Ralston Fire Has Remained Upstream of the Rafted Portion of the Middle Fork American River
September 12th, 2006 by Robyn SuddethWith reports of a huge fire burning dangerously close to Foresthill, only 35% controlled a week after its inception, a few of us boaters have started to wonder… “What effect is this fire going to have on our beloved Middle Fork American River canyon??”
Luckily, there’s good news on that one. The blaze, (officially called the Ralston Fire), has remained upstream, or east, of the rafted portion of the river. It continues to burn in a North-East line, with firefighters hoping to stop its spread before it hits the North Fork of the American River.
Authorities have set the expected containment date at September 18th, so hopefully we can start rafting on the Middle Fork again soon. In the meantime, Goodwin Canyon is a great alternative for intermediate level rafting (Class III-IV) and is actually closer to San Francisco for all those who may be heading up from the Bay Area. (Check out the last post in this blog for some recent pictures of a trip.)
