From instructor Bri:
What a beautiful day at the climbing site on Monday! The day 1 mountain bikers headed off to the climbing site to beat the crowds and the California heat. Each student took turns going up the three different routes, challenging themselves both technically and mentally. Goals were both met and exceeded, impressive success all around. While the sun heated up the climbing area, students cooled off in the river, taking the opportunity to jump off a ledge into the chilly water. The climbing students also planned and executed a food shop for preparing dinner tonight and are looking forward to serving a tasty hamburger, salad, tater tot, and strawberry shortcake meal. We’re all excited to get on the Upper Klamath river Tuesday for a full day of rafting and hopefully a little relief from the dust and heat!
On Tuesday, after an early start to the day and two hours of driving to the put-in site, the California Challenge students and instructors took to the Upper Klamath for a day full of rapids, water, and sunshine. The students got a feel for the boats and their paddles by practicing on some class 3 rapids before taking on some action packed class 4 and even class 5 rapids. The students proved themselves as strong and competent paddlers, working their way swiftly and safely through rapid after rapid, all with a big smile on their faces. Students also took advantage of calmer sections of the river for a little fun and games, instigating splash wars between boats or pushing/pulling in an unsuspecting victim. The cool water was a wonderful way to beat the California heat, as well as a delicious lunch provided by our guides. We want to extend a huge thank you to our guides from the River Dancers, and are looking forward to spending 3 more days with them on the Middle Klamath starting July 30! Unfortunately, due to the wet nature of rivers, no pictures can be shared at this moment, but plenty of pictures and GoPro footage will no doubt be shared upon the students’ return.
For now, the students are working on recovering from a long day in the water and sunshine, rehydrating in preparation to start the 3-day Mt. Shasta attempt in the morning! Stay tuned for an update (and more pictures!) in the coming days!