Early Spring In California

Nate Klema, first strokes of the season: Chuck Kern's Slide, Kaweah.

This March we (Nate, Ben, Matt and Cody) made a quick eight day trip to California during spring break. After an all night drive from Durango, we arrived to low flows on the Hospital rock section of the Kaweah. Despite slighly lower then optimum flows it was still good to finally get on the water for the first time that spring, and out of the van. The weather out look was good, so we set up camp and sure enough it started raining that evening.

Ben Luck on Chuck Kern's Slide, Kaweah

Another angle

Matt Klema, Kaweah

The next day the flows were up and we got few laps on Hospital rock section getting our figurative paddling legs back under us.

Ben Luck somewhere on the Hospital Rock section of the Kaweah

Cody on Hospital Rock, Kaweah

Ben, Cody & Nate in 4-20 Gorge, Kaweah

After another night of rain, the flows were high enough to tackle the East Fork of the Kaweah. This is one great run. It rained hard throughout the day. Enough to make the portages pretty scary, keep the cameras in the dry bags and the water levels rising.

We then headed to the Tuolumne. The Cherry creek section was running at just under three-thousand, which made for a great pushy big water day of paddling. The normal takeout road to Lumsden Falls was closed due to a landslide on one end and snow on the other so we paddled the sixteen mile lower section to the lake. It was good to get a long day in. The "T" was fun, and at 3K there were some pretty big holes lurking down there as well.

Matt Klema somewhere on the Cherry Creek section of the Tuolumne

Ben Luck

Nate Klema

Ben Luck, Lumsden Falls

...a little lower down.

Nate Klema, Lumsden Falls

Lunch with Lumsden in the backround. Bottles of wine increase punching power.

From there we headed north, to the South Fork of the Yuba for our last few days. Flows were optimum and the Cali boys showed us a good time as we ran laps and more laps on Purdons and 49-to-Bidgeport.

PLooking down on the 49 to Brideport section of the South Fork of the Yuba

A great warm up and start to the 2011 season....

Nathan & Matthew Klema