Potential danger for start of rafting season
By Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
“Stay out and stay alive.”
That’s the message a state ranger has for anyone planning a little fun in the sun at Northern California rivers this weekend.
Warming temperatures in the 70s together with a late-season snow can make for a deadly mix in the upper reaches of the American River — a popular destination for white water rafters — as swift rapids, unseen undertows and frigid temperatures in the 50s can overwhelm even the most experienced swimmers.