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Middle Fork American
 Every trip is an adventure!
Our Middle Fork American trips cover 16 miles of clear, cold river through a steep, remote canyon that is full of natural and human history, wildlife and exciting whitewater. Trip members should have previous paddling experience and be prepared for a demanding and sometimes unpredictable trip – this is not the place for couch potatoes.
One Day Option: In the course of one day we will run one of California’s most extreme rapids, (Tunnel Chute, where the river drops 25 feet through a 100 foot long man-made slot in the bedrock),
pass through a 300 yard long tunnel (blasted through the ridge by miners during the Gold Rush), portage the rafts around a breathtaking drop, (the jaw-dropping Ruck-A-Chucky Falls where the river plunges 30 feet over house sized boulders), and tackle numerous other whitewater challenges. Between rapids, we’ll float through the golden hillsides of California’s historic Mother Lode Gold Country near Auburn.
Two Day Option: Everything described above, plus a night along the river at a beautiful campsite accessible only by raft. Enjoy an evening of swimming, hiking, fishing and lounging and a night of star-gazing.
"Even though it was just for a day, your guides were like part of our family."
Andy Guillen
ARTA GUIDE
SKYLER MURPHY
 Some people are born with a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eye. Others get it from surfing. Or from snowboarding. Or from playing music, or backpacking or climbing trees or wearing silly clothes or falling out of a second story window when they are two. We’re not sure which it is with Skyler. He grew up in Santa Cruz and started surfing as a Junior Lifeguard in elementary school, learned to snowboard at Lake Tahoe when he was eight, started playing the guitar in high school (he’s now in a band called Coach Dan and the Giant Vegetables) and has spent many a summer tramping around the Sierra with his family. And yes, he did fall out of a second story window when he was two (but he was probably smiling). Even his degree from Cal-Poly (Construction Management major with Environmental Studies and Sustainable Design minors) puts a twinkle in his eye, (and makes us all smile). But then again, maybe he was born like that (maybe we all are) and he just chose to stay that way, (maybe we all should).
Meet more of our guides...
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For Left Brained People:
In one word: Frantic
In another word: Adventure
Expect to: Be surprised
Meeting Place: Auburn, CA
Length in days: 1 or 2
Length in miles: 16
Gradient: 22 feet/mile
Overall difficulty: IV
Highest difficulty (#): V (1)
Rapids/day: ~ 15
Signature Rapid: Tunnel Chute
Types of boats: Paddle
Hiking: C
Scenery: B
Wilderness: B
Fishing: B+
Campsites: B
Wildlife: B
Swimming: C
For Right Brained People:
Nowhere else do we launch in the tailway of a hydroelectric powerhouse. Nowhere else do we shove our unmanned rafts over a waterfall and then walk around. Nowhere else do we run a man-made slot through the bedrock. Nowhere else do we float through a tunnel. A tunnel! That’s a lot of distinction. The whitewater is a bit unusual too. There are some really challenging and edgy rapids and there are some long stretches of small riffles and calm pools and there’s not a lot in between. Hot or cold; wild or mild. The canyon is much more remote than the South Fork, no houses, no campgrounds, no roads and for most people, therefore, prettier. The hard rapids mean you should probably be active and eager and over 14 years old.
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