Trinity Update by Quinn Connell

Looking up the gorge from the takeout. Photo by Paul Twist.

After the Feather we made our way to the Burnt Ranch Gorge of the Trinity River. We stayed at a campground that had a large open area in the middle.  This was perfect for morning workout games of capture the flag, and Dave killed it, using his speed to maneuver through the trees. The Burnt Ranch Gorge itself was a fun stretch with much more water than the other rivers we had just been paddling. It was a pool-drop run through a basalt canyon, according to Sam, “It was a sick big water run with some awesome rapids!” A couple drops had stout holes and there were many sweet boofs. A big thanks to the guys at the Straw House, a hay-insulated café where we spent a rainy class day, got to hook up to the internet and planned our world-premiere WCKA Cribs episode for journalism. We met a couple of wild characters during our stay and the teachers got a glimpse of the Burnt Ranch lifestyle first hand thanks to local Tim Thompson.