Whitewater Rafting with Mother Lode

Sierra Snowpack at 107%

2010-03-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

So far, so good. This winter has been wet. The latest snow survey by the DWR (California Department of Water Resources), the third such survey of the season, has the current snowpack/water equivalency for the Sierras at 107% of normal. This is a huge increase from last year's March survey, which revealed only a 80% of normal status. Electronic sensor readings show northern Sierra snow water equivalents at 126%, central Sierra at 93% and southern Sierra at 109% of normal for the date.

The DWR warns that despite the good news, it may not be enough to fully offset the effects of the last three years of drought. Reservoirs fed by the Sierra's watersheds are still low all over the state, and dry soil conditions will absorb much of the snowpack's water content that otherwise would help replenish the reservoirs during the spring and early summer melt. The projections for water delivery to cities and farms remain low, but if wet weather continues the SWP (State Water Project) could deliver up to 45% of requested water. DWR Director Mark Cowin stated in the report that for all these reasons plus "pumping restrictions to protect Delta fish, we must continue to conserve and protect our water resources."

Locally, a look at the CDEC's (California Data Exchange Center) site shows that the American River watershed's Folsom Reservoir is currently holding about 23% below the historical average.

Still, the survey data does smile on whitewater rafting conditions for the 2010 season. With the FERC's (Federal Energy Resource Commission) new licensing agreement for the Chile Bar Dam now firmly in place, there will be sufficient flows for rafting at least 6 days a week this season through Labor Day on the South Fork American River.

Many of us aren't even waiting for winter to end to celebrate and take advantage of the good news. Several of the Malode Crew recently ran high-water river trips on the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Smith River. We've already seen the waters rise up to prime rafting levels on the North Fork American River and great high water boating conditions on the South Fork American River also during the big rains this week.

Malode Boys Ride the Elusive Middle Yuba

2010-02-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

Its cold and raining…again. We definitely could use the rain after these last few years of drought, but it's hard not to long for the warm spring months ahead when the rivers run wild, and boating conditions are at their best.

We had some great runs in the spring last year outside of the American River, my favorite of which was probably our descent of the Middle Fork of the Yuba. The Middle Yuba is a tough stretch to plan for because the dam just above doesn't schedule regular releases, so most of the time the water is too low to boat on, trickling down at a few hundred cubic feet per second (cfs). And even when the releases do happen, the flow is often still not enough for river running. However, one of the biggest spring storms brought so much water down the watershed that water spilled over dam, creating a one day window for us to hop in a raft and ride the rapids down to Oregon Creek.

When I say "a raft", I mean a singular raft. Unfortunately, since it was such short notice and also because it was raining and flows were unpredictable, we had several last minute cancelations from the Malode crew. Suddenly, our eight person trip was down to just three of us. The flows the day before had peaked at 9000 cfs, and from what we'd gleaned from guidebooks and internet guides, the optimum flows were supposed to be between 1500 and 2500 cfs. Right before we left for the river the next day, the flow was 3000 and falling, which was perfect. Even though there were only three of us (Lindsey, Seth, and myself), we knew it might be a long time before such ideal conditions would happen again on that stretch of river. So off we went.

When we got near the put in, the gate to the dam was locked, so we parked and started feverishly changing into our river gear and pumping up the raft. We had about a half mile to carry the raft on our heads and didn't know how fast the water level was dropping, so we were in a hurry. The river gods must have been with us that day though because just as we were about to start carrying the raft, a huge crane-truck came down the road and unlocked the gate. The driver, with his smiling, saint-like face, offered us and our raft a lift.

When we got to the dam, we asked the driver if he wanted to ditch his job for the day and come with us, but he graciously declined. Water thundered down the hundred foot wall of concrete. We hauled the raft down the slippery slope of granite and started down river.

We all took turns guiding. The first few rapids were nice warm up class III rapids, and quickly dropped into a gorge filled with larger class IV rapids with slalom routes, and sticky holes that tried to keep and surf our small raft. The the two paddlers continually had to reach way out and pull the raft out, while whoever was guiding in back would be sunk sometimes up to the waist. Lindsey was launched from his guide seat into the front and crashed into the first aid box, gashing open his chin. The rain relented at times and we relaxed during the sparse bits of slack water, enjoying the lush, deep canyon walls. We pulled over at a tributary creek and hiked up among the neon moss, saw beaver tracks and the whittled stumps of willow it had snacked on. We scouted when we could on the larger rapids and were feeling like our run couldn't be more perfect. We successfully ran a couple large class IV+ rapids, one of which was relentless and must have been at least 3/4 of a mile long. Another required a precision route around two giant boulders while lining up to blast through three big holes along the way.

After that one, we thought we were done with largest rapids; we'd read in a guide book that there was one class V on the run and thought that was it. Imagine our surprise then when we found ourselves suddenly and furiously paddling to eddy out above a huge roar of whitewater. We nearly made an eddy on river left and were fighting the boil line for what seemed like eternity, but we were slowly losing ground and eventually rode up on a boulder. Lindsey was still holding on to a willow upstream. Seth and I lunged way out, trying to get our paddles into the eddy. We all saw the boat start to wrap against the boulder and quickly jumped on the high side. The boat slid back down and pivoted slowly into the main current of the class V rapid; we'd just have to read and run it. We squared up to two big holes and then back paddled into a channel on the right, which looked like the only clean way to go despite a near vertical chute that crashed into a churning hole. As our boat came free of the last hole, we all looked at each other for a moment in disbelief before howling with joy and piling on top of each other.

Experience El Dorado and ABC Channel 10 Go Green at MaLode

2009-12-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

Todd Stanley Productions located here in Coloma is very busy making a name for itself as a source of excellent ideas and quality video and editing. After winning an Emmy Award for their work on the Discovery Channel's series “The Deadliest Catch”, Todd and his wife Janice, Ben Zupo, Corey and their entire production team continue to produce new ideas.

“Experience El Dorado” is one of their latest concepts, a series appearing one Sunday a month on ABC’s Channel 10 featuring the extraordinary variety of quality experiences available in El Dorado County. Their “Green” segment featured businesses that make a point of reducing their ecological impact.

The Mother Lode River Center was a natural choice for this segment and multiple aspects were featured on the program. These included American River whitewater rafting using the ECOBus (our 100% waste vegetable oil powered shuttle vehicle), food from the permaculture garden, solar heated water, solar generated electricity, and finally our Sustainable Practices educational programs for youth and adults which use the Solar Exploratorium.

The full footage is archived on Experience El Dorado's website. You can view Mother Lode’s segment on our home page. By the way, did you see yourself California whitewater rafting on the South Fork of the American River? If you did, give us call and win a prize!

Camp Store

2009-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that Motherlode does have a camp store! For all of you off river / on river needs and accessories.

Forget some sunscreen or chums (aka those spiffy things that keep the river gods from obtaining your sunglasses)? Need a cap to keep that sun off your youthful, beautiful face? Fret no more! At the Motherlode camp store, we shall provide!

So Next time you come to visit us, don't forget to ask our staff about our stylish hats and T-shirts that you want to obtain and show off in front of your friends and family. They are in fact, all the rage!

Geo-Tourism Workshop at MaLode

2009-08-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

How can we preserve the beauty of our county? How can we salvage our limping economy? How can we encourage responsible and creative stewardship of our natural resources? On July 15th, Mother Lode welcomed business owners, community planners and concerned citizens to discuss these questions in a workshop on geo-tourism. The workshop was facilitated by Peter Brumis of Geo Sierra and other experts on geo-tourism from the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

According to National Geographic, geo-tourism is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and well-being of its residents. All over the world, unchecked tourism stimulates economies while overwhelming, polluting or otherwise compromising the integrity of locale after locale. Geo-tourism aims to buck this trend by incorporating stewardship of resources into the visitor’s experience. The income that tourism generates may then be re-invested into the preservation of the place and the sustenance of the community.

The workshop organizers praised Mother Lode as a prime example of a geo-tourism destination. Our vision for “healthy people, living in equitable and sustainable societies, in balance with the natural world” aligns with the principles of geo-tourism. Our sustainable practices – from our solar heating systems to our waste vegetable oil vehicles to our permaculture garden – not only reduce our guests’ environmental footprints while they are here, but also serve as models for them to replicate at home.

During the workshop, we all had a chance to brainstorm other geo-tourism assets of El Dorado County. On giant maps of the region, we pointed out our favorite wineries, swimming holes, nature centers, trails and climbing spots. The facilitators explained that we can nominate sites as geo-tourism assets to qualify them for promotion by the El Dorado Geo-Tourism Project. The project will assess the viability of each nominee, evaluating the potential benefits and drawbacks to promoting it as a tourist destination. Selected nominations will be eligible for grant money from the project.

To nominate your favorite geo-tourism destination in El Dorado County, go to geosierra.org

By: Amelia

Guide School ’09 – A Rookie’s Perspective

2009-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the week, some of us wouldn’t have known a wave train if it pulled into the station. Others could already j-stroke in their sleep. But all of us left guide school looking at the river differently. The dazzlingly skilled instructors let us learn a lot by keeping their mouths shut and (painful though it was) resisting the temptation to throw in strokes. The way I see it, every rock I get perched on is a rock I (probably) won’t get cozy with again. We practiced reading the water ahead of us, learning to recognize pour-overs, holes, pillows, standing waves, and - most elusive - the current. We all grew into our guide voices about as smoothly as thirteen year old boys shifting octaves. And, more importantly, we figured out how to muscle our way back into the boat after going for a little swim.

Off the water, we tested our culinary mettle on such meals as “Marinated Tri-Tip” and “The Destroyer.” We rigged and de-rigged, safety-talked and boat-on-heads-walked. And deep in the night Austin fell off a rock.

I still had a lot left to learn at the end of guide school – how to feel confident behind the stick, how to manage a crew of weaker paddlers, how not to run Double Trouble. Luckily, I’ve had plenty of time these past months and generous teachers at Ma Lode to help me work on all those things. What I did grab a hold of during that first week was a love for the river and for the folks that guide it. I don’t plan on letting go any time soon!

By: Amelia

2009 Motherlode Guide School

2009-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Motherlode just completed a week long guide school with 14 participants!

Motherlode Guide school fully encompasses every detail on water and off water that a professional and competent River Guide needs to know.

For on Water, the students got to spend 5 consecutive days on the river. Day 1 & 2 consisted of learning the basics on the individual Lower Gorge and then Chili Bar sections of the river. On day 3 our trainees got to experience the the difference between a class III and IV river as they set off on the Middlefork of the American. And day 5 & 6 the participants were put to the test with 2 days of full rivers (Both Chili Bar and Lower Gorge in one day) taking turns guiding the raft with little to no help at all from the experienced guides that had been training them all week.

On the water, techniques such as reading water, boat handling, on water safety, and attentiveness to guests needs were highly emphasized.

Off water is where a good amount of learning takes place as well. Off the water, our guides in training learn all about Preparation! Trip preparation, safety preparation, and meal preparation. They were all soon to find out that the majority of work being a professional riverguide takes place off of the water.

After 5 days with the Motherlode staff, The trainees were turned over to Sierra Rescue to complete a 2 day Swift water Rescue course where they were able to learn and practice various river rescue techniques and further recognize the safety needs associated with being on moving water. For more information on future guide schools with Motherlode, Click Here.

California Academy of Sciences

2009-06-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mother Lode staff recently visited the new Exhibit about Climate change in California and building green at the California Academy of Sciences.

Mother Lode River Center currently is in the process of integrating a new curriculum on Sustainable Practices. This trip to the museum was a perfect way for our staff to get better insight and more learning tools.

The Exhibit featured:
-Calculating your own carbon footprint (from what you eat to how you live your day to day life)
-The future effects of the change in climate on California (from carbon emissions)
-Examples of building green
-Techniques to harness green energy
-And too much more for myself to explain, Go see it yourself!

The California Academy of Sciences also includes a full aquarium, IMAX style Solarium, an Eco bubble that replicates Borneo and Madagascar rain forest zones, and the Living Green Rooftop!

2009 Gold Rushers!

2009-06-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Our Gold Rush History program has been quite an exciting one so far this summer! Schools visiting Motherlode not only get to enjoy a tour of the Coloma Gold Rush History Park, but also some fun and challenging adventures here at the Motherlode River Center.

While at the Coloma State Park, we get to experience the past come to life! Our knowledgeable staff takes you on a tour from the native Nisenan Indians homes and grinding sites to the Gold Rush, visiting Sutter's Mill and sites like the original Chinese store! While touring around the park, we are also able to experience and learn in an actual working Blacksmiths shop, and are joined by park volunteers telling stories and reenacting the era!

Back at camp, we have had authentic activities such as shelter building, dutch oven cooking, and gold panning! We also get to experience acorn grinding on site at Motherlode's very own authentic Grinding Rocks, created by the Nisenan thousands of years ago.

A Beautiful Day on the North Fork American River

2009-04-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

"This is my crew. Take ten steps back." --Beck

If you haven't heard that song, you're missing out on what was running through my head on the drive to the put-in.

Nina, Tony, Paul, Olivia, and Michael at Iowa Hill Bridge, the put in for the North Fork American's "Chamberlin Falls" class 4 run.

Lindsey and Katie's crew styling the maneuver at "Slaughter's Sluice", the first class 4 rapid. Nice paddling Anna, Willis, Carolina, and Daniel!

Greg's crew avoids the notorious toaster slot and sails over the last drop at "Bogus Thunder," one of the biggest rapids on the run.

Splashing around on Indian Creek, a tributary to the North Fork. The slippery hike up to the waterfall was definitely worth it. A little whiff of lemon balm anyone?

Feel the power of Indian Falls! Here I demonstrate the joy of getting flushed down and then out of a hydraulic. We call it helmet surfing.

Greg's crew inspires a new rapid to be named: "Inverter Wall." How was the full whitewater experience, gentleman?

Thanks so much for a great day on the river, everyone. Hope to see you all back up here soon.
Flip cup rematch? Horse races? (winks from Lindsey and Scotty)

First trip on the North Fork!

2009-04-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Time to get back on the water! Mother Lode staff just took one of their first trips of the season down the North Fork of the American River.

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day and the new addition of our guide Lindsey's head camera. To experience the rafting the North Fork from Lindsey's view you can check out the video of our trip down the river he put together himself HERE.

The North Fork only runs for a few months! So if you and your family are looking for one of the most scenic river runs and some fun on a challenging IV+ River, be sure to call and book a trip with us soon!!

2009 Rafting Flows Confirmed!

2009-03-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

Rafting Stimulus Package: Recent Storms Guarantee Great 2009 Rafting!

A wise old river rafter once told me that the snow pack in the Sierras is largely built by three major storms each season. One storm more or less often determines whether a particular season is normal, below normal, or wet in nature. Attempting to predict the outcome is therefore a risky business. It is wiser to relax and just see what happens. It isn’t over ‘till it’s over.

Once again this observation has proven true. While just a few weeks ago the concern was about critical drought conditions, now, one big storm later, the snow pack that feeds the American River is at 101% of normal. Once quiescent, all three Forks of the American River are swollen bright red with runoff. In fact, the North Fork briefly peaked at 11,000cfs. That’s three times safe boating flows.

Bottom line: It is going to be another great season for rafting on the American River! It is time to get out your river gear, Spring boating has arrived.

American River rafting trip options

This is another example of why drought conditions in California as a whole do not prevent rafting on dam-controlled rivers such as the South and Middle Forks of the American River. The South Fork, for example, has multiple reservoirs upstream of Chili Bar that are controlled by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and are collectively referred to as the Upper American River Project (UARP). Because of the FERC re-licensing process that ended in 2007 with the acceptance of the Alternative Proposal, the South Fork was guaranteed to have good rafting flows this season, even before this recent storm. In fact, this agreement now provides for predictable recreational flows for rafting for the next 50 years.

Now here is the truly great news, while climate change may diminish snow pack levels in the future, and population increases will undoubtedly increase demand on dwindling water supplies, even in “super dry” years there are 5 days of guaranteed water flow for boating on the South Fork. That means Thursday through Monday, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, we can count on good flows that begin and end at specific times of the day, even in the worst drought years ever recorded! Furthermore, 90% of boaters would choose the period in which the flows are guaranteed anyway. That means that even in the worst of times, boating is great on the South Fork of the American. This river has the most reliable water flows of any Class III whitewater river in the West!

One more remarkable fact: The total volume of water that flows down the river is not affected by rafting. No one will go thirsty as a result of your boating the river. The only effect of this agreement was to alter the timing of the release of a relatively small amount of this water, approximately 2% of the total, with the result that a huge amount of recreation results from a relatively small change in the release regimen. This is a win, win situation that benefits recreation, fish, wildlife and also SMUD itself by building a reservoir of valuable community support. Thank you SMUD! We all hope for a similarly favorable outcome on the re-licensing of the Middle Fork of the American, which is currently under way with PG&E.

See you on all three Forks of the American River this season,

Scott the River Doc and the MaLode Crew

Firsts on Cherry Creek

2009-01-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

On these rainy days in the office on the American River, we (the few who spend the winter here) often start to think about the adventures of the past seasons. And while we had many spanning through the spring, summer and fall, the peak of adrenaline and challenge was (for myself and several others) undoubtedly achieved on the Upper Tuolumne River, also known as Cherry Creek. This 8.6 miles class V run is considered by most as the most difficult commercially run stretch of river in the country. With an average elevation drop of 105 feet per mile include the "miracle mile," which drops 200 feet, it's easy to see why.

The leader of our group was Aaron Root, a solid class V boater with fantastically wild lampchop sideburns that would easily win the blue ribbon in any county (if there were such a category at the fair; I wish there were). In his boat were three of the Malode ladies; there was Sarah Shakal (aka, The Shock) who had only been on the run once before; Colleen Hardiman and Mary Maliff, who had never been on the run. Kayaking along with us was Suzie Jaques, and it was also her first time kayaking Cherry Creek. In my boat were a few of the Malode dudes: Lindsey Gulyas and Kyle Gordon (The Texan), as well as Angelo Munoz Rios (a Chilean guide newly arrived in California), all of whom had never been on the run. Oh yeah, I had only been on it once before too, and had never guided it.

The first time I rafted Cherry Creek few years before, our boat ended up flipping twice and flat-wrapping once so badly that we had to bust on the ropes and pulleys, so I already had a little anxiety going into the trip. When we woke up the morning of the trip at Meral's Pool and our other guide still hadn't shown up, my stomach shrank as I realized I'd have to guide it. As we began the routine of rigging though, I began to feel less nervous and actually started anticipating the opportunity. Then I got nervous again as we rigged the flip lines. Then calm again. Then scared. Then Excited...ad infintum, until we slid the boats down to the river's edge. Then it was time to, as the battle-cry of the summer went, "Fire it up!"

The first few miles of Cherry Creek are sort of a warm-up, with some decent class IV drops and boulder gardens. Aaron would look over his shoulder and holler directions if he felt it necessary, and then we'd plunge into the rapid. We all felt good and for the most part in sync with one another so far; woots and paddle high fives galore were happening everywhere, as well as more personalized celebrations. Angelo made a habit of sticking his tongue out really far and then shaking his head from side to side so fast that his tongue jiggled, all this while still excitedly wooting. Lindsey's celebration was to rock in his seat like a psych patient and beat on his knees with his fists still white knuckled and gripping the paddle blade. Kyle, recently having become obsessed with the movie Into the Wild shouted, "I'm Alexander Supertramp!" twenty-seven times that day.

Near mile 2, we came to our first class V rapid, Guillotine, which we stomped through fairly easily. Up next, was corkscrew, which has a huge undercut rock near the exit on the left. Now, guiding in a raft full of raft guides is great in a lot of respects, don't get me wrong. But there are some downsides. All guides want to be in control; in fact, it's sort of their auto-pilot mode. So having to listen and then actually carry out the commands coming from another person, even if it's someone they know and trust, is sort of, well, impossible. What I'm getting at is, Angelo was starting to freelance, to throw in his own strokes that I wasn't calling out. It ended up helping us on this rapid, and we cleared the undercut with no problems, so no one said anything. But up next was Jawbone, a more technical boulder garden with some decent drops. We were all still juiced and made the moves we needed to make, but it was a fight. Then we pulled over to scout one of the most difficult rapids, Mushroom.

Getting a good vantage point we watched Aaron take his boat through, but not easily, bumping along the guard rocks at the top and just barely making the move far right before ferrying as hard as possible back to the left toward a huge upstream pillow coming off the mushroom rock, which they ended up riding up on, tipping the boat like a bath toy, but not flipping it, and all of them were able to stay in the boat. By this time, two other boats who had been running with us entered the rapid, one of which got swept to the far left and pinned in the guard rocks. After a lot of shifting bodies around and tugging, they got it free and made it over the pillow, their guide getting launched all the way into the front seats and landing on the back of one of his paddlers. We ended up going through last. We decided after we watched the third boat to back-paddle through the move to the right so we'd be facing the left hand shore and wouldn't have to spin the boat to make that move. It ended up working beautifully, and we got all the way across to the far left of the mushroom rock. We were nearly dancing in our boat after we exited the final drop smoothly.

Almost immediately after Mushroom, is another big class V rapid, Toadstool. Aaron was yelling the directions to us but it was getting hard to hear him because he was actually losing his voice. We decided to just follow them as best we could. After sliding through the first hydraulic though we saw to our horror that they'd been sucked into a strong eddy just above a big drop into a huge muncher of a hole. It might have been a bit easier to get out of that eddy if there was only one boat in there, but with us following Aaron in, there was hardly room to maneuver, every time we tried to exit the upstream end we be pushed into his boat stubbornly. Finally on the fourth try we made just far enough back into the current so as not to be sucked back into the eddy. The problem was we rode up the boulder on the left side of the drop sideways. All of us leaped to the high side. The boat stood completely vertical on its right tube. We felt it wobble in it's precarious balance, like a child learning to ride a bicycle, as it slid down into the hole. It happened too fast for me to think about if we were actually going to swim and what the swim in that monster hole would be like; all we really know is that we landed right side up. We looked up and heard cheers and holy expletives. I could hardly believe it.

We rode our triumphant wave through the next big rapid, Catapult, and then found ourselves quickly heading into the "Miracle Mile". Aaron's voice was almost completely gone by now, and all he was able to say was, "keep it up, it's read and run for the next mile." Everyone paddled their hearts and lungs out through Gar's Lunch, Blind Faith and Coffin Rock. I cursed the bluest streak imaginable trying to steer our boat through some of the boulder gardens; all my friends on the raft agreed that I must have temporarily summoned some ill-fortuned sailor from beyond the grave. By the time we reached the next eddy above Sky King we were exhausted but happy and swigged as much water as we could in preparation for the next set of rapids. Sky King went much better than the last time (this was where our first flip happened on my first visit to Cherry Creek), and we headed into the next set, where one boat wrapped badly in the first boulder garden, and our boat nearly ran over a friend who was kayaking at Christmas Tree Hole.

The next big rapids were Airplane Turn, where just after the drop, another of the boats running with us wrapped. Lewis' Leap, which has a huge drop in the center of the rapid that you have to ferry hard left while passing around a set of shallow wrap rocks. We made the move and made the drop, which I thought felt like the biggest drop on the run. By this point I was so tired that I wanted to trade out guiding, having finished the hardest rapids, but everyone wanted me to keep going; Angelo said it best, "todo o nada."

We completed the portages of Flat Rock Falls and Lumsden, the latter of which Aaron made much easier by solo-paddling all four boats down, only one of which flipped; what a beast!

We bumped and grinded down the remaining class IV section, to the end of our run at Meral's Pool, where camp and a well deserved rest awaited us. We gave one more exhausted cheer as we pulled into the eddy. As we lay in the boat after changing out of our sweaty dry tops and thermals, we were already talking about coming back to run Cherry Creek again.

Big Day on the Chilibar

2008-08-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Another Big day on the American River as 60 incoming Freshman to St. Mary's in the bay area decided to join us for some whitewater rafting on the Chilibar run. The group arrived the night before to enjoy a scrumptious dinner and camp out under the stars.

Waking up bright and early the next morning, they packed down a breakfast of our scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit and sausage to make sure they had plenty of energy for their adventure!

The group also enjoyed riding out to the river on our Waste Vegetable Oil Eco Bus, and then of course an exciting and amusing day on the river. We heard the phrase "best field trip ever!" several times throughout the day.

Climbing to New Heights

2008-08-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Another High school came out to join us at Motherlode for a day of challenges on the Ropes Course. The group spent the morning learning team building and problem solving and then challenged themselves in the afternoon on our high elements like the climbing wall shown below.

River Guides Imax Adventure

2008-08-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Mother Lode staff took a break from whitewater rafting on the American River to go and view the new Imax Grand Canyon Adventure: "River at Risk!" This is a documentary film about the Colorado River that has exciting rapids, astounding side hikes and interesting characters ranging from gnarly old Canyon river guides to such luminaries as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (founder of Waterkeepers) and his beautiful daughter Kim, a Stanford University student. Kim is actually very cool and obligingly rolls over in her kayak as rafts and Grand Canyon style dories bob, weave and crash through huge waves and avoid holes the size of small houses.

This film accurately portrays the many challenges facing the Colorado, which, like all our rivers, is under pressure from the ever increasing needs of our rapidly increasing human population. The Mother Lode Staff gave it a solid "paddle high 5" rating and recommend the film to anyone interested in rivers, adventure and feeling like you are swimming a rapid without actually getting wet. The 3D effects rocked and it took a while to get our land legs back!

River of Doubt

2008-08-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Recently we were visited by a women's book club who had been inspired to try river rafting by their most recent read: "River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey". This book has a gripping account of whitewater rapids encountered on Teddy's legendary trip on the Amazon River. What better way to enhance their enjoyment of this harrowing account than to test their own limits on an exciting day of whitewater rafting with Mother Lode! They chose the Chili Bar Run on the American River which features such exciting rapids as Meatgrinder, Triple Threat and Troublemaker.

Unlike Teddy Roosevelt though, these folks had a great time and went home healthy. Rumor has it Roosevelt was not so lucky. Nevertheless, this is a great idea: "read about it , experience it, live to tell the tale." We look forward to hosting other such groups seeking to enhance their reading adventures with real ones. Imagine the "Leap of Faith" on our Challenge Ropes Course as an apperatif to reading Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air".

Leap of Faith

2008-07-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today we were joined for a 1/2 day of challenges and pushing limits on our high ropes course. The boys spent the morning on the climbing wall, catwalk, and burma bridge. After lunch, each boy really pushed and tested their limits as they climbed 40 feet up to attempt to catch the platform on the Leap of Faith.

Sustainable Gardening on the American River

2008-07-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Motherlode has added a new feature to our camp on the American River. After 2 months of hard work, the new organic garden is in full bloom and producing!

Crookneck Squash

Cucumbers

Corn

Also, we have tomatoes, zucchini and a wide assortment of herbs! It is one of our new pleasures at Motherlode to serve our guests good 'ol home grown, organic produce. Check out more of our eco and sustainability programs.

Summer Camp Madness

2008-07-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

With the end of July approaching us, we have been getting a surge of summer camp visitors. Local camps from the area such as Shaffer High Sierra and Mountain Camp have been taking field trips to join us for a day on various runs of the South Fork of the American River. We have also recently been joined by Rein Teen Tours and American Trails West Tours, touring buses that take youth on month long road trips filled with adventurous and exciting stops across the West.

These groups allow our guides to bring out their whimsical and silly sides, as demonstrated above by or guide Lindsey as he sports his purple windsuit down the river reenacting popular 80's workouts.

Lunch Time on the River

2008-07-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Another set of groups join us on the Chilibar run of the Southfork of the American River. After an adventurous morning of surviving class III rapids such as Meatgrinder, Triple Threat, and Trouble Maker, this happy group grubs down on a riverside buffet of deli-meat and cheeses and fresh veggies.

Peak Season on the American

2008-07-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

We have reached the busy part of the rafting season! Hoards of groups have been flocking to the water. It has been quite enjoyable rafting with all of the companies in full swing. More boats to splash around and converse with on the river. Lately we have had our rafts and customers out on all of the runs; Middle Fork, Chilibar, and Gorge run of the American River. Its been a perfect opportunity to cool off in the river and enjoy good times with family and friends.

Team Building on the River

2008-07-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Shaffer High Sierra Camp took a field trip away from their camp near South Lake Tahoe to spend a day whitewater rafting with us on the Lower Gorge of the South Fork of the American River. Thanks to the hot weather, the campers were plenty happy to spend a good amount of the trip out of their rafts.

The campers also got to practice some quality team work as they worked together to paddle their raft through tight situations.

Challenging the Boy Scouts

2008-07-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

A group of Boy scouts from Antioch recently joined us at Mother Lode for 5 days of adventures! The boys started off with a unique day of some swift water rescue training provided by our guides Scottie and Kyle. They are still looking forward to a full day of team building and pushing their limits on our low and high ropes challenge course, followed by two exciting days on the river as they paddle the Chili Bar and Gorge runs on the South Fork of the American River!

Welcome to the Mother Lode Whitewater Blog!

2008-07-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Mother Lode whitewater rafting blog!

Our newest blog has been set up to keep you up to date with weekly pictures and stories about whitewater rafting, challenge ropes courses, and environmental education here at the Mother Lode River Center. Please feel free to share your comments and experiences about your adventures with us here at Mother Lode!