Another Beautiful Rainy Day
I moved to California from Australia four years ago and one of the things I looked forward to most was beautiful wet and snowy winters. The dry winters that ensued were a little disappointing but the dry weather could not stop California from being the beautiful place that it is.
One of the great things about the drought in terms of boating was the emergence of river runs that have been drowned by man made lakes like the Camp Nine Section of the Stanislaus River and the Big Bend Run on the North Feather River.
On the South Fork of the American we had it twice as good as we still had normal flows all summer but the lake at Salmon Falls was so low that more of the natural river environment was exposed and the rapids went all the way to take out.
The lower water also helped us push the limits of what was possible in a raft, which made for some great adventures on some classic runs at low water like the North Fork of the American which is a natural flow river.
But don't worry I am not hoping for an endless drought! The soft rain today on the roof of my cabin is music to my ears. I am hoping for a good winter but I have definitely enjoyed the challenge and the beauty of low water boating over the last few years.
-Sarah V