and glow-sticks...?! The food was great, the auction brought in some serious cash, and the beer wasn't bad (at least, I was told so...I had to drive).

After 30 years in the business, I've run into an amazing collection of folks. It was awesome to re-connect with so many of them: Donna, Marty, Roger, Nate, Bill M, Dick, Scott, Dr. Bert, Jason from Hyside, George from Maravia, Bill McG, Lorraine, Zach, and my first employers in the industry John and Sharon. There were many others old and new... One of the truly great things about our industry are the people involved in it. Although we compete for clients, jockey for user days and permits, and generally mess with each other... we all know that if we ever need help or advice, there will always be a welcome hand extended and a sympathetic ear from someone in our industry of whitewater outfitters.

After the party, we drove back over the Sierra with chain controls on Interstate 80 from Truckee to Alta! The entire Sierra was completely blanketed with fresh snow and some results collected over 18 inches of snow and the valley received over two inches of rain. The whitewater season starts in less than four months (although we all know that W.E.T. guides will be out there in just weeks... Smith River in February? South on New Year's day?). Bring it! In the meantime, let's snowboard, ski, ice climb, mountain bike, and ride motorcycles! ...Happy ChrismaKahAnza!

Posted by Big Poppa!

Note from the young blogging staff: Thanks Big Poppa 4 not yelling at us for missing the 8:30am meeting on Thurs morning; we partied too hard on Wed night!

Rafting: Old Farts

Since the spring of 1977, I have been a whitewater rafting professional (guide, outfitter, shuttle-driver, food-buyer, shuttle-vehicle mechanic, equipment manager, and camp chef... and most of the time, the tasks have been assigned simultaneously). The past few years have seen me rarely on the river; but, this year has been different.

A first personal descent (river, snow slope, mountain bike trail, ocean wave, skate ramp, or twisty mountain road) is always a notch up on the fun meter. The added bonus of a first-personal descent is the heightened awareness of your surroundings: colors, vegetation, rock formations, and those amazing whitewater rapids!

This rafting season started early with a first personal descent of the Smith River with clear sunny weather in February. The Smith is a crystal clear stream running through the redwoods along the California Oregon border and is a sister river to the Klamath, Salmon, and Trinity. I've run over 17 rivers in California and the Smith is on the top of the heap and not for whitewater... the rapids were great; however, the water, the rocks, and the surrounding old-growth redwoods made the trip (also Vladimir's, another old fart, mid-night escapades!).

After a wild early season filled with a full menu of South Fork, Middle Fork, and North Fork American River trips and the ensuing milieu of shuttles, food-buys, trip logistics, and guides in need of parenting, I was able to run off to Idaho and work as a guide on a 6-day trip followed by an amazing 800-mile motorcycle ride back to Sacramento, California on a KLR 650 with fresh knobbies... huge fun at 80 mph across Nevada!

The season continued on with a hectic Middle Fork American and South Fork American River season that ended the first week of October. But, the season didn't end until Country Mike rallied us up for a first personal (for all of us) first-descent on Silver Creek that helps to form the headwaters of the South Fork American.

The trip was a constant surprise of sights and rapids at every bend and through every log-jam portage. It didn't matter that I was approaching retirement age and 30 pounds heavier than I was in '77.

I shared the day with 10 of W.E.T. River Trips guides that ranged in age from 20 to 42 years old (not counting myself). We ran the same rapids, we saw the same sights, we were all cold. At the end of the day, we all smiled and no one had regrets. We all knew the same things: It was a great day.

Let it snow! I'll be back for more.

Note from W.E.T. River Trips: Posted by an Old Fart! Just kidding... Big Poppa rocks! The ol' man hit the whitewater with us... he did good! Hehehehehe...

Horseshoes, Class 5 and Runaway Trailers...

Somehow our spring training is guided by a singular concept: run the Cal Salmon. The concept is then guided by a simplistic goal: don't waste an opportunity to be on the river....

With those over-arching concepts in place it all began Saturday at Camp Lotus two thirds of a way through a 3-day American River Combo trip and at the front end of a Middle Fork one day and a South Fork Full River trip. Our Guide School overlapped all of this and we finalized plans to drive to the Salmon with the expectation that we would arrive at Nordheimer (the Cal Salmon put-in) at no earlier than 1 am. Saul rolled up in style after flying up from Newport Beach and getting a limo ('85 Volvo Wagon) ride to Lotus by our teen correspondent Liz.

Heffe, Wolf, Greg, Country Mike, Andrew, and Mogli joined Saul to watch over our newbies: Cool J, Bootay, Dax, and Marie. (it should be noted that Andrew decided to join the Salmon trip 45 minutes before we left... well done Andrew!). We planned to leave as early as possible after the day's trips came in.

Saturday went well. The South Fork American came through for us with great flows of over 2,000 CFS and we were the only rafting trip on the Middle Fork (that will be another story...). After smiles, hugs, and high fives we finally got the van, trailer, and the Kawasaki KLR 650 (our shuttle vehicle) loaded at 6pm and started off on the seven hour north up I-5, west on Hwy 299, and east on Hwy 96 to the Salmon River Hwy. And finally... up the Salmon River to Nordheimer just down river from the Forks of Salmon. It was 2:22 am when we unloaded and set up our under a full moon in a deserted campground.

Sunday morning, I got up and made breakfast. Soon, the smell of coffee, a campfire and breakfast burritos brought everyone out of the tents and in the case of Cool J, Bootay, and Heffe.... their bags (they had simply rolled out of the van and slept on the ground). We rallied, became coherent, and started what would become a 2-day horseshoe tournament.
It was illuminated... by Andrew... that he had been undefeated throughout a 21-day trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon last fall. Long story: Andrew lost while playing doubles and Saul and I won the tournament. Saul eventually won individual title and Mogli became most-improved...

Then we scouted the river to find that Freight Train had changed with a large slab of rock choking up the normal run to the right side of the main hole... all of us agreed to play it safe on the first day and run the lower section twice by putting in at Butler Ledge (Class IV) and run to Brannan Bar. We would still have two class V drops and several class IV rapids as well... plus we would make the run twice. Both runs went well with the exception of Heffe dropping into Double Hole and putting together a full crew swim and a five minute surf. (Wolf was the last paddler to eject... he got tired of surfing and just bailed out). After the second take-out, we headed to the store at Somes Bar where additional liquid supplies and ice cream bars were purchased. I left the crew and headed back to camp on the KLR.

When I rolled into camp the kitchen area was littered with plastic wrappers and hunks of cardboard. The wild horses that live at Nordheimer had eaten our dry goods: pasta, bread, oatmeal, etc. (after staying at Nordheimer for 26 years, we had never been attacked by the horses, they must have been very hungry). So... back on the KLR and a speed run back to Some's Bar. We were re-supplied and we were inevitably well-fed after contributing a little bit more to the local economy.

More horseshoes and with a full moon: more horseshoes.

At some point, as our wood supply was running low, Mogli attempted to slit wood with a rock and nearly severed his finger... no worries: some neosporin, gauze, and duct tape and Mogli went on to more horseshoes.

The next day we took a quick run down the Nordheimer section with clean runs at Bloomers, Airplane, Cascade, Achilles, and Whirling Dervish. We bailed on Freight Train and loaded up for the return trip... Saul had a 9:30 flight from Sacramento to Orange County. We were in great shape as we rolled out at 2pm after a lunch at Butler Ledge.

The ride from the Salmon to Weaverville is incredible at this time of the year; everything is bright green, the redbud is screaming magenta, and the rivers, creeks, and streams are running clear and strong. As we drove through the Six Rivers National Forest, we saw Salmon, Klamath, Trinity, and the New River.

About 35 miles from Weaverville, things got interesting and Country Mike blurted out one word: "Trailer!" I look in the rear view mirrors and saw our trailer flying down the 2-lane Hwy in the opposite lane at well over 50 mph as we skimmed the edge of a cliff 75 feet above the Trinity River. In slow motion, the trailer kept a straight path throwing a shower of sparks into the air as it began a slow arc toward our lane and the river cliff. With no other choices, I positioned the van in front of the trailer and slowed down enough to take a major impact from the speeding load. The KLR took the hit as it was mounted to a carrier that was in front of the former trailer hitch. It all worked well: the trailer slowed while the tongue dug into the dirt shoulder and the right rear wheel stopped less than twelve inches from the cliff... All told, a bent motorcycle carrier, a cracked taillight lens, and a broken turn signal on the KLR. The trailer loaded with two inflated rafts, river gear, camp equipment, and personal bags was intact. A stop at Napa Auto Parts in Weaverville for a new hitch pin, food in Redding, gas at Petro, and a replay of Micky Avalon... we dropped off Saul at the airport at 8:30 and finished back at Camp Lotus... 780 miles, 70 gallons of gas, three class 5 river runs, an epic story, and a nearly severed finger all in less than 52 hours... and we had a new horseshoe champion.

Andrew won't put up with this for too long....

Big Snow = W.E.T. Rivers

After the driest January in the recorded history of California, a new WET world has dawned in the middle of February giving whitewater rafters and kayakers a moist (naw...make that a W.E.T. River Trips) Valentine's gift. Much love came down from the skies from across the watery Pacific Ocean ranging from over 3 inches of rain in the Sacramento Valley to 10 inches in the upper foothills. Fat whiteness also dropped in the high country with over 3 feet of very WET snow.

This means that with 2 more months of precipitation left, our snow melt rivers like the North Fork American and Cal Salmon are in great shape and our dam-controlled rivers like the South Fork and Middle Fork American Rivers will gain added storage to ensure predictable, boatable flows well into late summer and early fall.

With more rain and snow to come, we are in for some big fun with great whitewater rafting, beautiful rivers, and mountainsides dripping with wildflower color.

It's going to rain and snow some more....Bring it.

My snowboard needs some exercise and so do my legs for that North Fork put-in, the scouting on the Cal Salmon, and the portaging on the Middle Fork... and not to mention for chasing Ryan Mac around the warehouse after he pulls another prank that needs major payback! Like I said...Bring it!

Another Big Poppa Post; are u hearing it Mac?