It was so much fun the first time that we had to do it again. Teresa and I had a week off before school starts back up, so we headed to the North Umpqua for some more kayaking and hot springs. Beth and Travis joined us for the weekend and we had a great time. Travis bought a new Pyrahna Ammo kayak and paddled like I have never seen him paddle before. He was paddling hard and leaning forward through everything.

Beth improved tremendously from the first day to the next. By the end of teh second day she was picking the right lines through class 3's and getting all of her combat rolls easily. We had no swimmers on the second day and everyone had a great time. Below is a bunch of pics and videos from the day. Travis busted out his digital camera for the second day and we just kept it in a drybag unitl it was time to film. The quality in the video is amazing.

Scouting our second Class 3 of the day.

Teresa getting her olympia groove on. "It's the water"

Class 3 Burial rapid on the second day.

An Amazing Culvert Video

Most people don't think about culverts too often. You may not even know what a culvert is. But we think about them often when considering roads and sediment impact on watersheds. The culverts are the pipes that run under roads and move water on the upstream side of a road to the downstream side. It sounds like a simple job, but there are a lot of factors that go into culvert design. many poorly designed culverts block fish passage for migrating salmon and steelhead. Some fail during big storms and wash out whole roads. A coworker sent me a link to the following video. It takes a moment ot load, but it is pretty neat to watch nature kickin' some bad engineering butt.

http://www.wmtw.com/video/17144859/index.html

Have fun and make sure you watch the whole thing.

North Umpqua Weekend

What a great weekend. What started out as an escape from the smoke turned into a seven kayakers going to a new river and camping for the weekend. The North Umpqua sits just east of Roseburg in Central Oregon, about 4 1/2 hours from Arcata. There are 5 different class 3 sections to kayak, hot springs, great camping, hiking, waterfalls, and world famous steelhead fishing. What a recreational hotspot. After all the planning, the trip ended up being Tressie, Neil, Bren, Travis, Beth, Teresa, and myself along with Diego (Travis' dog). We loaded up Travis's Subie and my Tacoma and headed North on Fri. afternoon. We pulled into camp late and promptly passed out in the tents.

Diego waiting for his turn to go in the river.

The Taco loaded up and ready to go.

We had a couple of fairly new boaters in the group, so we settled on a stretch of river (Segment 1) that had class 2's and a couple class 3's that could be walked around if needed. This was going to be Bren's second time down a river in a hardshell as well as Beth's first time on a class 3.

This stretch of river was fairly shallow and quick without a lot of pools. This made for some fun floating without a lot of flatwater paddling, but the shallow nature also meant that flipping over in the wrong spot might lead to a helmet knock. Right off the bat was a class 3 that every did great on. Teresa and I went first to find the lines and set safety, while the rest of the group followed, Neil would go last as sweep. That's how it would go for the weekend. We found some nice play holes on this stretch.

This is Travis surfin' it up on the first day.

And a mini surf session by Teresa

We continued on down river with only one swimmer for the day, Beth. She got flipped by a curling wave and ended on the wrong side for a roll. We quickly got her to shore and drained the boat. Bren also flipped on the same rapid and nailed her combat roll. The next clas 3 that came up flipped Beth again, and this time she rolled up perfectly. It turns out that this was her first "combat roll" which is an amazing feeling. It was great to see the smile on her face as she rolled up.

Beth taking a nice line down one of the great rapids along this river.

Tressie gettin' her groove on.

After a long day on the water, we made it back to camp and started making a feast. Teresa roasted garlic in the fire for garlic cheese bread, Bren and Neil made a killer salad, Travis grilled up some mean chicken, and Tressie topped it off with a steak grilled with melted blue cheese. Add to that wine and beer and I was one happy boater. We finished up dinner and cleaned up and headed to the hot springs. The paring is about 4 miles down a dirt road and was full of cars when we showed up. These hot springs are pretty crowded during the summer. Thankfully not everyone parked were at the springs. You have a to cross the river on a log and the climb up a fairly short but steep hill to get to the springs, but once you do , you are rewarded with an incredible view. The springs, which consist of several different pools (each one cooler than the one above), overlook the river from about 200 feet up. All you see is the North Umpqua, trees, and sky. The travertine which is a mineral in the ground, creates natural tubs of varying sizes and colors. A pretty amazing site. Apparently they are even more amazing in the winter with snow on the ground. I will definitely be heading back. We did not get any pics, there was just too many crazy naked people running around for cameras.

The next day was even better than the first. the river changed its character from shallow and continuous to more of a pool drop nature. There were many more combat rolls this day and a few swims, but no one was hurt and everyone had a great time. We have a bunch of pics and video from this day. Thanks for the camera work Teresa and Travis.

Beth, Tressie, and Bren enjoying the sun and the water.

Teresa getting upside down on one of the tougher rapids.

Your author also getting upside down on the same rapid

Beth making it look easy



Neil spotted a nice cliff along the river and decided he would practice his seal launch. As crazy as it looks, the seal launch is a practical tool to have for the river. He gets a little inverted here.

He convinced me to try it as well. Stupid human Trick #1



Here is a group run down one of the gentler rapids on day 2. Teresa is on the camera with her amazing commentary and I am on safety down below.



A nice group shot, minus the Teresa. Don't ask me what Neil is doing, I have no idea.

Trinity River: Hawkins Bar to Salyer

On Saturday, we decided to try to get on the Trinity for the first time in a month. There have been some huge wildfires that have kept the river canyon smoky to the point of being unhealthy. We had high hopes of paddling two or three times a week this summer, but the wildfires put kibosh on that. But Saturday was the day, it was Neil, Bren, Teresa, and myself. It was Bren's first time on the river in a hardshell kayak. She had been going to pool sessions and learning her eskimo roll, and now it was time to put it to the test. We chose a class II section which was very scenic and had some nice spots for practicing eddy turns and rolling in moving water. Everone had a great time and it felt great to get back on the water.

As Neil and Bren got ready on the shore, Teresa and I paddled over to the far side and started picking blackberries. After we had picked all the boat level berries, Teresa stands up in her boat to get the high ones. That meant more berries for everyone and it was really funny watching her hold on to a tree branch while the current pulled her all over the place.

The rest of the afternoon was spent fooling around and having a blast. Bren did a great job and looked like she was having fun. Here she is in the middle of a class II stylin' it.

All Smiles

Neil gets his boof on in this shot. A boof is kindof like a bunny hop on a bike. It gets you past the hole of the rapid while keeping your momentum up.

This is a video of Neil, Bren and I running one of the more exciting rapids. The best part is the commentary by Teresa as we run the "gnar". Bren gets her first "combat roll", which is rolling up in a rapid. Great Job!!!! Neil runs an interesting line here, into the rocks.

Teresa has a knack for many things in life, but the one that I appreciate the most is her ability to find River Booty, be it Berries or Beer. It seems like every time we get on the water together, she finds full, unopened beers floating in eddies. It's a nice treat in the hot sun.

It was a great day and Bren did an amazing job for her first time in a hardshell.

On Friday we head out for the North Umpqua. Just east of Roseburg, it has crystal clear water, great rapids, and best of all....Hot Springs!!!!! I will update everyone with pics when I get back.

American River Trip

Because of the wildfires in Chico, Teresa's dogs ended up on the coast and we had to get them back to home. While we were going to be in th Sac. area, we decided to hit up the South Fork of the American River for some kayaking. We picked up Teresa's brother Ben in Chico and met my brother Scott at the put in for the run on Saturday morning. It was great to see Scott again and be on the river with him. Ben, Teresa, and myself were in hardshell kayaks and Scott did his first trip in an inflatable kayak. We camped Sat. night and did the lower section on Sunday. It was a great trip. I have a bunch of pics and video.

The guys on the American River.

The first day was great with a nice mix of Class 2's and 3's. The first Class 3 is called Meatgrinder and is a nice long rapid with a lot of rock dodging. Scott was just getting used to the Kayak and flipped in the middle. He did a great job of getting back in the boat in the middle of a rapid and even got a an applause from another group.

The end of the day found us at Troublemaker which is a fun rapid with a left to right move that puts you in a diagonal hole and then over a drop. Here is a video of Teresa, Scott, and then myself running it. Scott does a great job staying upright and finding the perfect line.





Our campsite for the night was right above troublemaker, so we took out and spent the rest of the day drinking beers and watching tubers and rafters run Troublemaker with one raft flipping completely over.

The next day started with some flatwater and then the Barking Dog play hole. Ben, Scott and Teresa got some good surfs in here. Teresa took videos of Ben and Scott.





Here Scott gets his first surf in a kayak on. Great job.



There were a bunch of great rapids on this run. This is a video of our run down Satan's Cesspool. I think the names of these rapids are great. Meatgrinder, Satan's Cesspool, Troublemaker, you can't make these names up.




It was a great day and everyone got out safe. Scott did have his first big swim out of his kayak, but he handled it like a champ and kept paddling through the rest of the hard stuff. I am very proud of him and can't wait to get back on the river with him.

Kayaking on the Trinity River (Updated)

Last weekend, Neil, Bren and myself headed over to the Trinity River for a weekend of paddling. The weekend started out auspiciously with a huge thunderstorm Friday night. Luckily we didn't leave until early Saturday morning. Our first day on the river started out great. The Pigeon Point Surf hole was perfect for surfing and Neil and I played it up on the wave. You can tell from the videos that Neil is a much better Surfer than I am. Once I get on the wave, all I can think about is not flipping over and getting walloped by the river.

Here is a video of Neil surfin' it up on the Pigeon Hole



My feable attempt at surfin'


The river gets the best of me here:




After playing in the Pigeon Hole for awhile, we ran the rest of the run. It's a great stretch of river that is mostly class 3 with forgiving rapids for the most part. We saw two bald eagles on the Sat. run. Below are some of the rapids and videos of us running them.

Thegroup's run through Hell Hole.



Fishtail rapid.


I will have more videos uploaded soon. Saturday after our run down the river, Neil took Bren and was teaching her how to roll a kayak back upright in a river. It's an essential tool if you want to stay in your boat once you flip over. He set her paddle down in the water and was helping her with positioning when the paddle began to float away. Because he was only in three feet of water he did not have a life jacket or dry top on. Well he went after the paddle (which was Teresa's) and grabbed about 2/3's of the way across the river. Now the water in the Trinity is extremely cold and it started to take its toll. He couldn't make it back to shore carrying the paddle and swimming at the same time. So he made a wise decision and ditched the paddle and was barely able to grab a branch that was sticking out of the bank.

Once he was able to catch his breath he ran to camp and told me what happened. We jumped in my truck to go look for the paddle and soon realized there was no way to find it in the darkening canyon. We went back to camp and decided to look for it on our run the next day.

Well just out of camp in a side channel I found the paddle wedged in a bush. It was definitely a great start to the day. It's amazing how quickly really cold water can tire you out while swimming. that's why it's so important to have life jackets and cold water gear while paddling the rivers up here or in the Sierras.

Salmon River Rafting

We got back last night from an amazing weekend on the Salmon River in Northern California. The company I work for, Winzler and Kelly, pay for a rafting trip every year for the employees and Patrick is gracious enough to organize the event. He did a great job of getting all the logistics out there and making sure everyone knew what to expect.

For the Saturday run, Bio Bio Expiditions
brought the rafts and the guides. The two owners of Bio Bio Exp. are Mark and Lawrence, two really close friends of Patrick and it was great to see them all guiding boats together. Today at work Patrick showed me a photo album of himself, Mark, and Lawrence rafting and kayaking all over the world when they were younger. A couple of people drove up Friday after work at camped at Nordheimer campground. The road to the camp took us right past our run for the next day so needless to say it was hard to keep my eyes on the very narrow road. Here are some pics of the river canyon:

In the morning we met the rest of the group at the put in at Butler Creek for the safety talk and the sorting of the gear:

we had four rafts for the day and two kayakers. Teresa kayaked this section which was a solid class 4. It was great to see her do so well. Below are some pics of the first day and some video as well.

This is a shot of Dave running the Big Ike on the Klamath. It's a beautiful rapid.


Patrick taking his crew through Big Ike. I am really lucky to work with a great group of people. Those are my two bosses in the raft. Pat in the white hat and Steve in the front of the raft on the right. They were both on the Mt. Shasta trip with me as well. Below is a video of our boat running the Ikes:




This is a video of a cliff jump we did into the Salmon:







After the run most of the group went back to camp and we had a great time by the fire drinking and eating. Travis and Beth brought an outdoor boccie ball game which was a blast. I went to bed that night with a lot of nervous anticipation for the gnarly Class 5 section we were planning on doing the next day. A couple of the guides from Saturday wanted to kayak, which meant we had more paddlers than guides. Teresa volunteered to guide one of the rafts for the day. She had never guided a raft on a class 5 river, let alone one she had never seen before. It took a lot of soul searching for her to decide that she wanted to do it. I am very impressed with her ability to weigh risk and decide how many chances to take. Neil drove down to the Salmon from Happy Camp and went in the raft with Tony myself and Teresa.





This is Patrick's boat on Sunday with Travis and Beth in it.

Jorge in his kayak running the Class 5 Cascade Falls. He is a guide from Costa Rica and was great to have on the river.
This is the rest of Cascade Falls, a great rapid and a ton of fun.




This is Paul kayaking Cascade falls and boofing a nice line through the middle.

It was a great trip and one of if not the prettiest river I have ever been on. A big thanks to Patrick for putting the trip together and Bio Bio Expiditions for doing the outfitting. I also wanted to thank Teresa for a bunch of the pics and video and for guiding our boat perfectly on Sunday. It was a great time and I can't wait to go back.

NCA Hero of the Month Award

The first ever NCA Hero of the Month Award goes to my roommate Neil and his special lady friend Bren. Congratulations Neil and Bren on a job well done. On the way home from work yesterday I got a call from Neil telling me there was a fire in the canyon where Teresa's mom lives in Chico. Neil and Bren were heading there to stay for the week and look after the dogs. Well, with the road being closed and no access to the house, Neil thought quickly and had Animal Control go pick up the dogs and bring them out. There is a nice map of the fire's path posted here and articles about the fire here. Teresa's house is just east of the red skinny part of the map.

If the wind continues to blow to the Southwest, then it will likely miss the house, but if there is any kind of shift it might get dicey. As far as the dogs go, they are happily headed to Happy Camp in Northern California. Neil and Bren are taking them to her parent's house for a little R and R. After their vacation stay there, the dogs will come stay with us in Humboldt. At some point we will bring them over to Chico when all the smoke clears.

Thanks for all the support from family and friends and let's just hope that the wind gods decide to take it easy for a while.