It’s midsummer, it’s hot, the rivers aren’t roaring as they were in May. Maybe they are too low and slow for kayaking. So what is there to do? Go swimmin’ of course. Now is the time to jump in some moving water and cool off. And for all of you who wanted to practice rough water swimming, do it now, while the water is inviting.
Like me, if you are a water person first and foremost and a paddler second, then meander on down to your local creek or river and take a dip. We live in southern Oregon, where creeks and rivers abound. Less than a hundred miles from us in all directions we have rivers galore: the world famous Rogue River, and the Umpqua, the Applegate, the Illinois, the Smith, Chetco, Klamath, and upper Sacramento River. Numerous beautiful and swimmable creeks empty into these wild and scenic rivers. And the volcanic water of Crater Lake is just up the road.
I grew up in northern California and every summer my brothers Marc and John, sister Camille, and I would go swimming and boating in cool water under a sizzling sun. Then I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years, where summer on the beach in Half Moon Bay often felt like winter, what with the wind and fog. To get a true feel for summer, I was forced to drive a long ways for a cool swim. But it was worth it. I discovered many fine swimming holes in California (the American, Tuolumne, Tule, Kern, and Yuba rivers) and all over the West.
Since I retired from my job three years ago and moved up to Oregon, it has been a snap to get to an inviting waterhole and take the plunge. In the past couple of years, we have explored the upper Umpqua River and its tributaries. We’ve swum in and rafted down the Rogue. We even took a dip in cold Crater Lake, which features exquisitely clear and gorgeous water.
So far this summer, my wife Nancy and I paddled down the Rogue in inflatable kayaks and swam in the Illinois River, which has more delightful swimming holes per mile than just about any place I’ve ever seen. In a few days, we’ll make our annual pilgrimage to the upper Sacramento River and camp out for a week or more and soak up the dry summer heat, swim like otters in the river’s soothing and sparkling water, enjoy the glorious views of Mount Shasta and Castle Crags, listen to the breeze rustle through the pines, and luxuriate in the shade as we savor the sweet scent of willow and cottonwood sap emanating in the afternoon soon. To us, this is heaven.
Next summer we will explore the mysterious Chetco River in the land of Big Foot, which really intrigues me. And then of course there is the pristine Smith River to check out. Well, I’d like to keep writing, but the Sacramento River is calling. I have to pack up my things and go swimmin’.
Please share your feelings about swimming in your favorite rivers and creeks. Got a good swimmin’ hole story to share? Just comment directly below this post. And remember, “It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’…”
NOTE TO READERS: as of August 1st, my birthday, I’m taking a week off to enjoy the river. So enjoy this post and all the others. If you scroll up, you’ll see other categories of posts I have done. Feel free to read anything of interest. Enjoy!
OMG I love these pix!!! So many good times, so many beautiful places, so much great water! Kayaking is great, but swimming holes require no equipment (not even a swim suit depending on where you are), little travel time, and you can take just about anybody. Summertime and the livin’ is easy…
Great pics!
Beautiful pics and a great essay Eric. I love summer swimming in the wild waters. I swam at Sims just a few days ago on my way home from Redding, and just yesterday I swam from the south shore of Lake Siskiyou to the north shore and back.
Inspiring! I took a few deep breaths reading this, remembering the cool, fresh feeling of dipping in “moving waters”. Haven’t been to the American yet this summer! Yikes! My two favorite spots have always been; 1) Where I grew up, near the American River Golf Course. The secret swimming holes and beaches here fill up fast by locals who know a good thing. 2) William Pond Park, where Fair Oaks Blvd ends. Beautiful, big family friendly park with the river widening and narrowing. Most Sacramentans I know LOVE the Yuba! You could probably write a pt.2 to this, giving us tips on river safety…. Also, word on the street is the Truckee River is “closed” because “they” wont open the damn?! Happy Camping!
dug the pix. very inspiring. love Crater Lake
Stunning pics! I still couldn’t help thinking about paddling in those water spots though. 😉
Thanks for the nice comments, everyone! Fat Paddler said he wanted to paddle in the nice water spots. Even at this time of year, you could do it, but you might hit bottom here and there! We recently kayaked down the Rogue and it was honking really fast. In spring, all the rivers I mentioned are boatable. Some sections of the rivers are Class 2 and 3, and some are Class 4 and 5, so be sure to scout before you go, or get a friend who knows the river to lead the way.
As for safety ideas for the river, as Micaila mentioned, let me say right now to be careful; rivers may be going faster than you think. If you are swimming and get out of control in rapids, look downstream and put your feet up, so you don’t get them trapped on a rock. Never paddle or swim under or through bushes or trees in the stream as you could get snagged and be in deep trouble. Don’t get too cold! Learn to swim well before you go in rivers, and always keep an eye on kids near or in the water.
Good points, Eric. Rivers are really magical places, and pretty safe if you take the time to learn about the primary hazards and how to avoid or finesse them. There are a few non-intuitive dangers that moving water presents – like
strainers, foot entrapments, holes, and undercuts – that really need to be understood if one is to safely swim & play. Trying to stand in thigh or waist-deep water is a natural reflex, but very dangerous – hence the advice to “float on ypur back with feet on the surface and pointed downstream. Swimmers generally don’t have to deal with low-head dams ( unless the capsize above or below them, but the lethal properties of these “drowning machines” are worth understanding because they look so inocuous. Ditto cold water. Your beautiful and enticing photos don’t feature swimming through Class 3,4,5 water – they’re stunning “swimming holes” where the swimmin’ is fabulous. Just watch the current and avoid being swept downstream and (heaven forbid) into really rough water or (a la Yosemite) over the falls.
Bottom line: a little knowledge dramatically increases safety and it’s really a good thing to have whenever venturing on to moving water – whether as paddler, floater or swimmer.
Thanks for the great safety suggestions, Moulton!
I have two deep passions in life (yea, there’s probably more): sleep and hot showers. So getting into cold water ain’ t usually appealing. However, my partner John and I recently swam in Mount Shasta’s Hammond Pond and I so LOVED it! I actually felt much more relaxed and refreshed than my usual nice hot shower with my special soap. Who would have thought?????
BTW AWESOME pictures, Eric!
Stephanie, I’m glad you loved Hammond Pond. Maybe we can get you into more cool (not cold! Heavens no) water.
Eric I love those pictures. I’m packing for the Smith River now.I can’t wait to share it with my kids. They just discovered the joy of summer swimming holes last summer. Living near the ocean, they learned swimming in the ocean and enjoy “cannon balling” and now diving off rocks into the ocean. Try to imagine an 7 and 9 year old(now a year older) snokering and diving into the Upper Sac and American for the first time! No wet suits. They are stoked. But….
We are still learning river dynamics and saftety. I looking forward to some time with a seasoned friend like Jim or even a paid kayak instuctor to help with this alien but beautful world.
Is that secert spot near the place we found you on Nancy’s B’Day?
It’s great that you and your kids are getting on the river. And yes it’s the secret spot. We’d love to see you and your family up there again.
Let me know how you liked swimming in the Smith. I have swum in it and kayaked in an inflatable at Jedediah Smith, but it’s pretty tame (but beautiful) there. I want to explore the upper Smith.
Re safety, may I just say that we rarely do a creek or river without getting at least a little dinged up. It seems to go with the territory. Eric bashed his shin so bad the first time we went up Mears’ Crk we quit. The one time we went throught the culvert, I slipped and jammed my finger on the concrete and years later the joint is still wonky. A couple of years ago Eric slipped and fell while we were walking up Castle Crk and ended up with a huge purple bruise down his entire thigh. One of our friends slipped and bashed his tailbone on the rocks at one of our swimming holes. It took weeks to heal. Jim K bashed his elbow going down a chute on the upper Sac. Another friend developed direticulitis (sp?) after gorging on blackberries. I could go on and on. So, yes, there are hazards, but nothing life threatening and so far it’s totally worth it:)
Thanks, Eric, for the fresh water memories…I’ve been doing salt water for so long that I had forgotten how refreshing rivers, streams, (and lakes and ponds, too) can be. Now I gotta get out there!
Tony
Growing up in Lewiston, California I spent most of my grade school summers swimming in the Trinity River and surrounding creeks. This basic friendship with moving water shaped my early years and helped me later when I took up river kayaking. My greatest pleasure in water is swimming and free diving in rivers and in the oceans. I consider a mask and fins part of my “must have” gear when kayaking or road touring where there is water. Having good swimming skills in rivers, creeks and waves adds to your understanding of moving water and kayaking experience. Swimming in moving water through underwater gardens is magical and you don’t have to be a shaman to enjoy it.
Jim is an accomplished underwater river (and ocean) swimmer. Many years ago, when we first started kayaking together, we went swimming in the Eel River. To test Jim, I challenged him (as a kid I challenged everybody to do dumb physical feats, usually by calling them a coward if they wisely hesitated) to dive in the pool from ten feet up on a rock, swim 12 feet down to the bottom, and then underwater across 40 feet to the other side, all in one breath. Did he do it?
To find out, read my CONFESSIONS OF A WAVE WARRIOR BOOK. You can order an autographed copy through this website.
TO MY READERS: I’m going on vacation until August 9th. It’s time to hit the river one more time while the heat is on. I shall return with a new post. Stay tuned.
Eric
I just returned from 9 days on the river. Had a great time, no one got hurt, swam every day. We did a bird count this year: robins, ravens, American goldfinches, varied thrush, spotted towhee, pileated woodpecker, Stellar jays, spotted owl, belted kingfisher, ouzel, spotted sandpipers, semipalmated plover, pacific sloped flycatchers, barn swallows, yellow warblers, black phoebe, yellow-bellied sapsucker, downy woodpecker, common mergansers, Bewick’s wren, great blue heron, green heron, osprey, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, and a few little green/grey/brown birds I could not identify.