It's raining. Finally... and waking up this morning, the slippers and robe came out for the first time in a long time. The rain is gentle and everything outside looks green and alive. Fall is here and the trees are just starting to turn color. Rain drips slowly off the leaves and the air smells so fresh. Soon, the Sierras will be covered with snow and a promise of Spring rafting... and maybe, another high water season?
Throughout most of October, flows seemed to disappear on most raftable rivers except for the South Fork American where the flows held to 1,500 cfs most days. Kayakers, guides, and private boaters had the river to theirselves.
W.E.T. guides did the Feather River recently during the monthly release a couple of weeks ago. The rafting trip covers two sections; the Cresta Run, a Class 4, and the other section, the Tobin Run, a Class 5. Saul, senior headguide, led the trip and Justin, Maggie, Zach, Jonny, Eric, Steve & Mike rounded out the two rafts as Ryan and Alex were kayaking. While Ryan didn't do the Cresta Run, he hit the Tobin Run with a vengeance. The W.E.T. guides met Renee from Cuba who has done the Tobin Run 21 times! Sweeeet. For this last final trip of the season, a celebratory mood set the end of an amazing 2005 rafting season!
Guides and kayakers are scattering and gravitating to other rivers throughout the world. Ryan is heading for Brazil to do 50+ runs on Class 5 rivers. Some will be first descents and he will be back with some incredible stories. Sigh... such is the life of some of our professional guides or kayakers. For those of us who are sitting in front of the computer or pushing papers across our desk... there is pure envy in looking at that lifestyle. I, personally, can't wait for Spring Rafting Trips to begin!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Turn of the Rafting Season
Melancholy mood is setting in... phone calls are dwindling, weather is changing and the guides are scattering back into the real world. A lot of us will be going back to school as students or teachers; back to ski patrol at major resorts; travel to other rivers for another season of rafting; or get jobs until the season starts again for California rafting. Camp Lotus is quieter and the Coloma Club is deserted. The river is back to it's original state of quiet reflection populated by otters, beavers, birds, kayakers and an occasional rafter.
Weather this weekend is going to be very warm in the upper 80's to low 90's. Will the flow be there? How is the power company managing the upper storage at the dam? Last weekend there was no water on the South Fork American due to some type of maintenance issue. And then yesterday, we had 3,000 cfs! Geesh! I wonder if they will be dumping water out during October to make sure we don't have too much in the reservoirs when Fall/Winter rainstorms start occurring. Otherwise, where will all that water go?
Weather this weekend is going to be very warm in the upper 80's to low 90's. Will the flow be there? How is the power company managing the upper storage at the dam? Last weekend there was no water on the South Fork American due to some type of maintenance issue. And then yesterday, we had 3,000 cfs! Geesh! I wonder if they will be dumping water out during October to make sure we don't have too much in the reservoirs when Fall/Winter rainstorms start occurring. Otherwise, where will all that water go?
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Fall Rafting Trips
Yo, daddy-o... people are still coming out to raft this month. Beautiful weather and pretty good flows for September! Looks like the Middle Fork American will be ending the last weekend of September, but the South Fork American should be dependable through October on weekends... at least bank on the Saturdays! If you have a small group for October, give us a call. Most of the trips in October will be one day rafting trips only, but if you have a significant group... well, we can turn it into a overnight package.
We're not quite wetsuit weather yet, but it is cool in the mornings and night. So grab the polypro fleece and/or splash jackets for the Fall rafting trips.
We're not quite wetsuit weather yet, but it is cool in the mornings and night. So grab the polypro fleece and/or splash jackets for the Fall rafting trips.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Family Trips
After last week's horrific news from the Gulf states, we really needed to refocus our priorities. Such sad news and so many people were affected. We pray that the horror will be over soon... rafting becomes such a frivalous endeavor compared to the disaster! But when I am on the water, a calming happens. I can prioritize my life and know that the most important things have nothing to do with the house, the car or the money. It is always about the family and the people you love. Coming together as a family on rafting trips, during the holidays or even Sunday dinners; families and friends are the nurturing elements for our soul...
Weather is now cooling and expect to see temperatures ranging from the mid 70's to the mid 80's. South Fork American should have dependable weekend flows through September. Time to put on the splash jackets with polar fleece or polypro fabrics. Enjoy this time while the crowds are gone. Flows and weather are just wonderful. Bring your friends, family and colleagues... enjoy life!
Weather is now cooling and expect to see temperatures ranging from the mid 70's to the mid 80's. South Fork American should have dependable weekend flows through September. Time to put on the splash jackets with polar fleece or polypro fabrics. Enjoy this time while the crowds are gone. Flows and weather are just wonderful. Bring your friends, family and colleagues... enjoy life!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Late Summer Rafting in California
Weather has been just gorgeous! Upper 90's with cooling trends in the evening bring a welcoming respite from the murderous heat last month. Season is winding down on both the South Fork American and the Middle Fork American River. Yesterday, the Middle Fork was uncrowded and truely a wilderness gem. Our guest paddlers commented about the stark contrast of serene, quiet beauty of the canyon and the wild rapid ride through Tunnel Chute.
This is what rafting is all about... the beauty of Nature and it's potentially dangerous routes. Isn't this why people crave Class 5 rapids, black diamond runs on the ski slope, vertical mountain bike runs and climbing and conquering mountains? We are a distant cousin to the first pioneers that inhabited this planet. They were the ones who had to negotiate streams and rivers without knowing what lay ahead. Can you imagine seeing a Class 5 rapid for the first time in a small, handmade watercraft without knowing it was there? How did they survive and how did they figure out how to run those rapids? By trial and error... except their errors led to serious consequences.
Updates currently are predicting that we should have good flows on the South Fork American River for the early Fall months. Bill Center, former El Dorado County supervisor predicts, "... looking at the amount of water they will need to release to reach target November 1 reservoir elevations, I anticipate flows in September and October of similar magnitudes as in August. The trick will be to get reliable weekend flows. I can't imagine not having at least Saturdays through September, and well into October, barring any outages, planned or unplanned."
You can read his comments at www.theamericanriver.com, an information and forum website for the American River.
This is what rafting is all about... the beauty of Nature and it's potentially dangerous routes. Isn't this why people crave Class 5 rapids, black diamond runs on the ski slope, vertical mountain bike runs and climbing and conquering mountains? We are a distant cousin to the first pioneers that inhabited this planet. They were the ones who had to negotiate streams and rivers without knowing what lay ahead. Can you imagine seeing a Class 5 rapid for the first time in a small, handmade watercraft without knowing it was there? How did they survive and how did they figure out how to run those rapids? By trial and error... except their errors led to serious consequences.
Updates currently are predicting that we should have good flows on the South Fork American River for the early Fall months. Bill Center, former El Dorado County supervisor predicts, "... looking at the amount of water they will need to release to reach target November 1 reservoir elevations, I anticipate flows in September and October of similar magnitudes as in August. The trick will be to get reliable weekend flows. I can't imagine not having at least Saturdays through September, and well into October, barring any outages, planned or unplanned."
You can read his comments at www.theamericanriver.com, an information and forum website for the American River.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Kooks are Out!
The end of the season is coming soon... and the kooks are out! What do you do when the people are one hour late? We had two people who called in on Saturday around fifteen minutes before a 9AM meeting time. They said they would be 20 minutes late. Our early morning staff asked them where they were. The person refused to give us a location except that they were "just outside of Sacramento." We explained that we would try to contact the crew (cell phone coverage there is spotty at the campground) and let them know to try to wait for the people.
Around 15 minutes later, we got another call from the late party again. This time, we practically begged them for their location, asking what exit did they just past. The person sheepishly answered, "... we just passed 59th Street exit in Sacramento." Alarmed, we explained that they were approximately one hour away from the meeting site. At that point, our morning staff instructed them that they most likely had missed their trip since everyone was already loaded into the bus. The person started yelling at our staff person. We tried to explain that 36 other people were down there on time and would not wait for two people for an hour. Our bus driver also had other pick-ups that morning and was on a scheduled run. The person hung up angry and then called back asking if they could just go straight to the put-in. We explained that they wouldn't make that either, since the bus had left already and they were on schedule to put-in around 9:30AM. At this point, we asked them to email us on Monday to ask for a reschedule.
The person started screaming profanities and making statements about how they had paid all this money and that we better accommodate them or else. The expletives were alarming and the person said that they would get our staff person fired because we couldn't do anything for them that day. So, what should we have done? We tried to delay the trip as much as we could, but we can not risk the wrath of 36 other people who were on time to wait for two people who were clearly one hour late? It seems that every year at the end of the season, the kooks come out.
Late Sunday night, we received a message for a late addition to the Monday Middle Fork American trip. We rearranged the trip, bumped a trainee out, and reconfigured the shuttle. On Monday morning, at 7AM we received a call from them letting us know their older son had woken up ill. They were such nice folks to let us know as soon as they could and they were not screaming at us about refunds and lawsuits. We will be rescheduling them either this year or next because of their gracious behavior. And the other folks, well, we hope they haunt someone else's rafting company.
Around 15 minutes later, we got another call from the late party again. This time, we practically begged them for their location, asking what exit did they just past. The person sheepishly answered, "... we just passed 59th Street exit in Sacramento." Alarmed, we explained that they were approximately one hour away from the meeting site. At that point, our morning staff instructed them that they most likely had missed their trip since everyone was already loaded into the bus. The person started yelling at our staff person. We tried to explain that 36 other people were down there on time and would not wait for two people for an hour. Our bus driver also had other pick-ups that morning and was on a scheduled run. The person hung up angry and then called back asking if they could just go straight to the put-in. We explained that they wouldn't make that either, since the bus had left already and they were on schedule to put-in around 9:30AM. At this point, we asked them to email us on Monday to ask for a reschedule.
The person started screaming profanities and making statements about how they had paid all this money and that we better accommodate them or else. The expletives were alarming and the person said that they would get our staff person fired because we couldn't do anything for them that day. So, what should we have done? We tried to delay the trip as much as we could, but we can not risk the wrath of 36 other people who were on time to wait for two people who were clearly one hour late? It seems that every year at the end of the season, the kooks come out.
Late Sunday night, we received a message for a late addition to the Monday Middle Fork American trip. We rearranged the trip, bumped a trainee out, and reconfigured the shuttle. On Monday morning, at 7AM we received a call from them letting us know their older son had woken up ill. They were such nice folks to let us know as soon as they could and they were not screaming at us about refunds and lawsuits. We will be rescheduling them either this year or next because of their gracious behavior. And the other folks, well, we hope they haunt someone else's rafting company.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Hot August Rafting Trips
So, August is here and it's time to start thinking about Fall rafting trips. I love late August and September rafting. With this year's incredible snowpack, the flows for late season should be superb. Low flows are only a memory as we go rafting on 1,500 cfs to 1,800 cfs on the South Fork American.
Over on the Middle Fork American, flows have been very stable and consistent; barely changing throughout July. We should see similar flows throughout the late summer and fall months. After the third week of August, we should see a considerable slow-down in the rafting population... families getting ready for school, people finishing their vacation time and others going about the business of getting ready for fall and winter. Like the spring, we encourage those of you who are more into a wilderness-type trip, to go rafting from now till end of September. Less people, less traffic on the water... July was an absolute zoo! Tons of people everyday and even more trying to reserve. Pick a date in the late summer and fall and see the river as it should be seen... quiet, serene with lots of rapids! Fall weather is also gorgeous and warm. We hope to see you one more time this year!
Over on the Middle Fork American, flows have been very stable and consistent; barely changing throughout July. We should see similar flows throughout the late summer and fall months. After the third week of August, we should see a considerable slow-down in the rafting population... families getting ready for school, people finishing their vacation time and others going about the business of getting ready for fall and winter. Like the spring, we encourage those of you who are more into a wilderness-type trip, to go rafting from now till end of September. Less people, less traffic on the water... July was an absolute zoo! Tons of people everyday and even more trying to reserve. Pick a date in the late summer and fall and see the river as it should be seen... quiet, serene with lots of rapids! Fall weather is also gorgeous and warm. We hope to see you one more time this year!
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