HORIZON LINES

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time… Abraham Lincoln

I just love to read guidebooks and look at river maps. First of all, they give you an idea of where to go. I can not think of how many times I paged through my well-worn copy of Paddling Northern California by Charlie Pike to get an idea of where to go and where to put in. It Describes more than 65 of the best paddling trips in Northern California, including whitewater, flat water, and coastal excursions.
Just last year, a group I lead paddled the Sacramento River. A section of the river, we probably wouldn’t have even thought of had it not been featured in the guide.
What to expect along the way is another reason I like to study them. As the leader of the group, I like to be a bit prepared. Warn them of possibly swift water or just give a few tidbits about the natural landmark or some history of the area. Of course, when the 80-yard portage turns into a double or triples that, I can blame it on the guidebook saying the write-up said it would be short.

River maps showing the access, takeouts, and especially the rapids are extremely important. In Duct Tape Diaries, NRS’s official blog that celebrates the paddling lifestyle through compelling storytelling and photography, writer DM Collins gave an ode to river maps saying, “River maps are a small but mighty piece of gear. How do I know this? For one, they elicit confidence and a felt sense of security in my most anxiety-ridden river moments—at least for me. Holding and reading a map is one’s crude equivalent to central command in the backcountry. In a world riddled with screens and information at the tap of a button, the handheld binary paper map is both novel and understated in guiding one on their river journey.”

The River Store

Where to go and what to expect when you get there. As I start off my summer, I wish I knew. It will be out of the ordinary as my wife, Debbie, and I prepare to move to Placerville, California, a smaller Sierra Nevada foothills community located east of Sacramento. The Gold Rush-era history makes up a big part of the community’s identity, but the town is also a popular destination for hiking, mountain biking, and adrenaline-pumping whitewater kayaking and rafting. Both the upper and lower sections of the South Fork American River offer rollicking rapids and gorgeous scenery.

John Taylor & Debbie Carlson on Lake Natoma

While Working for Current Adventures Kayaking School & Trips for several years, I’ve logged many miles to the shop in Coloma. I’ll be much closer now to my jobs at Sly Park Paddle Rentals and The River Store while a bit longer to my other employment venues. It will be a trade-off.

I’m excited about this next stage of my life as I approach this river bend. Are there worries and concerns? Of course. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Here is a look at some of our favorite images from this year so far.

Lake Clementine

Lake Natoma

Lake Comanche Reservoir

Dan Crandall of Current Adventures

Debbie Carlson & Yosemite Valley

Lake Lodi

Lake Clementine

Lake Jenkinson

Rattlesnake Bar & Folsom Lake 

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OVER THE BOW: THE OTTER TAIL RIVER

The first river you paddle runs through the rest of your life. It bubbles up in pools and eddies to remind you who you are. — Lynn Noel

It has been a long time since I’ve got to paddle the Otter Tail River in Minnesota. I started thinking about that while packing up and getting ready to move. Something about moving makes us feel nostalgic about the place we’re leaving behind. We think about the things we’ll miss. A neighbor, a restaurant or bar, and if you’re like me, a favorite paddling place.
The Otter Tail River was the first river where I got a taste of whitewater. It’s Minnesota’s eighth-longest river running through the western part of the state before dumping into the Red River. It starts out as a narrow crystal-clear stream as it meanders downhill through the countryside’s lakes and marshes. It doesn’t move particularly fast but offers canoeists plenty of opportunities for wildlife views along the tranquil river trail. However, east of Fergus Falls, the Otter Tail River picks up speed after making an abrupt turn toward the west, running through a valley filled with Class I and II rapids.
Whitewater is uncommon in western Minnesota. The gradient of the land just doesn’t drop that fast. In California, the gradient for popular whitewater sections is measured in feet per mile; but in northwest Minnesota, the gradient is gauged in inches per mile. So don’t look for big drops. It has been said that a second-hand pool table has more of a slant to it than a northwestern Minnesota river.

That said, the Broken Down Dam site on the river just east of Fergus Falls has been offering thrills and spills for canoeists and kayakers wanting to take a small bite of whitewater. The crumbling dam has been mostly forgotten since its collapse over a century ago. Busting through its center, the river tumbles, swirls, and drops between two massive concrete walls. During the spring runoff or after a good summer rain, the stream can rage into a fast-moving Class III rapid. Combined with a boulder garden stretch of class II waves before reaching the dam’s remnants, it’s a perfect place for a whitewater kayak in a place where rapids are hard to find.

About ten years ago, I was just getting into paddling, and of course, just as I do today, I wanted the thrill and challenge of paddling rapids. With Sigurd Olson’s words echoing in my head, “I know this: as long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes and a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run.”
My son Cole and I dove in headfirst. We bought two used whitewater boats at a Twin Cities kayak auction. Probably, not the best fit, but it got us on the water. We took turns running that foam-laced section of the river one afternoon, feeling a sense of triumph after bounding through the crashing waves.

This move will be shorter than my move to California from the Midwest and the Otter Tail River. My wife Debbie and I are leaving Fair Oaks and moving up into the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, where we all know the rivers do rush, tumble, and fall. I will miss the closeness of some of my favorite paddling spots in the valley, but, unlike Minnesota rivers, I’ll still be able to visit them from time to time.

Over the Bow is a feature from Outside Adventure to the Max, telling the story behind the image. If you have a great picture with a great story, submit it to us at nickayak@gmail.com

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RETURN TO THE LAKE

I returned to the lake last weekend. Coming back to the quiet waters of Lake Jenkinson and Sly Park Recreation Area that’s nestled in the western foothills of the Sierra, near Pollock Pines, California. The past several summers, I have spent almost every weekend working the Sly Park Paddle Rentals boathouse, renting out kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards to anyone wanting to paddle the lake. Driving down the park road and seeing the water shimmering through the trees, I felt like I had arrived back home. It had been a long time coming. My season was abruptly cut short last summer after I was unceremoniously tossed off the lake as the Calder fire raged nearby. 

I had come back a couple times. Late in the fall, I came to gather up all the gear I had left behind. Even then, the walk down to the lake to sweep away the ash from inside the boathouse was a long one. It had been a dry year from the beginning. All season, I watched the lake levels drop, exposing the lakebed and tree stumps. The wildfire only exacerbated the already parched season. The Calder Fire reported on August 14th went scorched some 221,835 acres, but luckily only singed Sly Park borders. 

When my wife Debbie and I visited the lake for a mid-winter hike along the snow-covered lakeshore, we were happy to see the lake was still low. But on the rise. We were optimistic that winter storms would yield much-needed moisture into the lake. 

This past weekend, the lake was up. According to the sign at the front gate was up to 81%. Not quite full, but a far cry better than the last time I visited. Now the lake glistened an emerald green. The boathouse had been lifted from the depths of the lake. The long pathway down to its gangplank was only a memory. Looking into the clear water below it, I could make out a few of the rocks I had placed to mark the trail where the sidewalk had ended. 

The canoes that Current Adventures Dan Crandall had brought up lay half-sunken under the boathouse dock. A heavy rain a few weeks ago indicated how much rain had fallen. The four canoes served as large rain gauges. They would require a bit of bailing if my group from Bayside Adventure Sports were to be using them that evening for a sunset paddle. 

Paddlers often debate the perfect time of the day to paddle. Some say it’s best in the morning mist. When the lake is still quiet. And the fishing boats have yet to arrive. On Lake Jenkinson there is a 90-minute window in the early morning when the lake is calm and before the winds start to blow through the narrows. The afternoon fetch is always troublesome to paddlers when paddling against it. Others might prefer to sleep in and wait for sunset when the pines cast shadows across the lake and the western sky is ablaze. There may be a sunset every day but being on Lake Jenkinson in a canoe at twilight while watching the sun slowly sink down into the pines is a special experience no matter how many times, I’ve taken it in.  

“I was entranced by the loveliness of the sight,” Egerton Ryerson Young, a Canadian missionary and author wrote in his biographical tale, By Canoe and Dog Train Among the Cree Ad Salteaux, “The reflections of the canoe and men and of the islands and rocks were as vivid as the actual realities. So clear and transparent was the water that where it met the air, there seemed to be only a narrow thread between the two elements. Not a breath of air stirred, not a ripple moved. It was one of those sights, which seldom comes to us in a lifetime, where everything is in perfect unison.”

After spending two days camping with my group, I can truly, say I can’t wait for more. I look forward to opening up the boathouse for the season and all the summer days at home on the lake.

If you want to go on a canoe or kayak trip at Sly Park contact:
Current Adventures Kayak School and Trips
PHONE: 530-333-9115 or Toll-Free: 888-452-9254
FAX: 530-333-1291
USPS: Current Adventures, P.O. Box 828, Lotus, CA 95651
info@currentadventures.com
owner Dan Crandall dan@kayaking.com

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