Backstory: In spring of 2021, Jeff Kay and Jason Montelongo offered an introductory two day clinic in Redding, CA, to prepare prospective participants for California River Quest. The first day was a basic intro to river dynamics and skills for paddlers. The second day was a paddle from Sundial Bridge in Redding to Rooster’s Landing, about 25 miles south in Anderson. This route encompasses the first quarter of the 100 miles included in CRQ, which ends in Chico.
The clinic taught me that long distance paddling isn’t really my thing, but also that the Sacramento River is wild and beautiful in a way I hadn’t known, even though I’d spent years playing on it as a kid. The idea of paddling the route from Rooster’s Landing to Chico on a solo trip in stages was planted in my mind. My trip would be leisurely, though, with time to camp and laze around reading and dreaming and watching the river flow. I figured I’d be gone about three nights.
Front story: In spring of 2024 the time seemed right. I started trip planning by sending an email to family in Northern California asking for shuttle assistance. Brothers-in-law Marc and John Soares stepped up, Marc by offering to run shuttle, and John by offering to house sit while I was gone. Then I started asking for beta from people I knew who had paddled the route.
First up was Paul McHugh. Paul was very helpful, and one of the things he did was put me in touch with John Weed. John has paddled the route many times, and in 2020 made it all the way to the San Francisco Bay. I also contacted Gwenn Bezard, who paddled the first 100 miles in February 2023 with his daughter and then carried on solo all the way to the Bay. Paul, John, and Gwenn all had lots of good things to say. Finally I got hold of TR Captain Deb Volturno to tell her about The Plan and get her blessing.
John Soares, in addition to housesitting, provided me with maps of the river from Redding to Colusa. One map, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Sacramento River (1991) by Mitchell S. Wyss, shows sections of topographical maps labeled with each mile from Redding to Chico, identifying access roads, creeks, bridges, rapids, islands, and boat ramps. Using this map I could easily tell where I was on the river. The Sacramento River User’s Guide (1989), shows BLM land, overnight campsites, day use areas, boat ramps, and Hazardous Riffles. Though dated, these maps were hugely helpful.
The Internet was also helpful. Things were looking good and I settled on the second week of June for the trip. I felt about as well prepared as I was going to be when I went hiking at Applegate Lake in late May with a friend and it occurred to me that I hadn’t paddled the X-15 since the previous June’s Salish Sea adventure. Hmm, maybe I’d better do a little paddling before I hit the river to make sure everything works.
On its west side, Applegate Lake has free boat-in/hike-in camping on National Forest Land, so I packed up and took the X-15 out for a one-nighter. I paddled about three miles the first day as a warm up, and the second day about eight miles around the lake with the boat fully laden. Everything went fine except I was pretty tired at the take out. I was leaving in eight days, so I figured I should go out at least once more before the Big Trip. But that didn’t happen.
I got off Applegate Lake on a Saturday. After two leisurely days doing little chores and finalizing plans, on Monday night I was sitting on the sofa watching tv. As I uncrossed my legs and got up to go to bed, something went SPOING! in my right calf. After that I could hardly walk. The calf swelled up like a small football, discolored and hard as a rock. I spent two days applying heat which alleviated the pain but didn’t do anything else, so on Thursday I went to see my PCP. I was told I’d torn a muscle and the recommended treatment was Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. For four to six weeks.
After the diagnosis, I lay on the couch resting, icing, compressing, and elevating. The calf improved somewhat, but it ached and I wasn’t walking well. Actually, I lurched. I emailed Marc and John and put off the trip for a week, with caveats. On Day One I’d paddle about 12 miles from Anderson to Massacre Flat and camp. Depending on how the first day went several things could happen. A. I might decide the trip wasn’t feasible because of the injured leg, in which case I’d paddle to the nearest take out and call Marc for a pick up. B. I might decide to continue downriver only to discover that after the second night I needed to bail in which case I’d paddle to the nearest take out. C. Things might work out great or at least good enough and I’d make it to Woodson Bridge in Corning on the third or fourth day or all the way to Scotty’s Landing in Chico on the fourth. Everything was up in the air but I wanted to give it a go.
The day I launched the flow rate was about 11,000 cfs (pretty high) and the previous week when I’d checked I’d read that the river was moving about 3 mph, so I figured that even by paddling lightly I should be able to make 4 or 5 mph. Once I’d set up camp each day I’d have plenty of time to rest and soak the leg in the chilly river. Landing, pulling the boat to safety, and setting up and breaking camp would be the hard part.
The first day went great. I stopped twice to check the time and the map. It looked like I was good to make Massacre Flat in about two hours from Anderson. The river was moving fast and there were lots of strainers, as I had been warned, but they were easy to see and avoid. At Massacre Flat I pulled over at the upriver end and clipped the boat to a willow in a small sheltered bay with no current. The gravel was fairly easy to walk on, better than sand, and after scouting around I realized I’d hit the jackpot. I’d read that at low water there was a gravel beach but at high water only a bench. In fact, a little further downriver from where I’d stopped, there was no gravel at all and the bench was about eight feet high. Had I not stopped to scout, I wouldn’t have been able to land further down.
Massacre Flat, despite its name, is idyllic. All afternoon I lay in the shade of the willows. From time to time I’d get up, walk the 30 yards or so to the boat, unpack some stuff, and bring it back to the campsite. Little by little I set up the tent and did the necessary camp chores. Meanwhile, the sun, the clouds, the sound of the river rushing by, and the myriad bird calls kept me company. Slowly I felt myself sinking into a state of peaceful calm. But there was still tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Despite several icy sessions in the rocky shallows, the leg ached. Walking hurt, and I could feel the strain of my altered gait running up the back of the right hamstring. I kept the alternative plans in mind, let go of expectations, and rested.
This began a series of turbulent areas, and while I got through the first one, the next one tipped me over. This time the boils on both sides of the river were were so big they met in the middle, forming whirlpools as the main current swung back and forth. Some boils were huge, twenty or thirty feet across. It looked as though the eddies were rising up like gigantic mushroom caps, and where the eddyline should have been there were seams like active pour overs. I could hear them hissing. As I slid into the water I grabbed the hand rail and let the boat float me out. Just a quick swim, but startling. I hadn’t expected this kind of water until China Rapids.
And so it went, around every bend a new section of turbulence. I maneuvered down the main current, edging from side to side, trying to anticipate the shifting boils and ignoring the whirlpools. This worked pretty well, but the hyper-vigilance was fatiguing. Then I saw Bend Bridge. I’d come almost seven miles in under an hour! China Rapids was roughly three miles downriver, and after that Iron Canyon with no take out except possibly some camping sites, although after seeing that bench at Massacre Flat I wondered if I’d be able to land anywhere. After Iron Canyon, 6 miles of “flat water” awaited before Ide Adobe River Park.
I didn’t remember if there was a boat ramp at Bend Bridge but I thought I’d like the option if there was. On river right the high cliff offered no hope, so I crossed over to see what was around the bend to the left. If there was a take out, I didn’t want to get swept past it by the current before I had a chance to land, so to scout it out I clipped the boat into some shrubbery, scrambled up the cliff to the bridge, and lo and behold, a small park appeared with a public boat ramp on the other side. I scrambled back down and paddled around the corner to a concrete ramp with a small sandy beach where I could take out without blocking traffic. Then I called Marc to pick me up, which he duly did, and I was on my way home.
- Until you’re actually on the river you never know how it’s going to be, regardless of how much research you do. Still, preparation is key.
- A solo trip is challenging because it’s all on you. Without a team, there’s a heightened element of alertness that taxes your energy, and there’s no remit if you fuck up.
From paddling the first twenty-five miles of the CRQ route I thought I knew how the water would be. But that was there and then, and this was here and now. High flows can make things easier or harder. I don’t know how the flow affected this particular section but I do know Day Two seemed unexpectedly lively. Being alone and injured in an unfamiliar environment was taxing. Taking everything into consideration, that meant erring on the side of caution and taking out while I was in reasonably good shape.
When I got home the calf was rather worse, and now the thigh was complaining too. I’m glad I got off the water when I did, or I might have ruined my summer by compounding the injury. As it is, I’ll be practicing RICE for some time, but maybe when the injury is healed, before the summer ends I’ll put in at Bend and finish the paddle to Chico.
I’ve learned a lot about kayaking from the Rangers, and one of the most important lessons is how to pivot. I’m glad I took this trip despite the injury and the early take out. It was wonderful. The river was beautiful, fast and challenging, and Massacre Flat was everything I hoped it would be, so wild and away from it all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen and heard so many different bird species all in one place. The smell of the willows was intoxicating. It was also fun to team up with the people who helped me plan. Because of their support and encouragement, this trip though short was a success. Thank you, well-wishers, from the bottom of my heart! You are all amazing!
Have you paddled this stretch of the Sacramento River? Tell me your stories! Thanks, and happy paddling!
Great story Nancy! I have paddled sections of this route on the Sacramento River back in the 1980’s. I remember there was plenty of sand bars to camp on during the low water of summer and was always impressed with the diversity of wild life and the sense of remoteness.
Thanks, Jim! I thought there’d be a lot of sand bars too, but I only saw one place that looked good to camp (not a sand bar) besides Massacre Flat the whole time I was on the river, and I went almost 20 miles total before Bend Bridge. Not a lot of places to pull over and get out. It sure was beautiful though.
Looking forward to seeing you and Patti later this month. We have a lot to catch up on!
Nancy,
It will be fun to hear your stories.
Sounds like an excellent adventure — and like you made the right decision by getting off the river. I hope you heal soon.
Thanks, John, I hope I heal soon too. It’s taking a long time! And thanks again for housesitting for me and especially for the maps. I will be using them in the future.
I appreciate you!
Put Scotty’s to Colusa on your bucket list. Great scenery, many camp areas and calmer water.
Good to read your adventure tale. Bummer that your leg restricted your trip but glad you were able to enjoy that section of river and the critters that live there.
You never go down the same
river twice.
✌️????????
Thanks for all your help, John. I thought of you when the boat flipped. I remembered your advice about holding on till I was out of the turbulence so I didn’t try to get back on right away and everything was fine.
I fully intend to go back, and I’d like to do the section down to Colusa as well. I’d like to talk to you about both trips before I get back on the river. Unfortunately, I’m still laid up. The leg is better and I can walk around, but it’s really weak and I have to do some rehab before I can even go on a proper hike.
A solo journey to remember! Love the detail about all aspects of the paddle. You inspired Melinda and I to paddle the section from Sundial bridge to Rooster landing a few years ago. The water is beautiful and I was delighted how well the X-15 managed the water and power of that river!
Taking the time to heal is wise, more adventures when you are back to fighting form!
Thank you for sharing this and be kind to yourself:)
Kudos on your adventure and 5 stars for having the wisdom to back off the plan. Hope your paw heals quickly. Big hugs from me and Angie.
Thanks Moulton, I appreciate you! Maybe we could do something on the Willamette. I hear there’s a water trail…