Experimenting with Inflatable Kayaks on the Tuolumne River
July 27th, 2007 by Robyn Suddeth
For a long time now, All Outdoors has been providing inflatable kayaks for our guests on Middle Fork American River 2 and 3-day trips. “Duckies,” as we sometimes affectionately call them, are a great way for people to try out their own water reading abilities and make the Class II section of the river seem much more exciting than it does from inside a raft. Inflatable kayaks bring you much closer to the water… it’s amazing how big those “small” waves can look when they’re right at eye level. As fun as they are, though, inflatable kayaks can be an added logistical challenge to a trip on our end… they are a little bit big and awkward to transport, especially if difficult rapids are interspersed through calmer stretches, making it so that the kayaks need to be temporarily stored time and again. And of course there’s the challenge of making sure no one gets left behind, perched on a rock somewhere in the middle of the river! Because the Middle Fork has a long section of Class II whitewater, the logistics are easy. But until this year, we never brought our duckies along for a Tuolumne trip.
We’ve decided, however, that the value and extra fun those little boats can add to one’s rafting experience far outweighs the logistical challenge of bringing them along. And so, for the first time, we’ve tried out our inflatable kayaks on the Tuolumne! Their virgin run occured sometime last month. I rowed an extra gear boat down so that we could carry them, and tried with the other guides to come up with a quick way to rig them on the boat and take them off again. The purpose of the trip was to see whether or not bringing our duckies on the Tuolumne would be an added benefit or just too much of a struggle.
Turns out that our little experiment was a huge success! (more…)
OK so I missed a week. I have a good excuse though. I was, uh…at the place doing that really important thing.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, All Outdoors conducted an advanced, high water guide school on the Tuolumne River. Flows varied between 7400 and 9000 cfs, and we rafted the whole river each day.
High water 
I’m not usually a superstitious person, but I am a firm believer in what some people call “River Karma.” Although different missteps can result in a run-gone-wrong, River Karma usually manifests itself for the following reason: Failure to Respect The River- you get a teensy bit too sure of yourself, and the river gives you a few slaps on the wrist (or turns in a hydraulic) to put you back in your place.You are probably thinking that I’m crazy… that the river is obviously not a cognizant entity and therefore not capable of reacting in any way to our words or thoughts. My response- there are those who believe and those who one day will. So to save you undecideds out there from learning the hard way, I’ve recounted one of my own experiences…