Your Mountain Lake Escape.

PUBLISHING + EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER

Cathy Claesson cathy@adventuresportsjournal.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Matt Niswonger matt@adventuresportsjournal.com

EDITOR

Michele Lamelin & Krista Houghton

COPY EDITOR

Jennifer Stein

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Matt Johanson, Ken Etzl, John Dayberry, Tim Davis/Patagonia, Native Like Water, Michael Timm, Scott Racette/SV Azimuth, Marissa Neely, Kenna Shine/SV Sitka, Tributary Whitewater Tours, Dylan Silver/ OARS

COVER DESIGN

Lauren Worth

EVENTS MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION

Krista Houghton krista@adventuresportsjournal.com

Lee Houghton lee@adventuresportsjournal.com

ADVERTISING

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Cathy Claesson I 831.234.0351 cathy@adventuresportsjournal.com

DESTINATION MARKETING MANAGER

Pamela Coffey I 619.887.9937 pamela@adventuresportsjournal.com

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our office resides in Aulinta (‘place of the Red Abalone’) in the larger region called Popeloutchom (‘paradise’) by the Amah Mutsun Tribe.

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Asj Contributors

How is water a part of your adventure planning this summer?

Leoniesherman

This summer I’m going to explore some class C canyons in Switzerland — swift running water will pose an objective hazard. Grateful for competent friends who can help me not drown. Aaah, the things we do for fun.

Mattjohanson

On the Pacific Crest Trail, hikers consider water in every decision. Thankfully, the big winter has made it more plentiful than usual.

Kurtgensheimer

Living on the Truckee River in Verdi, Nevada and having a neighbor who’s an avid whitewater rafter, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some of the highest river flows in years these past few weeks.

Anthearaymond

Water is almost always part of any adventure I plan. Our wet winter has made things so much easier!

Marissaneely

My husband and I have made our lives revolve around water! Living on a sailboat means we get to live intimately with the sea, and even when we aren’t on our boat we find ourselves seeking out lakes, rivers and ponds to get our fix.

Jamesmurren

I’m planning to take some people to Kernville for rafting. Being in the ocean throughout the summer — body surfing, snorkeling, kayaking — will be my water adventures for the next few months.

Braydenstephenson

Warmer water is just around the corner and I’m looking forward to late night sunsets at Cardiff Reef and logging days at San Onofre with friends. Summer is truly a magical time in the Pacific Ocean.

Mattniswonger

This summer I’d like to do some river rafting with family and friends. There is nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment after surviving some intimidating rapids in a beautiful river setting.

WHITEWATER ZEN The lesson of powerful rivers

For most of my life, I’ve been scared of whitewater. I’m humbled to admit that until recently I was terrified of strong river currents. In my youth I spent many days paddling canoes as a summer camp counselor on the Russian River in Sonoma County, but in terms of actual whitewater experience we never went beyond short sections of Class II riffles. So my boating skill level in powerful rivers was non-existent.

Feeling ready to increase my whitewater skills, about 15 years ago I went to the American River near Placerville to face my fears. The plan was to throw myself into the deep end both literally and figuratively.

The Gorge on the South Fork of the American River is one of the most famous commercially guided Class III whitewater runs in the country, and I rented an inflatable kayak to experience this famous whitewater first-hand. With names like Satan’s Cesspool, Deadman’s Drop and Hospital Bar, the rapids in the Gorge are serious whitewater, although considered quite pedestrian by kayaking and rafting experts.

As we made our way to the first rapid in the Gorge, my adrenaline spiked. I was having trouble with my inflatable kayak because it was actually designed for two people and I couldn’t steer very well. Too late, I was beginning to realize that navigating whitewater was all about picking a line in the river and paddling like hell to keep that line. Without a passenger to anchor the front end of my two-person kayak, I was all over the place.

Fully committed now, I went backwards through Satan’s Cesspool. Feeling completely out of my league, I was utterly terrified. The roar of the whitewater was deafening as I locked eyes with some concerned people on the shore. Was it that obvious I didn’t know what I was doing? Somehow managing to stay in my boat through a few more rapids, I finally reached Hospital Bar, and that’s when my luck ran out. My kayak flipped and suddenly I felt like I was drowning. Everything went dark as I struggled to put my head above water. All I can say is thank God for my PFD or I would have certainly died. Holding my paddle with a white knuckle death grip, I floated feetfirst down the remainder of Hospital Bar. At some point a sharp boulder slammed into my tailbone. Recovering my boat in a downstream eddy, I eventually limped back to Santa Cruz, feeling defeated and discouraged.

Over time I realized my mindset was all wrong for whitewater. Instead of being humble and taking a river safety course with experts, I treated the river like a personal adversary to be overcome. As usual, nature was teaching me something. Whitewater is not an adversary to be defeated, it’s a dance partner to be understood and respected.

Years later I floated the same section of the American River with my family on a raft with professional guides. The contrast couldn’t have been more stark. This time I wasn’t terrified, I was thrilled. In our group of a dozen or so, we had two guides per boat. I began to see how the guides worked with the river instead of against it. Because I was able to let go of my egocentric need to prove myself, Satan’s Cesspool felt more like heaven’s gate than the entrance to hell.

Welcome to issue # 129. It’s the best year in decades for whitewater but we humbly ask that you do not repeat my mistake. Being cocky and callous on the river will lead to terrifying misadventures or worse. With record snowmelt California’s rivers are flowing with the raging power of Mother Nature herself, so please know your limits and act accordingly. Hire a professional guide service with a strong record of expertise on the rivers you want to explore. From the Rogue to the

Klamath, to the Yuba, to the American, to the San Joaquin, to the Kern, to the Santa Ana and every river in between, the thrilling possibilities are endless right now.

In Zen Buddhism, students are urged not to talk about Nirvana. The idea cheapens with every attempt to describe it. In his book Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh tells the story of the old Zen master who tells his students to wash their mouths out with soap every time they say the word, “Nirvana.” The lesson was not to cheapen the goal of Buddhism by reducing Nirvana to a concept. By accepting the inherently contradictory nature of Nirvana we stand a better chance of achieving it. That’s why traditional Zen teachers were so fond of koans, contradictory phrases like “the sound of one hand clapping.” By forcing our brains to consider a realm outside of over-simplified concepts, koans trick us into a state of beginner’s mind, a place where reality is experienced for the very first time.

A good day on the river is like that. Like a Zen koan, whitewater boating can trick us into a state of beginner’s mind. Forced into a contradictory balance between terror and bliss, hot and cold, power and grace, we break free from cynical concepts and experience the eternity of the moment for the very first time. That’s why many seasoned river guides will tell you they love running whitewater with beginners—it reminds them why they fell in love with river boating in the first place.

— Matt Niswonger matt@adventuresportsjournal.com