River Time!

Finally!!!  Winter Whitewater season has arrived!!!

Whitewater Kayaking on Mendocino's Eel River!

This week's river runs reminded me what I love about river kayaking - the amazing scenery, intriguing geology, and technical paddling.  I encourage everyone to get out on a river sometime - boat, raft, canoe, kayak, inner tube, or maybe even SUP.  The perspective of a river canyon from the water is amazing.  On slow stretches, it is ideal for contemplation as one goes along with the flow. I marvel over the geology.  I often day dream about what the river might have looked like 10,000, 100,000 or a million years ago.

Logs way up on the rocks are remnants of floods.

I like the technical aspects of kayaking rivers and feel that river running has enhanced my sea kayaking skills.  It is fun to play with the currents and hydraulic features.  Zipping in and out of eddies, ferrying across the river, and surfing river waves are a few of my favorite ways to play on the river.  Jeff and I often play a game of tic-tac-toe on rapids - seeing how many times we can cross a rapid or how many eddies we can catch.

Honing in our river running skills with a little Tic-Tac-Toe.

My ideal river trip comprises a combination of scenery and technical paddling.  I especially enjoy whitewater overnight runs and am dreaming up ideas for our 2018 Spring Run Off Trip.

Camping on the Eel River - Spring Run Off 2016

In Mendocino County, we need rain to get our rivers flowing.  We have been getting regular rain and now our rivers are primed and flowing.  This week, I got to run 3 of my favorite local runs and am super jazzed that whitewater river season is here.

Eel River - Outlet Creek Run
The Outlet Creek Run on the main fork of the Eel River is a fun 7 mile Class III stretch and the stretch that we kayak the most.  Here is a post that I wrote describing it - Eel Below Outlet Creek.

Whitewater kayaking on Mendocino County's Eel River

Bald Eagle soaring over the Eel River.

Rancheria Creek 
Imagine kayaking on a creek through the redwood forest.  It is beautiful, and I never feel like photos do it justice.

A river otter spies on us from a cave on the creek.

The peanut gallery of foul weather friends cheering for Allen on "All Day Wave."

Willows n Rocks keep paddlers on their toes on Rancheria Creek.

Eel River - Hearst Run
The Hearst run on the Eel is a 17 mile wilderness run.

Jeff entering Shotgun Rapid.

Jeff at Ramsing Corner.

Watching for bears, pigs, deer, bobcats, and cougars on the hillsides.

Meandering through huge boulders and marveling at how the channels were created.

It is raining again today!!!  I am looking forward to more whitewater this week!!!

Playing around in whitewater!!!