LIGHT SWITCH

The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.--- John Muir 

It's fall back time. This Sunday, the time flips back an hour to standard time. Great if you are an earlier riser in this light switch from evening to morning. However, losing the hour at the end of the day always surprises me. I'm not ready for the darkness, as the sun seems to slam into the horizon before my eyes. Exploding into little bits before disappearing into the night.

“There are very few things in the world I hate more than Daylight Savings Time," said author Michelle Franklin,  It is the grand lie of time, the scourge of science, the blight on biological understanding.”

She is right of course as many who don't enjoy the practice of Daylight Savings will attest. We don't lose or even gain for that matter a dose of sunlight with the time change, we lose it astronomically as the sun approaches its southernmost position, aka the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Still losing that golden hour at the end of the day seems unforeseen and unexpected for me. I can remember a fall paddle on the north arm of Folsom Lake. I had gotten a late start when I slid my kayak into the water on the south side of Doton's Point. The sun was already dipping behind some clouds and hovering over the horizon. It would be a race against it to see if I could finish before it set.

Now I had won the contest against the setting sun many times before while on summer nights camping. I would paddle out across the water watching that giant orange ball dissolve into the lake while I still have enough light to paddle back to the beach and light the campfire before nightfall. Twilight lingers in the summer, but not in autumn.

This time I was humbled. I didn't beat the night. I had paddled out too far and still had to come back. I tried to hurry back as fast as I could. My fingers and feet tingled as I pressed into the footpegs and paddle. But, no matter how fast I tried to paddle, the sun was gone and night had prevailed.

As a full moon rose over the foothills, I paddled back along the shoreline towards the lights of Folsom Dam.  The land and water amalgamated into the murkiness of the night. I can't say I was lost. I pretty much knew the lake and how to get back. But, without my headlamp, it was more like fumbling around in a dark bedroom trying to find the light switch. My truck was out there, I just had to find it.

The moonlight glistened on the water as I paddled up to Donton's Point. In the shadows, I could make out the silhouette of the truck's body parked along the beach. I was back at my starting point tired and a little relieved. I loaded up and drove away thinking, I better get an earlier start next time. It was only a little past 6 p.m.

That one-hour daylight switch from evening to the morning as we fall back to standard time begins this weekend. We don't go back to daylight saving until spring begins.

This article was originally published in Outside Adventure to the Max on November 3, 2017. 

 

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CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Photo by Josh Bastyr @steeringsouth via ViralHog

Crews this past month have begun working on clearing away the tons of rock and rubble that have blocked the bike trail alongside Lake Natoma since 2017 when winter storms caused a landslide to cover parts of the trail between the Nimbus Dam and Negro Bar Recreation Area that is within California State Park's Folsom Lake SRA just east of Sacramento.

"We're finally fortunate enough to have a contract executed that will start the first phase of the project," Rich Preston, state parks superintendent told ABC 10, "This first phase will last a couple weeks during the initial cleanup, but the trail is going to remain closed until we can do the rest of the stabilization."

Negro Bar Recreation Area

State parks officials say the trail should be back open later this year, but so far no specific date has been  given.

Since the landslide area, many area bikers have ignored the warning signs and climb over a rocky trail to continue on their way, while local paddlers on the lake likewise came up for a closer look. But after seeing three sensational online videos of up-close encounters with massive collapses of ice and rock along the shoreline one might not be to tempt in getting up close.

In Alaska, kayakers, Josh Bastyr and Andrew Hooper, who operate the YouTube channels Steering South and Home With the Hoopers, respectively, ventured out near Spencer Glacier this month. The 11-mile long glacier rises about 3,500 feet above a glacial lake in the Chugach National Forest, located just 60 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska.

As reported by ACCUWEATHER, the two were paddling around the area, when they heard the sound of calving in the distance.
“We keep hearing calving happening and big splashes happening,” Bastyr explained as he narrated his video while paddling up close to the giant glacier. “It sounds like a gunshot going off. We’re going to try to get over to where we think it’s happening. It looks like that’s where it just happened.”

As they continue to move closer in front of the glacier, chunks of ice continued to break and fall in front of them, But moments later just like out of a Hollywood movie, a massive chunk crumbles away and careens into the water. On impact, an enormous splash sends an explosion of a spray of water and a huge wave in their direction.

“Oh my God, look at it,” Bastyr can be heard saying as he furiously paddles away from the scene. “Oh my God. Oh my God, we’re lucky to be alive right now.”
While some viewers to his Youtube channel will point out that the two were too close to the glacier for their safety, Bastyr does not disagree.

“It was the most intense thing I have ever experienced. We know we were way too close, and that we are lucky we didn't get hurt,” Bastyr wrote in follow up on his Facebook page.

Photo courtesy of Jon Smithers and Craig Blacklock

Meanwhile, also this month at Lake Superior's scenic view at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore a tour group of 18 kayakers escaped injuring when a section of cliff broke away and fell leading to some frightening moments on the water.

Closest to the rockfall was paddler Maxim Rigaux who said it was the sound of the collapse he'll remember most.

"It was like experiencing an explosion from very nearby," he told WLUC-TV

The colorful sandstone cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along with its beaches, sand dunes and waterfalls are a popular destination for kayakers on the big lake. Rising up some 200 feet over the lake,  the cliffs are a unique landscape that is shaped by the power of Lake Superior and are very susceptible to erosion from natural weather conditions along the lake.

In a television interview with WLUC-TV, Rigaux recounted how he started recording when he saw some small rocks falling from the cliff.

"We thought the worst was over, and then actually," he said,  I don't know why, but I just started recording another one,"

Moments later the massive rockfall started raining down into the lake, raising a plume of water and dust covering him and his kayak with a cloud of dirt

"You're beneath the massive rockfall and you have no idea how much more will fall down," he said. "It was quite frightening, especially for a few seconds."

At that same time, Jon Smithers, a nature and wildlife photographer from Saint Peter, Minn. was piloting a drone from a pontoon boat just outside park boundaries with fellow photographer Craig Blacklock when he turned the drone toward the sound just in time to see a huge rock shelf crumbling down and hitting the lake in an explosion of dust and water near the group of kayakers.

“I was really shocked,” Smithers told MLIVE.com, “I had never seen anything like that before. That entire shelf just fell off right in front of our eyes. It was just really incredible. The aroma of old dirt was just ridiculous. Honestly, that was as cool as seeing it fall.”

In all cases, experts urge caution whether hiking or paddling along cliffs or near glaciers. Staying on the trail and fighting the urge to get too close is key to safety.

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OVER THE BOW: LAKE NATOMA

The world of life, of spontaneity, the world of dawn and sunset and starlight, the world of soil and sunshine, of meadow and woodland, of hickory and oak and maple and hemlock and pineland forests, of wildlife dwelling around us, of the river and its wellbeing--all of this [is] the integral community in which we live. --- Thomas Berry

I often tell people paddling with me that after we push off onto the water of Lake Natoma we will be experiencing a different world even though we are in the heart of a densely populated urban area. Kayaking through the sloughs never ceases to amaze them of how they can escape into a backyard of nature just minutes from the buzz of city traffic.

The narrow and popular 5-mile lake, part of the California State Parks' Folsom SRA located just east of Sacramento is a haven for wildlife viewing. On just about any day, paddlers can get a close-up view of black-tailed deer, river otters, egrets, herons, hawks, pelicans, beavers and pond turtles. A convocation of eagles just in the past couple of years has taken to nesting on the lake's high banks offering a treat to anyone just to see them soar.

It's no secret that kayaks are an amazing way to view wildlife in their natural habitat. Recently, paddling through the lake's sloughs across from the Negro Bar access it was easy to imagine I was on safari. The early spring season guaranteed me quiet solitude through the trails of slough channels and ponds. I moved along in stealth-like silent around each bend and cranny. Down low just inches off the water if I would see anything it would be almost eye to eye.

"Don’t just look for animals on the water," wrote photographer and paddler Galen Leeds in his blog in 2011, "Look on the immediate shore, but also a little distance onto land. Some of my best wildlife images of raccoons, deer, bobcat, elk, and coyotes all came about while I was kayaking. They don’t necessarily watch the water for dangers and might not notice you if you stay quiet and fairly still. If they do notice you, you are such a different creature from the person that is walking and stomping around, that they generally aren’t as frightened, and can be more curious as to what you may be."

It was late in the afternoon. The warm sunlight had just broken through a thin layer of clouds as I paddled through the narrow ponds and dredge pilings of the lake. I rounded a bend into a large lagoon surrounded by tall horsetail, blackberry bushes with a lone grassy rise overlooking the water when I saw the top of its head and ears. I couldn't believe my luck. It was a bobcat.

Bobcats are one of the four native wildcats to North America. About twice the size of the average house cat, they can be distinguished based on its long legs, large paws and a distinctive black-tipped tail that appears to be “bobbed” or cut off. A stealthy and solitary crepuscular hunter, they primarily prey on rabbits, birds, small game and rodents during dawn and dusk hours.

Although bobcats prefer to inhabit environments with a dense vegetative cover or steep rocky terrain, they are highly adaptable to both wild and urban landscapes. Due to the ever-expanding human population and the destruction of their habitat, their numbers are steadily decreasing each year as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

I pulled my camera out of my PFD while I silently glided closer to where the cat is sitting. It was partially hidden by the knoll and I couldn’t get a clear shot. Quietly and slowly I paddled one stroke. The momentum of the stroke pushed me carefully toward the animal.

As I moved ever closer, the sunbathing wildcat awoke from its solar nap and sat up in a proud posture focusing its attention on me and my moving kayak. Its distinguished jowl-like ruffs on its cheeks and black spotted coat glistened in the sunlight, while its large ears with slight tufts of hair at the tips stood upright giving the wildcat a magnificent regal appearance. Its eyes were gleaming without blinking as it stared back at me with such a powerful look as if the creature was looking deep into my soul.

My 12th paddle day of the year must be my lucky day. You can read about last year's Paddle Day 12 encounter with a bobcat at Lake Clementine in Outside Adventure to the Max.

In Native American mythology, the bobcat is an important character in many of their legends. Rarely seen, these cats took on a mystical quality and possessing great spiritual energy. Because of their elusiveness bobcat alongside the coyote, in their stories are symbolized as the fog and the wind. Mysterious creatures difficult to both see and catch.

I held my breath and my body tighten with pumping adrenaline as gazed upon the big cat through my viewfinder and over my camera willing the moment to last a bit longer. But I was getting too close, the bobcat whole body was now attuned to my presence. As I'm stalking it, it soon was stalking me with its body is low to the ground and hind legs coiled and ready to pounce.

The faceoff ended as quickly as it began. The big cats' predatory gaze at me and my orange kayak faded as it decides, I'm more of a potential threat than I am prey. It quickly vanishes into the safety of the underbrush, while I turn my kayak around and paddle away happily in absolute gratitude for experiencing this lasting wilderness effect in my own backyard.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, we would love to see it. Submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

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ALL YOU CAN PADDLE: PADDLE TOWN SACRAMENTO

Ever go to a restaurant buffet and you're almost overwhelmed by the selection of items? There is American, there is Mexican, Asian, and Italian. There is seafood, fried food, barbecue, and even pizza. I mean there is something for everyone and so much to sample, that there is no way you can get everything all on your plate for just one sitting.

That's what it's like when it comes to the Sacramento area and the American River. It's a year-round paddling smorgasbord for everyone's taste and appetite that will leave you stuffed yet craving more.

Adrenaline junkies will lick their chops for whitewater delicacies of the three forks of the American River, only an hour away from Sacramento. During the spring and summer, the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork are the area playgrounds for whitewater kayakers and rafters of all different levels. Commercial whitewater rafting outfitters offer a wide variety of river experiences, while The River Store, provides a cafeteria of boating supplies,  boat demos, and kayaking instruction.

"There are multiple runs of varying difficulty," says area paddler Martin Beebee, "All of which are easily accessible: from moderate Class I and II rapids, perfect for learning to navigate whitewater, to Class V runs with plenty of challenges. So there’s a variety to choose from, depending on what kind of adventure you’re in the mood for."

The South Fork of the American River

The South Fork dishes up a recipe for some serious fun in its first five miles from the Chili Bar access filled full of exciting Class III whitewater with rapids with scary names like Meat-Grinder and Trouble Maker. The so-called easy section serves appetizer through the valley consisting of several Class II rapids including Barking Dog, before gorging down "The Gorge", the river's most challenging series of Class III rapids descending at 33-feet per mile toward Folsom Lake.

For area sea kayakers, Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma are hors-d'oeuvres of delight while prepping for a big trip to San Francisco Bay or Tamales Bay, while the rec and SUP paddlers will revel in the classic comfort of both lakes' bays and sloughs.

Folsom Lake

Forget summer weekends. Come to Folsom Lake either mid-week or wait until late fall or early spring to escape the speed boat and jet ski crowd. Out in the open, it can feel like the ocean with the wind and waves, but there are a few quiet and scenic spots like on the lake's north arm worth exploring. You might have to choke down the Delta Breeze, but you will savor the sunsets.

And if Folsom Lake is a little too hard to swallow, all paddlers will gobble up Lake Natoma.

Lake Natoma

"Lake Natoma is great for many reasons," said local paddler and photographer Tom Gomes, "Living in the Sacramento area, we are so fortunate to have such easy access to such a resource that offers incredible views. It’s big enough to get a good exercise paddle and there are no powerboats to compete with."

This narrow and popular 5-mile lake is the main entree of the area's paddling venues. It's an a-la-carte of racing shells crews, outrigger canoes, SUP paddlers and kayaks and sailboats sprinkled over the waterway. Outfitters use the lake for classes and moonlit tours while racing crews have been known to hog-up much of the lake a few weekends a year.

Want just a taste of the lake's fare? Kayaks and SUPs are available for rent at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. Sit back and enjoy the sun or go a nature safari while exploring the lake's sloughs.

Lake Natoma

"It’s very scenic with more wildlife than anywhere else," added Gomes, "I paddle the Natoma sloughs quite often, but it never ceases to amaze me how removed I feel from the real world while realizing that I’m right in the middle of a densely populated urban area. I feel like I’m Huck Finn, exploring uncharted waters with abundant wildlife, just waiting for the alligator to swim by."

The lake with its three California State Parks' access points is lined with biking and hiking trails encompassing its shores. Bird watchers will feast one's eyes at sightings of geese, herons, egrets, cormorants, and bald eagles flying and nesting along its banks. The lake is home to many established rookeries to nesting colonies while migrating birds arrive in the spring and stay throughout the summer.

Lower American River

The American River is a sweet treat for everyone. This 23-mile recreational waterway meanders through the heart of Sacramento along The American River Parkway. Seasoned with a good mix of fast-moving currents, along with some slow and lazy flows to satisfy every water enthusiast's cravings. Not just for paddlers, more than 5 million visitors annually indulge in this wildlife and recreation area.

"I love paddling on the American River especially in the off-season when the wildlife is stirring around and the people are not," said Sacramento paddler  Lynn Halsted. "Early morning or late afternoon and evening are always my favorite times. Watching river otters and beaver swim around and doing their thing while I watch from a distance is magical."

San Juan Rapids

Just downstream from the Sunrise Access, San Juan Rapids spices up the river for boaters and summer-time rafters. A constant Class II rapid stretching out more than halfway across the river creates a long and vibrant wave train and chaotic churning eddy that can scarf up unsuspecting paddlers.

Further down, the river is peppered with a few ripples, but mostly it's an easy slow-baked urban paddle all the way down to the Sacramento River,  serving up views of bridges and large pleasure boats to mark the progress to Discovery Park and the confluence of the two rivers. From there, nothing is stopping you from having a pie in the sky dream of going on a paddling binge all the way to the Golden Gate.

Lower American River.

So whatever boating you have might a hankering for, in Sacramento,  you'll be able to fill your plate and come back for seconds, again and again, to satisfy your paddling hunger and nourishment.

And don't worry about taking too much. There is enough for everyone.


This article was originally published in Canoe & Kayak, May 7, 2018.

2017 IN REVIEW: PICTURES OF THE YEAR

Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter. --Ansel Adams

As a photojournalist in both print and broadcast media throughout my news career, I spent most of my most life getting pictures. My news photographer experiences included covering major floods and fires, national, state and local politics, school shootings, and extreme weather conditions, such as tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts. My goal each and every day was to provide storytelling images or video to the folks reading or watching.

Paddling with Current Adventures 50+ class

Most of my career was spent pre-Internet, Facebook, Instagram and pre-computer. Believe it or not, there was a time I had to wait until the next day to see my published picture in the papers. No likes or favorites back then. It was just nice if someone glanced at the shot long enough to read the byline. Of course, if they hated it they would call the editor and complain threatening to cancel their subscription. Major dislike there.

Bayside Adventure Sports at San Juan Rapids

Like most young photojournalists, I followed the careers of globe-trotting and photographers and dreamt of working for Sports Illustrated or National Geographic. Traveling the world and taking pictures of my passion along the way, if only, right?

"It’s hard to remember where I am when I wake up some mornings," photographer Peter Holcombe said in a 2017 interview with Canoe & Kayak Magazine. Living with a camera in hand, Holcombe and family of three sold their Colorado home in 2014 and moved their family and business into a Winnebago RV, and hit the road with a trailer of kayaks and SUP board, exploring wild and beautiful places. Since then, they have traveled over 150,000 miles through 49 states, exploring most of the National Parks and chasing whitewater.

The Lower American River

"We have paddled in places we could have only dreamed about before," Holcombe told Canoe & Kayak, "Not only visit amazing places but get to “live” there and really experience what they have to offer. I often paddle or create images during the day and do the imaging work at night. This often means I work till midnight or later so I can get on another river the next morning. This pace is tiring, but I love it."

I can picture myself in the same way. Exploring wild and natural places is my passion. There is not a day I don't think about kayaking. Every time I cross any river bridge and look down I wish I was there. Every time I see a lake I want to put a boat on the water. Every day paddling brings a re-charge to my mind, soul and body.

High water in 2017

So as 2017 draws to a close, I look back at some of my favorite places and people I had the good fortune of kayaking with this past year. I'll be looking forward to even more in paddling days to come in the next year.

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Current Adventures Kids Classes on Lake Natoma

Current Adventures Kids Classes

Moonlight Paddle on Lake Natoma

Lake Tahoe

An evening with Bayside Adventure Sports

Hiking at Sly Park

Rolling with Eric Allen on Folsom Lake 

Lake Natoma

LIGHT SWITCH

The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.--- John Muir 

It's fall back time. This Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 a.m., the time flips back an hour to standard time. Great if you are an earlier riser in this light switch from evening to morning. However, losing the hour at the end of the day always surprises me. I'm not ready for the darkness, as the sun seems to slam into the horizon before my eyes. Exploding into little bits before disappearing into the night.

“There are very few things in the world I hate more than Daylight Savings Time," said author Michelle Franklin,  It is the grand lie of time, the scourge of science, the blight on biological understanding.”

She is right of course as many who don't enjoy the practice of Daylight Savings will attest. We don't lose or even gain for that matter a dose of sunlight with the time change, we lose it astronomically as the sun approaches its southernmost position, aka the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Still losing that golden hour at the end of the day seems unforeseen and unexpected for me. I can remember a fall paddle on the north arm of Folsom Lake. I had gotten a late start when I slid my kayak into the water on the south side of Doton's Point. The sun was already dipping behind some clouds and hovering over the horizon. It would be a race against it to see if I could finish before it set.

Now I had won the contest against the setting sun many times before while on summer nights camping. I would paddle out across the water watching that giant orange ball dissolve into the lake while I still have enough light to paddle back to the beach and light the campfire before nightfall. Twilight lingers in the summer, but not in autumn.

This time I was humbled. I didn't beat the night. I had paddled out too far and still had to come back. I tried to hurry back as fast as I could. My fingers and feet tingled as I pressed into the foot pegs and paddle. But, no matter how fast I tried to paddle, the sun was gone and night had prevailed.

As a full moon rose over the foothills, I paddled back along the shoreline towards the lights of Folsom Dam.  The land and water amalgamated into the murkiness of the night. I can't say I was lost. I pretty much knew the lake and how to get back. But, without my headlamp, it was more like fumbling around in a dark bedroom trying to find the light switch. My truck was out there, I just had to find it.

The moonlight glistened on the water as I paddled up to Donton's Point. In the shadows, I could make out the silhouette of the truck's body parked along the beach. I was back at my starting point tired and a little relieved. I loaded up and drove away thinking, I better get an earlier start next time. It was only a little past 6 p.m.

That one-hour daylight switch from evening to morning as we fall back to standard time begins this weekend. We don't go back to daylight saving until Sunday, March 11, 2018, about a week before spring begins.


Fire Closes Boating on Oregon River

Photo courtesy of North Umpqua Outfitters

One of Oregon’s most popular rivers for rafting and kayaking will remain closed for an extended period following wildfire damage this summer. The Statesmen Journal reported that U.S. Forest Service officials said The North Umpqua River, east of Roseburg, will remain closed to boats for 23 miles until next spring or summer.

Forest Service officials said the decision was for safety after wildfires burned numerous trees along the stream sighting those trees will likely fall into the river during fall, winter and spring storms, creating dangerous hazards in what’s already a rapid-filled section. Local outfitters are frustrated by the decision and called the closure length unnecessary and arbitrary.

Photo Courtesy of Randy Lathrop

Canoe Rises from Hurricane

The New York Times reported after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma battered Florida, one Florida man came upon a what may have appeared to be a large piece of driftwood while riding his bike near the shore in Cocoa. it turned out to be an old cypress wood dug canoe. The boat could be hundreds of years old says state authorities, who are working to learn the canoe’s origins.

SNAKE CHARMED

Many a time I have merely closed my eyes at the end of yet another trouble some day and soaked my bruised psyche in wild water, rivers remembered and rivers imagined. Rivers course through my dreams, rivers cold and fast, rivers well known and rivers nameless, rivers that seem like ribbons of blue water twisting through wide valleys, narrow rivers folded in layers of darkening shadows, rivers that have eroded down deep into the mountain's belly, sculpted the land, peeled back the planet's history exposing the texture of time itself. --- Harry Middleton

Loading up at other places that people find easier to get to. I sometimes get into conversations with boaters about where they like to paddle around  Sacramento.
"Have you ever been up to Rattlesnake Bar?" I'll ask them.
The answer is usually either bewilderment or not for a long time as they think of the last time they were up there.

Rattlesnake Bar is part of the California State Parks Folsom Lake Recreation Area. Located on the on the north arm of the lake, it's down a long dead-end road after the fork winding past white fences and horse barns towards the entrance of the park.

The lake glistens, flashing through the oaks and willows while driving down the narrow road after entering the park. During the drought years not too far back, it looked more like Mars seeing the dusty remnants of the lake. But, this year the lake is brimming. The lake is 50 feet higher than last year. Going into the last week of September, many recreation lakes in California have the highest lake levels for this date in more than 10 years.

Forget weekends. Come to Rattlesnake Bar mid-week in the summer or wait till late fall or early spring to escape the speed boat and jet ski crowd. This is a playground for them all summer long when the lake is full and gate to the ramp is open.

The water was still touching the end of the ramp on my last visit. In previous trips, I can remember some lengthy treks while shouldering my kayak down the ramp or along an arduous trail down a steep bank to the lake. The guidebooks said to watch for rattlesnakes, hence the name, but, it should've of warned me about that thick layer of muck and slimy goo in front of the lake.

The water was a silty brown turned up by waves of jet skis and speed boats. It resembles more a choppy over perked coffee and cream color even past the 5 mph buoy about a mile north of the access. Those with a need for speed turn around and head back to the main part of the lake while those in search of the quiet of the lake, canyon and river, proceed on.

Past Mormon Ravine the lake widens and turns to the northeast. On the north side, the old Pony Express Trail is now a hiking path along the lake. Further up the lake narrows with rugged rocky ledges on both sides. I don't feel the tug of current on this visit, but I have before. It's common through here, for the lake to behave more like a river as the water level dictates where the river ends and the lake begins. There is a sudden change of water temperature and clarity as the cool mountain North Fork of the American River pours into the lake. It was now a refreshing cold and running transparently clear.

"I have never seen a river that I could not love," wrote Canadian writer and conservationist Roderick Haig-Brown, "Moving water...has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so definite that the tiniest streamlet is an exact replica of a great river."

When I started kayaking, I dreamed of these river places Haig-Brown called "Water in its loveliest form." A clear water passageway between massive ramparts of broken disheveled texture, as the once molten rock now crystallized over millions of years, is exposed, lifted and shattered along the fault lines while large boulders have become their own islands raising from the depths.

The stream,  flecked with little white waves and quiet inviting pools, while just around the bend there is the sound of the thundering water echoing off the chasm walls and the sight of a churning cascade, what naturalist John Craighead called, "A primeval summons to primordial values."

I have paddle upstream here before, even portaged through shallow rapids to the river's slow moving pools. On this trip, however, the lake covers those rapids and the low water landmarks I'm familiar with going to north past Pilot Creek.  At Oregon Bar Rapids, there is no need to go any further on this outing,  as the rushing water turns me back downstream.

Above Pilot Creek I found a nice flat rock and water warmed by the sun. I beached my kayak and surveyed my river surroundings. Upriver, I could see the foam of whitewater while down downstream the rugged curve of the canyon suffused amber light of the late afternoon sun. I spent a good chunk of time there becoming a kid again. Diving off rocks, swimming between dives and exploring the view of the canyon.

 Light and shadows dance across the water as the sun slips behind the horizon on my paddle back to Rattlesnake Bar. The hills and trees obscurity is offset by the warm glow of the water. My senses are awakened by the stillness and coolness of the air as I glided silently and almost effortlessly across the placid lake of golden glass.

"We do not want merely to see beauty, " said writer C.S. Lewis, "We want something else which can hardly be put into words to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it."

 And with each stroke of my paddle, I soaked in all the lake's and river's tranquil magic.

Lake Clementine Update
To make the extension to the boat ramp at Auburn State Recreation Area’s Lower Lake Clementine the ramp is be closed to vehicles and vessel launching until the lake refills to its normal level, which is estimated to happen by late October or early November. The Auburn Journal reported the extension will add about 10 feet of length to the boat ramp and is estimated to cost about $85,000 when complete. Breaking down the closure, it was estimated to8 to 12 days to lower the lake while the actual boat ramp extension project lasted five days. Then it will be another three to four weeks before the lake has refilled and launches allowed again.
The area will remain open to bicycle and foot traffic during the project.
Upper Lake Clementine will remain open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays through the end of the month. From Oct. 1 to 15, the upper lake will be open Saturdays and Sundays only. After Oct. 15, Upper Lake Clementine will be closed for the season.

TWO PADDLES AND THE GREAT RIVER RACE: A CAMPFIRE TALE

Canoes Races, George Catlin

“Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on on the story.” J.R.R. Tolkien

It was going to a long wait along the South Fork of the American River. I had lost the coin flip and was delegated to being the shuttle driver for my paddling companions coming down river. I picked up some coffee, beef jerky and some caramel popcorn on the way down to the river access and settled in for a long tedious wait. Sitting back along the bank of the stream I was hypnotized into a trance as I watched the dancing billowing waves stream over the rocks and then subside into a quiet pool at the takeout.

"You know this used to be more of a pit-stop than the finish line the first time paddlers came down this river." said a voice behind me. It was the grizzled old Storyteller who had told me tales one evening around the fire while at Loon Lake.

"It all began with a big race that started way up there past what they call Chili Bar now," he continued, "In those days they didn't have dams or give the rapids names for that matter. And they raced non-stop for about 100-miles all the way down to the confluence of the Sacramento River or as one of the area tribes called it  "Nome-Tee-Mem", meaning, water from over the hill."

Under the Falls, The Grand Discharge, Winslow Homer

Now most boaters know, the South Fork starts high in Sierra Nevada Mountains and is fed mostly by melting snow. The 20-mile or so run from Chili Bar to Salmon Falls that features about 20 named rapids and countless other little ones. In summer, flows are usually rated up to Class III or so, but with high water, in the early part of the season they can bubble up to a good Class IV rapid in places. After that, the river flows into Folsom Reservoir, then into Lake Natoma before heading almost straight west for about 25 miles to the Sacramento River.

"You see Native Americans inhabited the American River valley for at least 5,000 years before the Spaniards and Americans showed up." said the Storyteller, "They called it Kum Mayo, which means "roundhouse" and used its resources for everything. The oaks and pines provided shelter while the deer and fish provided food. And to honor the Kum Mayo and the river spirits that brings the salmon back from the sea to spawn and later die. A race was held to show the young  salmon the way back to the ocean since they have no parents to guide them."

A long paused followed. He straightens his Fedora. Then took a flask from his jacket's pocket. Opening it, he then and took a swallow, then looked at me and then back to the river.

"A great adventure is what lies ahead of them," he whispered,

"Other than walking," the Storyteller went on to explain, "Canoes and rafts were the primary methods of transportation for the tribes and they relied on them for hunting, fishing and trading expeditions. And of all the area paddlers, Tahoe was the best of the best."

"Hold up there," I interrupted, "You mean a guy was named after the lake?"

Lake Tahoe, Albert Bierstadt

"It was the other way around kid," claimed the Storyteller,  "Legend says he put out a forest fire by paddling his canoe around the lake so fast that he created massive waves and tornado-like water spouts that extinguished the fire, saving the villages along the shore. They say his super human paddling caused the lake to fall from the heavens, hence the name Tahoe meaning "Lake of the Sky."

"Now there were three types of canoes used," the Storyteller reminded me as he continued his story, "Dugout, birch bark and reed canoes and all them crowded beach come race day. Tahoe's canoe was a sturdy and heavy dugout. He craved it from an oak tree and painted it with streaks of fire. He and his craft would surely be unbeatable."

"A cheer of exuberance came over the crowd as a young warrior toted a small narrow watercraft down to the river over his shoulder. Constructed with whalebone-skeleton frame and animal skins stretched over its hull, the boat had a covered deck with only a small opening on top. Carrying a double-bladed paddle the young venturer was known as Two Paddles."

Father and Son Out to Sea, I.E.C. Rasmussen

"The very first kayak on the South Fork," I blurted out with excitement.

"That's right kid and I'd estimate there have been about million or so since," asserted the Storyteller, before he continued his tale.

"Now Two Paddles was the bravest of all the braves. He had paddled area lakes and rivers and had even traveled to the far north where he had learned to paddle like the Inuits,  perfecting a technique that allowed the kayak to be righted after rolling upside down."

"Tahoe scoffed at the narrow little boat with two points and said to Two Paddles, "You will be crushed on the rocks where the Water Babies reside then eaten by the Water Lynx."

"Two Paddles laughed and said, "I will fly over the Water Babies' rapids like the wind and hurtle past the great water cougar where the river become one."

"You see aside from distance and rapids, the paddlers would face three crucial challenges in finishing the race," revealed the Storyteller, "The Water Babies living in the rapids of the gorge, the Water Lynx that lived at the confluence of the north and south forks of the river and the Fish-women at Suicide Bend. All could prove to be deadly."

"Water Babies, sea monsters and mermaids?" I questioned.

The Water Babies, Jesse Wallcox Smith

"If you believe in that kind of stuff," he murmured, "Washoe legend tells of small humanoid type creatures inhabiting bodies of water sometimes causing illness or death of a person. Hearing and responding to the Water Baby's cry can result in catastrophe. Kinda like a gremlin, I suppose. They like to upset and roll canoes in the fast water. I'm sure they still exist to this day, so try to ignore their crying if you hear it."
"The Water Lynx, " he continued, "Was a powerful mythological water creature that was something of a cross between a cougar and a dragon. Those who saw it, and not many who did survived, said it was an enormous monster with a long prehensile like tail made of copper or gold that could snap a canoe in half drowning its paddler."

"And last there was the Fish-Women," the Storyteller smiled, "These were beautiful half-naked creatures with fish tails and the upper bodies of goddesses. They would sit on the rocks at the edges of the deep pools or above swift rapids combing their shimmering long black hair while singing alluring love songs to young warriors encouraging them to jump into the fast-moving stream. The name stuck. They still call it Suicide Bend."

"As expected Tahoe took the lead at the start of the race," the Storyteller emphasized, "His heavy canoe smashed through the rapids, waves and even through the rocks of Kum Mayo leaving behind the armada canoes. Two Paddles even had difficulty keeping up with Tahoe's canoe at first."

Courtesy of Weird U.S.

"In the gorge, the sound of Water Babies the crying echoed over the canyon and the foaming river. Canoes and paddlers turned broadside into whirling water as the little demons appearing like human babies made the warriors try to help them by reaching into the water, only for themselves to be pulled into the swift current by the little devils. It wasn't long before most were swimming and their boats were sinking. In his hefty boat Tahoe lost little time ignoring the weeping Water Babies while proceeding on. Two Paddles, however,  was turned upside down in the swelling boil and came face to face with one of Water Baby's devilish grins. But he rolled his kayak back up in a swirling cesspool of debris and fragments of the busted canoes and paddles."

"Only a handful of paddlers emerged from the gorge. Tahoe was in the lead and Two Paddles was at the very end as they approached the confluence of the two rivers," the Storyteller pointed out, "It's all dammed up now with Folsom Dam, but back then, past the peninsula where the two rivers met was the home of the Water Lynx."

Courtesy of Cryptomundo

"Tahoe awoke the slumbering panther as he paddled into the rivers' junction. It gave out a mighty roar as it slapped its paw at Tahoe's canoe. Missing by inches, it sent a wave of water over Tahoe's bow. The next paddlers were not so fortunate. The half lion and half dragon snapped the next canoe in two with a mighty blow from its serpent tail made of gold and then proceeded to wrap it's glistening tail around another boat, lifting high into the air, before smashing it against the wall of the canyon as the terrified canoeists scrambled out of the water and ran for their lives."

"Two Paddles and his kayak race past the splinters of the sinking canoes," emphasized the Storyteller, "Only to have the lynx catch sight of him and give chase. It was a game of cat and mouse as the dragon-cat ran on top of the water in hot pursuit. But Two Paddles was just too fast as he rolled, weaved and somersaulted across the water. The Water Lynx soon tired of the hunt and made one last pounce, but Two Paddles slipped away by a whisker has creature dove into the deep underneath him."

"The race was three-quarters of the way over and only three paddlers remained," the Storyteller explained, "As they approached a bend in the river they heard the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. It was the song of the Fish-women. Legend says that these sirens had even bewitched the river here by confusing it to turn sharply to north creating a vibrant wave train of chaotic churning water over a clay ledge only to make it turn again with a sharp pivot to the left, sending the stream backward in a circular boil. It's still the river's last rapid and the place where the Fish-Women set their trap for the unsuspecting."

Mermaids, Jean Francis Auburtin

"Their voices were like angels," the Storyteller speculated, "Enchanting and alluring, calling them ever so close and asking for them to stay forever. Tahoe was overtaken by their beauty and paddled closer and closer to see their desirable form.
"Their song is as lovely as they are," yelled Tahoe, "I must get up to see them, to hear them."
"Don't listen to them or look at them," warned Two Paddles, 'They will only bring you death."

"But, Tahoe was spellbound and had to stop to gaze at them and when he did the creatures grabbed his boat from below and started rocking it violently trying to make Tahoe fall into the stream. But, his canoe was too heavy for them and Tahoe used his paddle to knock them all away. The other paddler, however, wasn't so lucky. Under the same spell, he also stopped paddling and capsized in the circular eddy of the last rapid. He was quickly pulled under by the Fish-Women and never seen again."

"Now only Tahoe and Two Paddles were left," proclaimed the Storyteller, "There would be no more rapids or monsters, now only the river tested their endurance. You see, in those times the river there was a boundless string of marshes and wetlands giving it the appearance that they were traveling through a chain of lakes. It was here that Two Paddles and his lighter craft was able to catch Tahoe and his lumbering heavy dugout. For the first time in the race, they were side by side."

"The setting sun was blinding as they approached the finish line, the brown silty water of "Nome-Tee-Mem." Faster and faster they paddled, with each stroke the river loomed ahead of them. Their bodies ached and sweat poured from them, but they would not slow down or stop paddling."

"Along the shore, the local bands gathered to watch," divulged the Storyteller, "But wasn't just the humans of the valley, the deer, bear and wolf viewed from the woods. Eagles and hawks peered down from above, while the otters, salmon and trout watched from below. They would all tell their children and their children's children of this epic race."

"So who won?" I finally pleaded.

"It's a mystery." said the Storyteller looking off to the river. He was watching my two friends paddling together after going through the last rapid.

Indian Canoe Race, William de la Montagne

"One story says, Tahoe crossed first into the big water only to die when his heart gave out from paddling his heavy canoe, " he sighed, "Another legend says that Two Paddles finished first, only to have Tahoe immediately challenge him to another race. The next day they raced on to the ocean and some say they kept paddling from there."

"So which one do you believe?" I queried.

"I think they crossed together like your friends out there," the Storyteller concluded, ''They started out as rivals and ended up as brothers. Each looking out for one another while on the water. Because in the end, winning didn't matter as much as the journey together."