The Feather River Update by Ben Dann

LJ lays some treats off the C-rail. Photo by Paul Twist

After spending upwards of a week in Three Rivers California paddling the Kaweah River we loaded up the vans and headed north for our next destination, the North fork of the Feather River. Taylor Robertson, a good friend of World Class, set us up with info about water levels and free camping. He also joined us on the river and showed our large crew the ropes. The entire group was able enjoy the epic class IV-V water. The North Fork of the Feather was filled with bald, granite rock which made for perfect boofs scattered throughout the river. This sparked the idea to have a boof clinic with the group, perfecting our creeking strokes. Sam Makman said, “It was a turning point in my paddling career,” and everyone benefited.

Ben Dann drives for that good boof stroke. Photo by Paul Twist

Our campsite was very roomy with beautiful views of snow capped mountains and deep forestation. Unfortunately the night time temperatures were the coldest we had seen so far on the trip. This resulted in the majority of morning classes being held huddled around the campfire or loaded in the vans. The road next to the campsite had minimal traffic and the perfect incline for cruising on our long boards. It was so fun that it inspired a few kids to buy longboards in the next town, Chico, California.

While in Chico, we held classes at the local university. The Cultural Studies class conducted a social experiment in the center of town. They walked around town and asked strangers why it was so difficult to talk to strangers. Ben Stanistreet said, “Through my studies I found that once you break the awkward barrier of starting a conversation with a random person they are usually happy to talk to you.”

The entire group enjoyed the North fork of the Feather and the California life style.