First Days of California

Photo Taken By Paul Twist

After this past year of traveling to and paddling in Canada, the east coast, Mexico, and China/Tibet, I find myself in California with World Class Kayak Academy for our forth and final quarter of the school year. It has been close to two
weeks since we arrived in Cali and already I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever been to in the states. Between the rivers and mountains I cannot find a good reason to want to keep moving. We started off at the Kaweah river in Three Rivers and ran the sections above Hospital Rock, Hospital Rock, and a small stretch that starts right at the entrance of the Sequoia Park. The section above Hospital rock was a super fun short easy creek run. About a eight minute hike in from the lot if the road is closed and has some super fun drops like Digg’n to China. The last drop was the sickest for sure, a small turn into a 15 foot slide, to another small slide, and finish off with a boat wide shoot on the left. Screw the line up though and on the right is the biggest siv I have ever seen. One of the crews boat went through it and it took it right through like breakfast, Kristi‘s paddle is forever lost in it aswell. Also Chucks Drop is right above it and is a sick looking stout drop.

Susan Hollingsworth catching air on Digg'n to China.
Photo taken by Sebastian Scholl




Hospital Rock was probably the most fun I have ever had creeking. It was the type of run I had been waiting for all year. The perfectly smooth granite canyon walls are what make it. Going down narrow shoots with the perfectly smoothed walls beside you is what makes California creeking a must do. The water was so crystal clear that you could see straight to the bottom, I was rolling over to take drinks. Also the drops Wonder boof and 0 to 60 were super sick.



Nate Garcia on O to 6O drop
Photo by Sebastian Scholl






We had some alumni come and visit us which was super cool, Shon Bollok and Justin Patt. Both of them are super solid paddlers and great guys to chill with. Thanks to JP we are going to have a place to stay at the Yuba. These guys fired up Chucks drop with our head coach Jesse Shimrock, which was a pretty sick rapid to watch get run.

While at the Kaweah we took one day to do a little kayaking field trip and took off to the Tule river. About a hour and a half away from Three Rivers but worth the drive for sure. We had a little bit of low water so had to do some portaging but the rapids that we did get in were worth the treks for sure. Some sick slides and double drops made it a epic day on the river and it was awesome to do a whole day on the river creeking with the whole group as always.




Me on a double drop at the Tule
Photo taken by Paul Twist








We were chill’n at the Kaweah for about a week until our park pass expired, but on the last day knocked out a sick relay race with the whole WCKA crew. Up on the top section above Hospital Rock, we had teams of three ready to get the muscles burning. It started out with a runner going uphill for a little less than a mile to the put in, then tagging his team mate who would race down the creek to tag the next runner to go up. It was over after every member of the team had run once and paddled once, my team (Erik Johnson, Dave Meyers, and I) aced the race and won some sick shirts from it.

It was sad to leave the Kaweah after it treating us so greatly. The local news paper “The Kaweah Commonwealth” came and did a whole article about the WCKA for the front page and talked about how the schools works and our travels. Read it at “http://www.kaweahcommonwealth.com/features.html”. After a week though I know the runs and am stoked to go keep on moving, WCKA only keeps getting better wherever it goes, and next stop the Yuba!