The All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting California River Blog

One of our very own river guides, Colin L, has seriously put his money where his mouth is.  After hearing about the devastation in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti he contacted a humanitarian group he’d worked with before and volunteered to help on the ground.  I knew Colin was awesome before–but this is really amazing. 

Take a sec to check out his blog to find out more about what he’s up to.  So far, he has been using his commercial driving skills (you may have seen him behind the wheel of an AO bus on a rafting trip last summer!) to take supplies from the Dominican Republic into Haiti overland.

http://colininhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/02/dear-friends-like-many-of-you-i-was.html

Top: Colin in Haiti! Driving to Port au Prince

Bottom:  A truly impressive local bus. For more pictures and updates go to Colin’s blog.

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That’s right aspiring river rats, it’s time to get your guide on.   If you just can’t get enough whitewater it may be time to break your mama’s heart, make your daddy grit his teeth, and head out west to join the AO senior guide crew for a little whitewater raftin’ instruction!  And by “break her heart” and “grit his teeth” I mean “make them proud you love nature and sharing the outdoors with your fellow man so.” At our professional river guide school you will learn the mysteries of hydrolics (trust us, it’s more complicated than just pointin’ her downstream, although that is often a good place to start), the ins and outs of navigation, and of course, how to make dutch oven brownies.  No doubt you will also have so. much. fun.  Even I, the least athletic person at AO rafting, had a blast at guide school.  That’s some serious proof.

So join us for a week of wonderment and glory!  Our river rafting guide school has two sessions in 2010.

Session One: Spring! April 8-11 and 16-18, 2010.  The split session helps you negotiate with your Boss Man or Professors.

Session Two: Summer!  June 15-21, 2010.

For more info visit the california river guide school page on our website.

(Above: See how much fun whitewater rivers are!?  They make everyday stops by the side of the road a total party!)

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Taking a break from our regularly scheduled storm reporting:

How’s this for making the most of what you got?  Kayaking in the middle of a South Dakota winter–who knew?!

You can read the whole article here:  http://blackhillsnewsbureau.com/news-stories/article/238-snow-kayaking-picks-up-speed-in-the-black-hills.html

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This time of year is no moment for launching last-minute deals on a rafting trip.   I mean, we’ll take you on the water if you really want to go, but we realize winter rafting is only for the insane seriously obsessed sooooo……..we’re doing a 180 and offering the opposite: the plan-way-way-ahead-deal! 

Until January 29th, we’re offering a 25% discount on all of our rafting trips in 2010.  Any trip, any day.  No restrictions, black-out dates, or hidden costs.  This is just a good deal no matter how you slice it.  Scrape together your pennies, get on the horn, and get a good deal.  Prices go up on the 30th!

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Don’t let the Christmas displays barging into your life from annoying retailers disuade you–it is actually NOT the dead of winter yet, and we are NOT hosting Mr. and Mrs. Claus and company on a rafting trip. 

It’s October, the colors are changing, the hills are golden and the water on the South Fork of the American River is flowing well–about 1200-1600 CFS pretty much everyday the water is “up.”  (The “off” days are just fish flow–too low for rafting)  The season on the Middle Fork is officially kaput so your option now is the upper or lower run of the South Fork, both of which have super fun class III rapids.

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Scotto from Clavey River Equipment went on a bachelor party on the Tuolumne River a few weeks ago and wrote a hilarious account of the trip. Beginning with him writing, “If marriage is nothing more than an excuse to get all your best buds together to float some of the best whitewater in the world while pushing your liver to its limit, then I say it’s worth it (No honey, of course that’s not why we’re getting married),” you will be laughing through the entire trip report. He’ll also make you want to go on a T trip yourself: “I love the Tuolumne River. I love the camps. I love the whitewater. I love the hikes.” You can read about it on the Clavey Blog. And dream about your awesome trip next summer…and congratulations Scotto!!!!

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The American River Conservancy has been been working for years to complete a multi-use trail for the public along the South Fork of the American River.  Just a few acres short of their goal, ARC is working hard for the final push!

But, they need your help!  A fundraiser called the Starthistle Ball  is planned at the lovely Venezio Winery this October 10th.  The winery will host a semi-formal swing dance, dinner, auction and good- times-all-around-event in the valley.  The weather should be lovely–fall in the Coloma-Lotus valley is mild and inviting–and the Venezio property is beautiful.  I’m sure the wine will be delicious–this area is known for rich and jammy Zinfandels.  Plus you’ll supporting a cause any river lover can get behind.  RSVP to the event at the ARC website.

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It’s that time of year again when kids go back to school and California’s 4th graders arrive en masse each day to learn a little more about the Golden State. As a follow up to our previous entry about saving Marshall Gold Discovery Park, I thought I’d give you a very brief version of California’s Gold Rush History.

James Marshall’s discovery of gold in California was actually an accident (how lucky). He stumbled upon a gold nugget on January 24, 1948, while building a sawmill in Coloma for John Sutter. When the actual mill was completed, they diverted water out of the South Fork of the American into a ditch (called a tailrace), so that water would continually flow through the mill. The water brought minerals and sediments along with it, and the heaviest mineral (aka gold), was left in the tailrace.

When Marshall found the gold, he knew immediately what it was, but he and Sutter did a bunch of tests to confirm. They tried to keep quiet about it, however word spread quickly that there was gold in the American River. Local rumors turned into national newspaper articles and by 1949, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children had made their way to California to try their luck at prospecting.  The South Fork and Middle Fork Valleys were significantly more populated than they are today, with estimates of well over 10,000 people living in each area. A few folks struck it rich, but most, including James Marshall, were no wealthier in the end.

Numerous artifacts and remnants of the Gold Rush can be seen on all three forks of the American River. The most obvious is the Marshall Gold Discovery Park and the most fun is Tunnel Chute rapid on the Middle Fork of the American. From far above the river, viewers can make out a large horseshoe bend where the river once meandered. The miners very creatively diverted the water into a chute and chipped and blasted through a cliff where. Today, the water plunges through the chute and calms down in the tunnel. The rapid really should be named Chute Tunnel, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well.

Now when you come rafting on the South Fork or the Middle Fork of the American, you can show off to your raft mates and fill them in on a very important piece of California (and US) history.

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If you’re looking for a great end of summer hike, look no further than the North Fork of the American River. This 4.5 mile trek combines rock hopping and lazy floats in emerald pools. You’ll be river hiking along the class IV whitewater section from Iowa Hill Bridge to Yankee Jims Bridge. At this time of year the flows on the river are low because this section is not dammed. So, you won’t witness any of the huge whitewater (that’s when you’ll want to go rafting on this section–wink, wink) but you will see what’s under the water like some pretty incredible boulders and how high the water line is in the spring when the canyon narrows. If you take some goggles, I’d imagine the fish/river creature sighting is pretty good too. Best time to take this hike is in August and September because the water’s low and warm like bathwater.

We took daypacks with sustenance for the day. Be aware that this can be an all day hike. We took our time and spent eight hours in the canyon, with an hour for lunch and a few breaks, but it could probably be done in 6 hours at a steady pace. A good way to add buoyancy to your pack when you’re floating is to put a small, air-filled dry bag inside. If you’re willing to sacrifice the bottom of your pack, I’d also recommend grommeting in a few holes for quick drainage–my pack had no holes and I was water logged and sloshing around after every pool…but the seclusion of the canyon and the escape from the heat made it worth the weight.

The road to Yankee Jim’s Bridge is just off I-80 East close to Colfax. A good place to meet up with your shuttle is at the Weimar Cross Rd Park and Ride on the right side of the Interstate just off the Weimar Cross Rd exit. Take Canyon Way east to Yankee Jims Rd and turn right. The road to Yankee Jims Bridge is pretty much dirt and parking is more secluded. Iowa Hill Rd is 3.5 miles east on I-80 from Weimar Cross Rd–the road is paved and there are more cars parked here typically.

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The best ways to celebrate Labor Day (one of the greatest holidays every created) are a) take the day off work and b) do something fun. We have the perfect solution: go rafting! Other than the thrilling and fun “work” of paddling, you will have no to do list, no phone calls or emails to return, no company meetings, you get the point. Our trusty, awesome guides and office staff make the whole experience a breeze. Once you park your car in the lot, you can escape the “real world” and leave the logistics and lunch up to us. Bring the whole family, or even some other friends from work who need a day off, and come enjoy the sunshine in style.

Note: We are running trips on the South Fork American, Middle Fork American, Tuolumne and Cherry Creek

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