Equipment

We had recently done several river floating trips on the Middle Fork of the Feather in California. We had also done a hiking trip to the town of Urique in the Urique River gorge in Mexico, also known as the Grand Canyon of Mexico. That hiking trip made us aware of the huge and unknown gorge up stream from Urique. I started doing research on this area. There was little to learn; few recorded trips, no commercial support. We decided, based on what we had learned on the Feather River, that we could swim this canyon. We were buying water proof gear at Pacific River Supply in El Sobrante, when asked what our objective was. We explained. We were talking to the co-owner Jim Cassady. He said we should learn riverboarding, and gave us Bob Carlson as a contact.

We did not think river boards would be suitable in Copper Canyon, and went ahead and ran the trip as a "swimming" trip as on the Feather. However, on our return, we set out to learn riverboarding. Bob Carlson's first proposal was to run Maytag Falls on the North Fork of the Yuba. This is a violent rapid.

Equipment is the key to safety. Bob's friend posed for us in a full set of river boarding gear. Note the helmet to protect the head. Note the gloves. Note the shin guards. These are to prevent scraping on the rocks we don't hit. There are elbow guards under the jacket. Note the farmer john wetsuit and jacket. These provide tremendous buyancy as well as more scrape protection. We used Churchill fins; they are short compared to diving fins, but provide tremendous drive over short distances. We later learned to put the shin guards under the wetsuit to hold them in place.

The Falls

I was the first to run the falls. I was carefully directed by Bob to stay left of the rock in the middle of the falls which could be located by a "feather". If I could do that I would go down the left chute into the pools below. If I went farther to the right I would hit the rocks with unpredictable results.

Well, I couldn't see the feather as I was too low in the water, so I went over the rocky ledge and lost my board. I retrieved and all was well.

The next guy did a little better. We have no idea who this is. However, farther downstream, all parties were accounted for.

The Raft

The raft people were quite excited when they went over the drop. The raft assumed quite an angle. They could hardly keep from keep from falling out, let alone control the raft.

Bob managed to stay left and make the chute. You can see the rocky ledge through the foam. Go, Bob!

Tranquility

Bev

Suited For The River

After lunch we planned to all run a long stretch of the river with a good current and few rapids. Bev got outfitted. After the excitement of the falls this run was pure joy. Pools followed small drops; the rocky banks drew back and soon we were in a wooded valley. At the end of the trip everyone was ready to go again.

Maytag Falls was a pretty brutal introduction to river boarding. We looked forward to trips on the Middle Fork of the American. The issues there are flow. At 1,000 to 2,000 CFS the run is pleasant and not scary. At 5,000 CFS as in the spring runoff the rapids take on a totally different character. We also planned to try some runs in the early spring when cold would require more neoprene.