C-Forum

Hey there Space Canoe,
You dont know me but i used to go to school up in canada and i paddled with a couple guys up there, anywho this guy Calem told me you paddled down here and that you were a pretty cool guy and great paddler. (my names bryce by the way) ya but uh im startin univeristy outside san francisco and i dont know too many rivers and dont have any paddlin partners and Calem told me to hook up. anyways im only 17 but im an ok paddler and if you did nt mind me taggin along then write me back. the only rivers i know are around truckee and the kern but i dont have any paddlin partners. ok i wont keep ya too long but ive heard a lot about ya and would sure be interested in paddlin with ya
thanx
bryce
uneekmi@yahoo.com

Bryce;

Well, welcome to the West Coast! What school are you going to?
First off, it's KALIN, and he's a CANADIAN, don't believe anything he says! These guys run around sticking their heads in snowdrifts all winter and portageing their boats over ice floes, etc.. I am neither a cool guy nor a great paddler, but it was nice of him to lie like that, I have to admit! (TEEHEE!)
As to San Francisco and thereabouts, I lived in that area for quite a while, but didn't start paddling until I moved to Los Angeles, how crazy is that?
What springs to mind, in between the two rivers you talk about, are the Kings River around Fresno CA., and the Sacramento and American rivers which are around Sacramento CA. The lower Kings is quite tame but has some massive differentials and waves on it if you choose to take advantage of them. The upper Kings is pretty tough for an open boat or C-1 and isn't dam release, so it needs to be given a lot of respect. The Russian River, just north of San Francisco, is a nice float and there's one section at the very top which I think is quite difficult.

http://www.sonic.net/~chinglin/links.html

http://gravitydex.com/Paddling/Clubs/


Will help you in general, and hopefully I will be able to get back on the water some time this season (bad elbow) but it won't be on anything big, unfortunately. Get in touch again when you're settled in and we'll take it from there.
Hope this helps;
Ric