Team River Runner Palo Alto SF American Trip Report
Trip Report SF American, C to G
August 6-7, 2020
Participants: Sandy S, Artie, Maggie and Carlisle
Originally, five of us planned to go, but Sandy R texted his regrets—he was having car trouble. So it was that 4 of us rendezvoused at Marshall Gold Discovery Park on a gorgeous Thursday morning in early August. After introductions to Artie’s wife and son and dog, we got our gear ready and then Sandy and I brought our cars to the takeout and Joanna (sp?), Artie’s wife, learned the term “shuttle-bunny” as she brought us back to the put-in.
The C to G (Coloma to Greenwood Creek) run is the classic beginner’s run, a 5.4 mile stretch with lots of Class I and II rapids (including a couple that are 2 plus), with plenty of flat water and places to practice skills. We slowly made our way down river, working on skills like boat control, ferries, eddy turns, peel-outs and even a little bit of surfing. Artie’s four swims notwithstanding, everybody was having a great time. However, after his fourth swim, Artie was pretty tired, so we decided that Artie would walk out to the road, even though there was less than a mile of river left. Carlisle and Artie hauled his boat to the highway, and then Carlisle returned to the river where he and Mags and Sandy paddled the 15 minutes to the take-out.
Originally, five of us planned to go, but Sandy R texted his regrets—he was having car trouble. So it was that 4 of us rendezvoused at Marshall Gold Discovery Park on a gorgeous Thursday morning in early August. After introductions to Artie’s wife and son and dog, we got our gear ready and then Sandy and I brought our cars to the takeout and Joanna (sp?), Artie’s wife, learned the term “shuttle-bunny” as she brought us back to the put-in.
The C to G (Coloma to Greenwood Creek) run is the classic beginner’s run, a 5.4 mile stretch with lots of Class I and II rapids (including a couple that are 2 plus), with plenty of flat water and places to practice skills. We slowly made our way down river, working on skills like boat control, ferries, eddy turns, peel-outs and even a little bit of surfing. Artie’s four swims notwithstanding, everybody was having a great time. However, after his fourth swim, Artie was pretty tired, so we decided that Artie would walk out to the road, even though there was less than a mile of river left. Carlisle and Artie hauled his boat to the highway, and then Carlisle returned to the river where he and Mags and Sandy paddled the 15 minutes to the take-out.
Friday morning we reconvened at Marshall, everyone having benefitted from good meals and a good night’s sleep, and we set off again. This lap we spent less time specifically working on skills, and we just paddled down the river putting the previous day’s lessons to work. Artie styled it. (OK, there was one swim when an unexpected rock lurking just beneath the surface knocked him over, but no worries.) The final rapid, Swimmer’s, is a roller coaster ride of standing waves, a joyous hootin’ and hollerin’ bit of fun for everyone and a great finale for a great day. River-wide grins were exhibited by all.
After packing up, we took a field trip to the River Store in Lotus, where Artie ordered some booties and the rest of us drooled over river gear we all lust for.
It was a fantastic trip. Congrats to Artie and Sandy for their PFDs (Personal First Descents) of C-to-G!! Special thanks to Joanna for shuttle service.
