Living proof that O.A.R.S. guide Craig (aka Carnage) can keep the thwarts upright! Here he is guiding a group of whitewater raft guide school participants through Rock Garden rapid on the Tuolumne River. It was a great flow on Thursday, probably around 1800 CFS. Lumsden Road is in great shape – never seen it this nice!! Get out, take advantage of the good road – Get on The T!
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A successful run through Rock Garden on the Tuolumne River.  The O.A.R.S. Whitewater Boot Camp gang looked great after warming up throughout the week on the South Fork American and the Merced rivers.  I believe this is "JD" at the bottom section of the rapid.
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I had the good fortune of tagging along*side* the river (no, not ON the river) (yes, I had whitewater envy) to watch aspiring whitewater raft guides learn the tricks of the trade.  The "whitewater boot camp" had about 12 hearty folks.  They began their journey on the South Fork American River, worked their way over to the Merced, back through Yosemite National Park to the Tuolumne and finally returned to the South Fork.  Everyone seemed to have a good time – and no doubt everyone had good clean lines through the rapids.  The water on the Merced was a little low on Wednesday due to a late season cold front – the snow stopped melting – so the flow was around 1100 CFS.  It’s all good though – slow snow melt = a long, stretched out season.

Here’s a successful run through the rapid just below Ned’s…

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Every day is Earth Day here at the O.A.R.S. HQ in Angels Camp, CA. Yes, unfortunately we all have various commutes that burn fossil fuels. (If only we could bike or raft to work!) However, our company was the first whitewater rafting company in the U.S. to offset all of our carbon emissions, and we’re in our third year of working with NativeEnergy. As mentioned elsewhere in the blog, we’ve gone 100% solar for our operations here in Angels Camp. This new system is expected to generate over 123,000 KWH of electricity the first year and every year thereafter – enough to keep 8 medium-sized houses supplied with electricity for an entire year. This will result in a reduction of approximately 180,000 lbs – over 90 tons of green house gases (mainly carbon dioxide) per year. It’s satisfying to work with a company so committed to preserving the environment. O.A.R.S. solar panels…

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Go outside… Celebrate the Earth… It’s Earth Day 2008…

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Brian McCutcheon stopped by Angels Camp last week and brought with him a new video clip of the Chilko Multi-Sport vacation. Chilko Multi-Sport. The Chilko-Chilcotin-Fraser river corridor is one of North America’s best-kept secrets. The Chilko River features the longest stretch of commercially operated whitewater in the North America. The Chilko has impressive water from May through September.

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Brian McCutcheon, founder of our Canadian sister company, R.O.A.M. (Rivers Oceans and Mountains), graced the O.A.R.S. HQ last week.  I wasn’t around when Brian hung out regularly in Angels Camp, but it’s clear from those who were he’s a whole lot of high-energy fun.  He’s clearly well-liked.  He claims he was once the Global Marketing Director for O.A.R.S. Companies.  However, the way he flaunts his propensity for exploring nature in the buff, I’m not so sure. Here he is looking reasonably clothed… … and attacking O.A.R.S. Idaho Adventure Consultant, Azz Azzarello.

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Great news for those of you booked on an O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon rafting or dory trip from Lees Ferry or Phantom Ranch.  Alaska Airlines will be offering nonstop service from Los Angeles (LAX) – Flagstaff/Grand Canyon effective 6/23/08. At this time, it appears the least expensive flights from Northern California depart from San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  (I researched various departure dates and times from Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose.)  There are a variety of round-trip flights that are available under $350.

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Why are rivers all different colors, such as different shades of blue, turquoise, green and brown.

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Emerald water, granite shores, lush green canyon ablaze with orange California poppies and technical, boulder-strewn rapids = North Fork of the American River.

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