AMERICAN GOLD! THE SOUTH FORK OF THE AMERICAN RIVER

As long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes or a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run. --Sigurd Olson

This is where America went for the gold. Literally! When gold was discovered on the South Fork of the American River in 1848, it sparked the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere igniting our country's passion to push west for those seeking fortune and adventure. Boaters seek that same thrill today as they parade down Highway 49 with raft topped vans and kayak adorn cars to the rushing waters of the South Fork.

During the spring and summer, the South Fork is a playground for whitewater kayakers and rafters of all different levels.  The river descends at a steep gradient of 30 feet per mile. The first five miles from the Chili Bar access is chocked full of exciting Class III whitewater with rapids with scary names like Meat-grinder and Trouble Maker. The so-called easy section is the next, nine miles through the valley consisting of a number of Class II rapids including Barking Dog. After that, the river enters what paddlers call "The Gorge." It's the most challenging series of Class III rapids descending at 33 feet per mile toward Folsom Lake.

In past several years finding water in Northern California has been just about as rare as finding gold, however through deals made with upstream reservoirs and powerhouses along the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission guidelines, timed releases on the South Fork,  keep dependable flows of whitewater pouring into the valley during the day, however towards nightfall much like faucet the flow drops till it's released again the next day.

"If you want to go paddling," said Conner Manley to a youngster on the beach at the put in at Henningsen-Lotus Park,  "Then don't get a job when you have to work during the day."

My crew of Manley, Ethan Howard and Kristin Kettehhofen,  all young employees of The River Store, the local paddle shop just up the road. They had just closed the store for the night and were now heading out on a sunset paddle with me. Low flow paddles are not the norm on the South Fork, but paddling is paddling I told them and besides, we'll have the river all to ourselves.

About mile down the river makes a sweeping curve to the right and then plunges into two standing waves and hole between as it turns again to left. In high flows river's velocity, turbulence and converging currents have created a steep hole in its path making it an appealing and challenging site for area play-boaters. In low flows, it produces still an exciting surfing wave for the boys. Local legend says this Class II rapid got its name when a neighborhood dog sprang to the bank barking loudly at the rafters and kayaks as they went down river.

Conner and Ethan take turns in their play-boats one after one to test their skills on the churning boil. In a cross between ballet and bull-riding,  the boys choreographed the dance of spins, flips and rolls all before the wave spits them out for one more try one more time. Ethan drops the nose of his Dagger play-boat into the turmoil of the Dog, heading straight into its current. Skimming at the edge of the standing wave he dips forward attempting to somersault only to be buried by crashing water.  Even in low flows, the Dog can still bite.

"That wasn't really a loop," calls out Kristin, "but, it was something."
Paddling back smiling towards us in the eddy,  Ethan, says "Did it look cool?"
"Yeah, it did."

Conner, who is planning next year to attend World Class Kayak Academy, a traveling high school for kayaking students exploring rivers and cultures around the world, is most at home spinning on the wave doing maneuver after maneuver. He loses his momentum after a while, rolling back into depths of the torrent before being spit out on the other side.  In high flows, he would have to wait his turn behind the rest of the play-boaters lining up like kids waiting to ride the roller-coaster.  Inching forward one by one. It's a boater's decorum so to speak, waiting to surf the wave one at a time.  He told me that sometimes the wait could be a long one. But on this evening he shares it only with Ethan.

The sun is now starting to hanging as low as the water in the river as we continue down river. The rocks and trees are silhouetted in the glitter of the stream.  I take the lead at Highway Rapid a long rock garden wave train. I twisted and turned and scraping against the stones along the way. The rapid proves to be a bit tricky even in shallow water but water still rumbles and few can resist it. Naturalist John Craighead says, "The call is the thundering rumble of distant rapids, the intimate roar of white water. . . a primeval summons to primordial values."

 The last one was Swimmers Rapid, rightly named because it seems to dump the commercial rafter customers at the end.  It's a victory lap for us. I look to Ethan and say, "This my best day of the week."
 We paddle forward toward the Greenwood Creek take out just as the sunset has turned the river into gold.

This article was originally published in Dirt Bag Paddlers and DBP MAGAZINE ONLINE. 

THE STORY OF LOON LAKE: A CAMPFIRE TALE

 “The world is indeed full of peril and in it, there are many dark places. But still, there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.” –J.R.R. Tolkien

The fire was burning to its last. Everyone else was asleep after the day's paddling on the Western Sierra's Loon Lake. It was just me and the grizzled old storyteller who had shared tales all evening with the folks around the fire. But he saved his best story for me.

"It sure is pretty up here." I told him, "But I can't figure out why they call it Loon Lake. There aren't any loons in California anywhere I've seen."

Now loons are large water birds with rounded heads and dagger-like bills. Their eerie calls echo across clear lakes of the northern wilderness. Less suited to land, loons are powerful, agile divers that catch small fish in fast underwater chases.

"Back in Minnesota on a night like this, " I said with a bit of homesickness in my voice, "I could hear the loons calling across the lake. I've come to miss them since moving to California and sure can't figure out why they call this place Loon Lake. There is not a loon within 2,000 miles of here."

"It wasn't always called Loon Lake you know." grumbled the Storyteller, "At one time, the Washoe called it the Valley of the Medican."

"The Medican?" I asked.

"Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Abominable Snow Monster, if you believe in that kind of stuff," he said. A hush came over the trees and the embers again ignited with a pop. I could see his eyes in the glow of the flames.

A long pause followed. He straightens his Fedora. Then took a flask from his jacket's pocket.  Opening it, he then took a swallow and then looked at me from across the fire and said, "You do, don't you?"

Now, all through Northern California, there are tales of Yetties and Bigfoot sightings.  The mythological ape-like creature is said to inhabit its forested regions. Folklore has usually described Bigfoot as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid, yet scientists discount its existence.

"California had loons a long time ago." he said as he leaned over to stir the fire with a stick, "Thousands of them. But the Medican ate every one of them. That's why they're none here today. For their survival, over time they changed their migrating routes to avoid the monster. Otherwise, there might not any loons at all. Legend had it that the Medican would swallow them whole. But that's not the worst of it. With the loons gone. The monster needed another source of food. So, it turned to the local native children."

"Terror swept through the nearby village when they learned this. They knew they had to devise a plan to kill the monster. But how? The creature was so big and so powerful, that spears and arrows would never work."

"But, that night, a medicine man had a vision of the monster's weakness. He saw that the fierce and terrible Medican could not swim and would sink like a stone if lured into the deepest part of the lake."

"But wasn't this lake built back in the 60s?" I questioned

"It was a long time ago, kid." said the Storyteller, "Legend says, that the lake then was even deeper than Tahoe.  But let's get back to my story. "

"How can we get the Medican into our canoes to bring him to the center of the lake they asked the medicine man. And what shall we use for bait? There seemed to be no answers."

"Then Two Paddles spoke up.  He said he could go to the land of the sky-blue waters and bring back a loon to the valley. He told them when he returned it would be winter and they could lure the Medican onto the ice of the lake. Hopefully, it would then break through and sink to the bottom."

"Now Two Paddles was the bravest of all the braves. He had paddled area lakes and rivers and had traveled to the far north to learn how to paddle like the Eskimos. He left the next day down the Truckee River, portaging the Great Basin to the Missouri River and then up to Mississippi to its source and the home to many loons. Using lumps of sugar, because everyone knows that loons love sugar, he caught the bird that would be used as bait."

"He hurried back along the same route, returning to the valley on snowshoes with the loon in a basket.  It was now the dead of winter with the lake encased with a sheet of ice. The villagers told him that so far, no children had been eaten but the monster was very, very hungry.  Just then they heard a terrible howling echoing through the mountains. It was the Medican.  They had little time to waste.

"The next day, Two Paddles trudged out to the center of the lake leaving behind him a trail of sugar lumps and staging a large pile of sugar at the center of the lake. Under his feet, he could feel the ice weaken. His trap was almost set. He returned to the shore and released the loon. The loon scooted along the ice eating up the sugar along the way until it reached the center of the lake where Two Paddles had poured the largest pile of sugar.  The loon consumed the sugar quickly by gulping it down till it could barely move."

"The scent of the loon, by now had filled the mountain air. A roar came out of the trees. It was the Medican. Fierce and hungry it raced toward the hapless loon on the weakening ice. It grabbed the loon and howled with delight, then opening its mouth, the monster tossed it in swallowing the loon whole."

"At first there was nothing, as the entire valley held its breath.  But then there was a large thunderous CRACK, followed by another and another. It was the sound of ice breaking under the monster.  Two Paddles looked on to see his trap had worked. The sheer weight of the sugar-stuffed loon caused the loon-stuffed Medican to break through the ice. He heard the monster shriek and wail as it sunk into the frozen water fighting to cling to the ice. And then there was no more as it plunged into the depths of the lake."

"So, to this day," smiled the Storyteller, "They call it Loon Lake in honor of the bird that saved all the villager's children that still sing, a loon full of sugar helps the Medican go down."

Current Adventures Kay School and Trips provide an overnight camping trip to Loon Lake for the meteor show across the heavens. The lake renders the perfect backdrop for the annual Perseid Meteor Shower during its peak in the month of August. The Crystal Basin Recreation Area's lake on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just west of Lake Tahoe, offers scenic beauty, limited crowds and no light pollution. Tucked away and only a short drive from Sacramento, California, Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips has been hosting kayaking campers for the meteor shower for nearly a dozen of years. With meals, camping equipment and kayaks provided, paddlers and first-time campers enjoy a cozy "roughing it" in-style camp-out.

If you want to go

Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS:Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

STARRY STARRY NIGHT....LOON LAKE PART I

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”--Jack London

"There goes one!" a voice calls out in the darkness.

"Where? I didn't see it," says another.

"Through the Big Dipper. It had a bright tail."

"Oh man! I missed it. What is that?

"An airplane." says another.

"Geez, were not going back till I see one."

Lost in space between the stars in the heavens and the serene of the lake, we are adrift in the magic of the night. The constellations, Pegasus, Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor shine brilliantly in the moonless sky as our eyes focus toward the east in anticipation of catching falling star.
There are less than a dozen of us floating in the tranquility of Loon Lake. Our bobbing armada of kayaks are lashed together by our fingers tips as each boaters holds tightly to the boats between them. Colored glow sticks dangle in the shadows of our figures while some of our headlamps give an eerie glow. It's just after ten and there is a slight gleam over the mountains. It seems like the whole universe is presented before us.

Loon Lake renders the perfect backdrop for the annual Perseid Meteor Shower during its peak in the month of August. The Crystal Basin Recreation Area's lake on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just west of Lake Tahoe, offers scenic beauty, limited crowds and no light pollution. Tucked away and only a short drive from Sacramento, California, Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips have been providing overnight camping trips for the meteor shower for nearly 10 years. With meals, camping equipment and kayaks provided, paddlers and first time campers enjoy a cozy "roughing it" in-style camp-out. 

"I love the night time paddle,  says long time lake
visitor Djuna Archer, "It's looking up at the stars. This time we have no moon so its beautiful. It's quiet, serene and lovely."

This is our second time out on to the water. We had kayaked the length of the lake earlier during the day, however at night, the lake takes on foreign appearance. The California drought has taken a toll on Loon Lake, dropping it excessively. It is lower than most can ever remember. Just finding our kayaks on the shadowy lake shore is an adventure in itself. In line, we are an illuminated parade of headlamps over the rocky beach to the boats and then, one by one we drop our kayaks into the water and drift into darkness. We follow the leader,  Current Adventure's Dan Crandall's glowing head-ware to the center of the reservoir.

In the middle of the lake we group together and lean back looking at the stars. The day time heat is gone and a coolness brushes over the water. Our voices and the sound of the kayaks bumping together breaks the silence of the lake. We feel the slight vibration of the water below us as the rocking bows gently remind us we are not on solid ground. There is the mystery of water below us and a dazzling array a stars above. Our thoughts navigate us through time and space... How long does it take the light of the stars to touch the earth? Can those satellites see us from above? I wish I could stay here forever.

"Especially in the dark nights," naturalist Henry David Thoreau said long ago while night fishing on Walden Pond, "When our thoughts had wandered to vast and cosmogonal themes and other spheres, to feel this faint jerk, which came to interrupt our dreams and link you to nature again."
  

Our thoughts are disrupted by a flash of a meteor's trail. Fourth of July oohs and awes charge the air. But, the shooting star is gone much to quickly to fully enjoy its splendor. The Perseid shower is known to rise gradually to a peak, then fall off rapidly afterward. We have just missed the peak by a couple of days. The meteor shower is more of a sprinkle but intermittent with wonder and laughter from our group on the lake. Seeing a falling star is always special, however catching it with new friends while kayaking a high Sierra lake is simply magical. It is an experience we will remember for a lifetime. Dan left a light flashing on the shore so we could find our way back. We had a campfire, a couple of bottles of wine and a full day of paddling waiting for us tomorrow.


If you want to go
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips 
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS:Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

This Outside Adventure to the Max was originally published On August 21 2015.

OVER THE BOW: LAKE VALLEY RESERVOIR

The lakes are something which you are unprepared for; they lie up so high, exposed to the light, and the forest is diminished to a fine fringe on their edges, with here and there a blue mountain, like amethyst jewels set around some jewel of the first water, - so anterior, so superior, to all the changes that are to take place on their shores, even now civil and refined, and fair as they can ever be. -- Henry David Thoreau 

A smokey haze floated over the water and mountains at Lake Valley Reservoir. A forest fire was raging down in the hills and the smoke was blowing our way. So much so, I even questioned my decision to paddle here. The smoke fogged our view of the Sierra, burned out eyes and throat a common occurrence during California's fire season. Setting off across the lake, I just hoped the wind would change and the smoke would clear.

Lake Valley Reservoir is at about 5,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains located just off Interstate 80, south of the Yuba Gap. About 2 miles long, the Pacific Gas & Electric lake offers a variety of shoreline from rocky to tree-lined banks, perfect for a day of exploring. The Sierra lakes and reservoirs have water in them this season, and Lake Valley Reservoir is no exception. The water lapped against the glacier-polished granite along the southern shoreline offering an inviting spot for a summer swim.

My wife Debbie and I had other ideas as we paddled to the peninsula at the far end of the lake. There a small island juts out into the lake and raised wall looks over the lake. It provided us with a perfect spot to picnic, swim and watch two courting eagles hang in the sky. The smoke had cleared and the day was neared perfect. We paddled back lazily along the sunken tree-line in what seemed like an ancient world.

"Simplicity in all things is the secret of the wilderness and one of its most valuable lessons." wrote paddling guru Sigurd Olson,  "It is what we leave behind that is important. I think the matter of simplicity goes further than just food, equipment, and unnecessary gadgets; it goes into the matter of thoughts and objectives as well. When in the wilds, we must not carry our problems with us or the joy is lost."

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, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

WHY DO YOU PADDLE?

By Pete Delosa

There are so many things that we could do on any given day. Yet, we choose to spend our days kayaking. Sometimes we are kayaking with friends down chaotic whitewater. Other times we are by ourselves on alpine glacial lakes. Why do we choose kayaking? For me, there are a few main reasons that come to mind.
First, I’ll talk about the sensation. It’s not all that different from the feeling someone might get riding an amusement park ride. I’m not particularly excited about roller coasters but I do love the feeling of making dynamic moves on the water. It could be snapping a tight turn into an eddy, launching off a good boof, or just rolling through the waves. There is something exhilarating about smoothly transitioning from one edge to the other while moving through various currents and feeling the cool splash of the water on your face and the warmth of the sun all at the same time.

Another thing that keeps me coming back to the river is conquering my own fear. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them, but I’m terrified of the water. It makes perfect sense though when you thin about it. What could be more satisfying than taking on your biggest fear? Every time I get in the water I get a little better handle on a fear that has had great power over me my entire life. I grow a little bit and become a stronger person one paddle stroke at a time, every time I go out. I don’t know any other way to get that kind of personal satisfaction. It has taken me longer than most to get to where I am in paddling because of it, but perhaps I’ve learned more along the way as a result.
Finally, and most importantly, kayaking for me is a means to access a place. Some of those places are otherwise inaccessible and some of them you can drive right up to, but it isn’t just about getting there. It’s about being in remarkable places and feeling a part of the place when you get there. I love the sort of dance we do with the amazing power of this world. I love how it makes me realize how small I am in the grand scheme of things. It’s one thing to go and look at the amazing incomprehensible power of nature. It’s even better to get in there and really experience it, to be a part of it, to be just one drop of the water in a vast river.
This is why I kayak, but that’s just me. Why do you kayak?

Pete Delosa is a California professional kayaker with Team Pyranha and offers great insight into the world of whitewater kayaking for Outside Adventure to the Max. You can catch up with Pete on his blog River-Bum.com and his videos on You-Tube. 
Outside Adventure to the Max is always looking for guest bloggers. Contact us at Nickayak@gmail.com

2016 VIDEO BLOG & PHOTOS OF EPPIES GREAT RACE TRAINING

So keep your chin up it helps you breathe. It helps you get more torso rotation and it helps you keep looking ahead. Looking ahead is what makes you faster and keeps you on better lines. So if you find your chin tuck in staring at the cockpit. Get it up! Keep reminding yourself that the whole race...Dan Crandall

It's the final leg of Sacramento's Great Race. Ironmen, women and teams will transfer from bicycles to kayaks and canoes at the Jim Jones Bridge and paddle the rest of the 6.35-mile stretch along the scenic American River Parkway to concluded Eppie’s Great Race this weekend. Known as “The World’s Oldest Triathlon” the race is one of the largest paddling event in the United States. Founded in 1974, the race features a 5.82-mile run, a 12.5-mile bike and paddle on the lower American River from the Sunrise Access to River Bend Park. Filled with all its ripples, eddies and one rapid requiring whitewater skills the paddling portion of the annual race is for most the exciting and challenging part of the race. While most participants come with running and biking skills many of them have never paddled the river.

For the past month, Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips have been conducting intensive kayak workouts for racers building up to weekend's race. The instructors helped the paddlers with fundamentals of paddling and river reading that will come in handy come race day.
Here is a look back of at some of the highlights on the water including at the flat water lessons on Lake Natoma, both half and full sessions on the river and of course views of that pesky San Juan  Rapids.

Current Adventure Kayak School and Trips
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

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2016 EPPIES GREAT RACE TRAINING

The water glistens in the late afternoon sun. Across the way, kids frolic in it ankle-deep, while father down fishermen dot the rocky shore of the stream and huddling below the bike bridge kayakers in PFDs and bike helmets lay out a rainbow of kayaks at the edge of the beach. Anticipation, elation and anxiety churn in each one like the river before them. Looking out over the quiet scene their thoughts of doubts and hesitation are instantaneously interrupted by the booming voice of Dan Crandall.
"Are you ready to paddle tonight? We gotta about a week left. I want to hear something out of you otherwise we're just going to give up...Go home. Watch TV.  Eat popcorn. Peppermint Patties.  Drink milkshakes. All that good stuff you want to do, that you can do the day after the race."

Crandall and his staff from Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips have been conducting intensive kayak workouts with racers for the past several weeks building up to Eppie’s Great Race next week. Known as “The World’s Oldest Triathlon” the race is one of the largest paddling event in the United States. Founded in 1974, the race features a 5.82-mile run, a 12.5-mile bike and a 6.35-mile paddle held along the scenic American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento. That 6.35 miles down the American River with all its ripples and one rapid requiring whitewater skills presents the most challenging and exciting part of the annual race. Participants are expected to transfer from bicycle to boat at the Jim Jones Bridge for the final leg of the race. While most of them come with running and biking skills many of them have never paddled the river.

"Kayaks steer from the back," Crandall tells the group in some beach instruction,  "You have to learn to speak this boat's language. It's a combination of edging correctly so the kayak knows what you're after and following your stroke through behind you, that matters."

Current Adventure's sessions have given instruction on paddling technique, river reading and turning troublesome San Juan Rapids into a speed bump. However, this year the rapid has offered many challenges for the new paddlers.

"Lean forward and smile, " said Crandall, " Show the river you are not afraid and keep a paddle in the water."

There are three ways to pass through San Juan Rapids.  Being off to the right provides the best waves, in the middle for a fun drop and extended bubble wave or stay to the far left and avoid the rapid only to feel it's powerful eddy effect. Underneath the rapid, the river flows back together smashing into the cliff creating a circular boil, before slowing down to gentle speed.  The practicing racers are encouraged to run the rapid a couple of times to familiarize themselves with its nature.

Some paddlers have used these sessions to update their skills and get in a practice run for the event, while others are kayaking for the first time. The instructors help each paddler with paddling fundamentals that will be handy come race day.

"You gotta stay in the current all the way till the outside of that corner." Crandall, calls out as the kayakers raft up together,  So just think about that tonight. Start being very aware of the lines on the river. Use landmarks look ahead. Every time you come around a corner, set a new course to the next corner, don't just be staring at the bow or the deck of your boat. Looking ahead is what makes you faster and keeps you in better lines."

At the end, of course, tired paddlers pull their kayaks across the finish lines with an understanding of the river and what is hand for this next weekend's great race.

Current Adventure Kayak School and Trips
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com