"With the Sierra Nevada snow pack at 250% of normal, and an unusually wet and cold spring, California in late April seemed not as good an idea as it had on a dark October night in the bar at the River Dart Country Park . Still, we arrived in San Francisco hopeful, and after securing Rent-a-Wreck’s most unsuitable car headed inland in search of the goods.  After a frustrating first few days trying to glean local knowledge, find a copy of the Bible*, and get our heads around the logistics of long shuttles with only one car, we began to get into the swing of things, with several good sections on the North and South Forks of the Yuba river and two classic steep creeks around the small town of Downieville.  The torture of carrying our boats two miles down endless switch-backs to put on the Giant Gap section of the North Fork of the American left our legs burning, but was more than worth it, when we were rewarded with 15 miles of classic wilderness Class IV-V whitewater, and post paddling entertainment provided by the local hillbillies... (continued below)

* The Best Whitewater in California by Chuck Stanley & Lars Holbeck.