Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Saturday: We Hit the Rapids


Growing up in Southern California I spent more time at the beach then I did in the mountains. As a result my river rafting experience has been limited to a couple inner-tubing trips, a booze cruise down the Truckee river and a float through Glacier National Park at the end of the season when the water was really low.

To put it to you another way, this was the first time I a.) needed a helmet and b.) felt like I needed a helmet...usually I just wear them for fashion purposes.

Our foray into the rafting community lasted a couple of days and covered two different rivers...the North and South forks of the American River. Day 1 on the South Fork was pretty mellow, mainly class 1 and class 2 rapids with a couple of class 3's thrown in there for good measure. While I actually did get thrown out of the boat on that first day along with my buddy JT, the most adrenaline inducing moment on the South Fork was our cliff jump...and not the rapids.

Day 2 on the North Fork was a different story. Right from the get-go it was class 4 and 4+ rapids with a pretty gnarly waterfall there to greet you first thing in the morning. It also cooled down a bit on the second day and even dropped some rain on us. However with that said , Day 2 was way more fun. Sure it was more intense, but that was the experience we all were hoping for.

Not a bad idea for a bachelor party and a hell of a way to celebrate my 34th birthday.

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