OFFICIAL OR NOT, RAFTERS READY TO BRAVE THE WATER.Byline: Brett Pauly Daily News Staff Writer While river rafters target California waters throughout the year, Saturday marks the unofficial opening of the busiest season for commercial outfitters - companies that hire guides to run clients through the rapids. And 1998 will see plenty of paying customers and private rafters alike targeting rivers swollen with Sierra Nevada Sierra Nevada, mountain range, Spain Sierra Nevada (syā`rä nāvä`thä), chief mountain range of S Spain, in Granada prov., running from east to west for c.60 mi (100 km), parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. runoff propelled by El Nino's wintry win·try also win·ter·y adj. win·tri·er also win·ter·i·er, win·tri·est also win·ter·i·est 1. Belonging to or characteristic of winter; cold. 2. punch. ``This will be a year to remember in California rafting history,'' said Nate Rangel, an independent outfitter from Coloma and president of California Outdoors, a trade association comprised of 50 river outfitters. ``We'll enjoy challenging whitewater conditions in the spring, plenty of fun water throughout the summer months and longer-than-usual flows into the warm and uncrowded fall months.'' The state Department of Water Resources predicts that all California rivers will receive more than 100 percent of average snowmelt snow·melt n. 1. The runoff from melting snow. 2. A period or season when such runoff occurs: streams that flood during snowmelt. runoff from April through September, the trade association noted in a release. The South Fork South Fork may refer to:
A river rising in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California and flowing about 249 km (155 mi) south and southwest to the southern San Joaquin Valley. east of Bakersfield is expected to run at 215 percent of normal. Both rivers, along with the Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River is one of the major rivers draining the western slope Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It is the slightly larger northern neighbor of the Merced River; both originate in Yosemite National Park. , which originates in Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park (yōsĕm`ĭtē), 761,266 acres (308,205 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of conservationist John Muir. Located in the Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. , are popular among Southern California rafters and kayakers, said Jim Cassady of El Sobrante, a private rafter and co-author of the river guidebooks ``California Whitewater'' and ``Western Whitewater.'' Cassady is quick to point out that there is no official rafting season or opening date. ``The hard-core river runners go year-round,'' Cassady said. ``The commercial season really gets going from May through Labor Day. You go earlier and your chances of being cold and uncomfortable are really great. ``But there is no official opening of rafting season, not like the opening day of trout fishing at Crowley Lake. Everyone has their own little publicity stunt, and they (the commercial outfitters) are no different than anyone else.'' Just the same, at 9 a.m. Saturday a group of guides will cut a ribbon spanning the Upper Kern River north of Kernville to signify the start of the outfitters' busy season. For more information on the opening-day ribbon cutting, call (800) 323-4234. A free directory of licensed California river outfitters with descriptions of waters run and tips on how to shop for an outfitter is available by calling the California Outdoors Hot Line, (800) 552-3625. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Upper Kern River is expected to run at 215 percent, thanks to El Nino. David Crane/Daily News |
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