As the record Sierra snowpack begins to melt, it's sending immense volumes of water through some of the most storied whitewater rafting rivers in the world.
Imagine racing down a steep river of recently melted snow toward a roaring rapid.
If this sounds like fun, you’re in luck: California is on the brink of a whitewater rafting season for the ages.begins to melt, it is sending immense volumes of water cascading through some of the most storied and beautiful rafting rivers in the world: the Kern in the southern Sierra, the Tuolumne, which flows out of Yosemite National Park, and the American flowing out of the mountains near Lake Tahoe.
Whitewater guides across the Sierra are saying much the same. But the sudden bounty of water creates new obstacles — some logistical, others more perilous.“It’s exciting and problematic,” said Tom McDonnell, owner and lead guide of Sierra Mac River Trips in Groveland, a Gold Rush town on the Highway 120 route to Yosemite. The start of their season is delayed because the steady flow of atmospheric rivers this winter washed out the road leading to their normal launch sites.
But the rivers flowing down the western slopes of the Sierra are considered among the best in the world due to the abundance of Class IV and V rapids. They’re exciting enough to get an adventurous heart pumping, and in normal years, safe enough for fit, properly equipped clients with an experienced guide at the helm.For whitewater rafting guides in California, whose small businesses have struggled to stay afloat through punishing drought, the recent deluge is a godsend.
This year’s powerful river flows mean rafting companies will have to screen guides with extra care, and guides will have to do the same with clients before taking them to the most adventurous spots. Mt. Baldy towers over Southern California, beautifully decked with snow. Easy access helps make it one of the three deadliest peaks in the U.S. This winter, rescue crews have been busy.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
California police arrest serial sex assault suspect on University of California Berkeley campusCalifornia authorities have arrested a suspect tied to a string of sexual assaults around the University of California Berkeley campus and in Palo Alto.
Read more »
Texas-Mexico border faces steep challenges as migrant numbers rise in Juárez-El PasoThe challenges are immense as the number of migrants seeking safe refuge has hit a record high around the world due to wars, conflict and climate change,...
Read more »
Sierra man who vanished in Mexico found in 'clandestine grave'The body of a California man whose disappearance in Mexico two months ago spurred a major search by friends and family was found last week, officials said.
Read more »
Sierra Madre residents concerned over increased bear encountersThe former Mayor of Sierra Madre is trying to pressure the state to recognize what he thinks is an increasingly dangerous situation.
Read more »
'I’ve had bears eat my chickens': Bear sightings on the rise in Sierra MadreSierra Madre plans to vote on a proclamation that would urge the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to update its policies for a sustainable managed bear population.
Read more »
San Joaquin Valley farmers dig in for the next battle: an epic Sierra snowmeltEven as blue skies return, flood-weary farmers in the San Joaquin Valley have only to look east, to the towering Sierra mantled in snow, to know there is worse to come.
Read more »