Resilience in Rafting: The Last 10 Years on California Rivers

Obstacles and hardships have a way of revealing people’s true colors. Challenges can often result in frustration and losing sight of the bigger picture, or inspire growth and change. As a whitewater rafting outfitter in the California foothills, All-Outdoors is no stranger to nature throwing curve balls. Through turbulent high water seasons, fires that close entire National Forests, and a global pandemic, All-Outdoors really has seen it all. Discover how these events have tested our resilience and taught us valuable lessons over the last ten years.

The Rim Fire

In 2013, the Stanislaus National Forest was devastated by California’s third largest wildfire at the time: the Rim Fire. Our rafting season on the Main Tuolumne and Upper Tuolumne (Cherry Creek) was shut down instantly as the fire started inside the river canyon. Guides feared the worst for the river, surrounding community, our meeting place at Casa Loma, and their home-away-from-home near the historic town of Groveland. 

Staff members worked tirelessly to pack up and move gear from not only the AO property but those of other local outfitters as well; working together until they were forced to evacuate. Our rafting seasons on rivers farther north continued as rafting near Yosemite temporarily shut down. We were able to accommodate rafters whose original plans fell through, help them figure out their new travel logistics, and enable them to experience the thrill of whitewater on the South Fork and Middle Fork of the American Rivers. When the flames subsided after many weeks, our staff was able to return to Groveland, relieved to find our Casa Loma meet place unharmed. 

It wasn’t until the following spring that we could venture back into the river canyon and assess the aftermath. During a special joint trip involving all Tuolumne River outfitters and fire and forest service officials, we inspected the river and its immediate surroundings. Despite the visible impact of the fire, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a revived canyon with fresh green grass and hillsides blooming with wildflowers. We could tell that we were in for another wonderful rafting season on our beloved river. The Rim Fire reiterated something we have known for over 60 years- that All-Outdoors is a family that extends past its guides and guests and into the rafting community as a whole; And family looks out for each other.

The King Fire

Even with the lessons learned from the Rim Fire the previous year, the King Fire in 2014 gave us a very steep learning curve of how to navigate and manage our relationship with wildfires. With the blaze starting only about an hour east of our River Center in Lotus, this fire was close to home with a number of people from the AO community being directly impacted by the destruction. The King Fire kicked everyone into gear; emergency response plans were created as the fire doubled in size in four days. There was a sense of urgency throughout the valley as the community did their best to keep calm and keep their priorities in mind. Personal and family concerns came first. Many members of the rafting community live up the hill from Lotus in the direction of the fire and it was all hands on deck trying to protect everyone’s homes and property. The only predictable thing about wildfires is that they are unpredictable, but the King Fire moved us to be as prepared and organized as possible as we faced our next fire season.

2017 High Water Season

The 2017 season was marked as a high water year coming in at 173% of normal snowpack in the Sierras. While the water levels were impressive and became a daily news topic, this increase in flows was not unfamiliar to AO. Decades of experience with a wide range of flows on a variety of rivers gave AO an advantage when managing these conditions. In addition to conducting extra training sessions for our guides to prepare for an exciting rafting season ahead, we were also focused on the rafting industry’s relationship with the media. 

Media portrayals of heavy snow years are often very discouraging. News anchors share inflammatory headlines, narrowing in on the “devastating” effects of the snow. Reporters paint pictures of loss and disaster and tell recreationists to stay away and avoid rivers and impacted areas. There is undeniable truth in their reports, but there is even more that gets left out. Rafting outfitters across California worked hard to be heard over news reports, reminding the public that higher water levels can offer a great experience as long as they are rafting with professionals. Being the premier outfitter in California, attention was on All-Outdoors to supply accurate details and forecasts for the upcoming rafting season.

COVID-19

When COVID-19 swept the globe in 2020, its impact was (and still is) obvious. Lockdown measures and severe restrictions were put in place everywhere and for everything. All commercial whitewater rafting was canceled for several months while we waited for science to catch up with the virus and statewide regulations to be updated. All-Outdoors started running trips again (when permitted) following strict rules and county regulations. We worked alongside our community to bring rafting back for the sake of people’s well-being. AO adapted with every mandate and guideline; offering private rafts, pre-packaged meals, ample amounts of sanitizer, and mandatory masking. We amended our cancellation policy to better accommodate the uncertainty that surrounded us. 

Over the course of the season we found a groove and were able to offer our most popular itineraries again. We are incredibly thankful to everyone who joined us on the water during the 2020 season! It’s one thing to know the power of community, but it’s something entirely different to see it in action. Your loyalty, enthusiasm, and participation kept our (not so) little river family going.

The Caldor Fire

Few fires have hit as close to home as the Caldor Fire in August 2021. Rivaled only by the King Fire in 2014, the edges of the Caldor Fire reached within an hour’s drive from our River Center in Lotus. With the amount of uncertainty about the fire’s path along with the subsequent closure of our National Forests, blocking access to several of the 10 California rivers we run, everyone was getting to work and creating action plans. During these months AO became even more efficient at communicating daily updates with guests, AQI’s (Air quality index readings and caveats), and flexibility. AO installed our own air quality sensor to monitor conditions in our exact location to provide guests with up-to-date information regarding their trips. Some days conditions were poor enough that we had to cancel trips on the American River, leading us to build even more flexibility to our cancellation policy. 

The National Forest closure cut our season on the Middle Fork American River short by about a month. Luckily, the nearby South Fork American remained accessible and was an excellent alternative rafting option for our guests. With great fortune and the relief of rain, the fire never made it near our river locations and we were able to apply what we learned about communication and teamwork to our practices going forward.

The Mosquito Fire

Autumn of 2022 threw a curveball at the Fall rafting season in California. The 2,000 foot deep canyon home to the Middle Fork American River was ablaze. Fire crews worked tirelessly to fight the flames on uneven, steep, and rocky terrain. Our Middle Fork base of operations in Foresthill was directly threatened, along with the rest of the small community. AO staff worked to move our rafting gear and protect local structures until the flames were visible from the road and authorities had to tell them to evacuate. Burnt trees fallen across roads and restricted access to the Oxbow dam put-in offered a grim outlook for the following rafting season. Knowing the resilience of the landscape, our gears were already turning, figuring out what we would need to do in order to safely gain access while still offering support to the impacted area. Even with these immediate efforts, plans were forced to change once again when the rain and snow started to shape our winter.

2023 High Water Season

2023 was a year for the record books! Coming on the heels of a 260% of normal snowpack in the California Sierras, the 2023 rafting season was highly anticipated but not without its own set of obstacles (much like the Rock Garden Rapid on the Tuolumne). Some challenges were more obvious than others. The high water created by the gradually melting snow made for some epic whitewater rafting, but the added difficulty and intensity also limited spring rafting to teens and adults who are strong swimmers. These dramatic flows are highly sought after by many rafters, but definitely delayed some fun summer plans for others. Whitewater rafting trips re-opened for every skill level in July as the water flows normalized.

While above-average precipitation is great for rivers, it is not as kind to narrow mountain roads. One of the next challenges facing AO was the limited access to two of our most popular rivers – the Middle Fork American and Tuolumne. Working in tandem with the damage from the Mosquito Fire, the winter storms of 2022 destroyed sections of the road we take to our put-in location on the Middle Fork American River. Creative solutions were in order. We developed a partnership with a local business whose property above the famous Tunnel Chute Rapid became the interim put-in spot not just for AO, but also for other commercial outfitters operating on the river. With some teamwork from our community and a bit of luck, we were able to commercially raft the Middle Fork again two months after its typical season would begin.

The situation on the Tuolumne was trickier to navigate. Fire road damage led to our vehicles being unable to reach our put-in location on the river, so guides and guests hike down into the canyon before their rafting adventure until the road is repaired. A downhill hike with stunning views is the perfect solution to make sure we can still provide some awesome whitewater experiences.

Storms, floods, fires, (oh my!) and a global pandemic have been challenging events for everyone who has faced them. The years have taught us that even in uncertain times, we can rely on our community to help us get through. Being open to both offering and asking for help has increased trust and involvement in the All-Outdoors family from the community at large. We have been continuously reminded of the importance of family, connection, communication, and flexibility, and we will continue to put these lessons into practice every day and with every rafting trip we run. In the words of our founder George Armstrong, “No matter how much you know, or think you know, there is always more to learn.”

Reily Schultz

Reily is a Gold Country native. She graduated from Willamette University with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in Gender Studies and Psychology. She joined the All-Outdoors family in the spring of 2022, working as a California Rafting Consultant and a member of the marketing team. Her favorite All-Outdoors itinerary is the multi-day Tuolumne rafting trip. Reily is an avid artist, outdoors-woman, and purr-fessional cat snuggler.