Kern River kayaking and rafting news, and weather
River Notes for Wednesday, May 7, 2008Important information about River Notes. California-Nevada River Forecast Center's latest Short Term Snowmelt Forecast was released today. The forecast projects the 24 hr. average inflow to Lake Isabella will peak May 29 at about 3000 cfs. Note that this is an average for the day, and includes a small contribution from the S.F. Kern. The flow on the S.F. Kern is currently at about 250 cfs. The Short Term Snowmelt Forecast also projects that the 5-day average daily inflow to Lake Isabella will be about the same level for much of the month of May. According to the Kern chart there is 90% chance the 5-day average daily inflow to Isabella will exceed 1500 cfs, a 50% chance it will exceed 2250 cfs, and a 10% chance it will exceed 2900 cfs. One of the tools used to make snowmelt projections is the AHPS Ensemble Streamflow Prediction program. Here's a AHPS/ESP plot of the projected Lake Isabella average daily inflow for the period May 5 to July 7, 2008. The "TJ" in the Kern Festival's TJ Slalom is Tom Johnson. Tom and the Haystackers paddling club started the Kernville whitewater races in April of 1965. Among other firsts, Tom is credited with making the first fiberglass canoe in 1942, a fiberglass version of the Malia outrigger canoe in 1959, and the first rotomolded plastic kayak, the "River Chaser," in 1974. Tom won National championships in whitewater K-1 in 1967, OC-2 Slalom in 1976, and C-2 Masters Slalom in 1980. Over a three week period in Spring of 1972 he arranged with the Corp of Engineers and other agencies to create a paddling site at Riverside Park -- the first whitewater park in the U.S. Our world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class 2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin? Try our new Upper Kern and Forks trips. Download our 2008 Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (1.9Mb PDF) for more information! Trips and classes start booking weeks in advance, so make your reservations early. Use our interactive Raft Trip Reservation form to compare the details of the rafting trips we offer! Check out all the new 2008 boats in the New Boat Barn: 2008 Jackson Hero, Star & Super Fun; Dagger Agent 6.0 & Agent 6.4; Wavesport Diesel 65 & Diesel 75; Liquid Logic Jefe, Jefe Chico, Jefe Grande, Remix 47 Kids, Remix 59, Remix 69, & Remix 79. Please call 800-376-7303 for the latest update. Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes! Many of our new and used 2007 boats remain on sale -- All Star's, Hero's, Rocker's & Tripper's; Wavesport Project's, Habitat's and more! Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2008 season will mark our 23rd year on the Kern River! We are always looking for staff members who are energetic, self-motivated, enjoy the out-of-doors, team players and above all else, willing to provide exceptional guest services. Employment opportunities typically include river guides, kayak instructors, seasonal office staff, reservationists, food service manager, retail sales associates, bus drivers and photographers. Please see our Employment Information page for more information. We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake! Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. (Note: The SCE Flow Phone is currently out of order and according to SCE, will not be serviced until April 21. According to SCE, the diversion at Fairview is expected to remain at 300 cfs for the remainder of April.)
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page. Interactive Maps to Kernville & Road Conditions
Don't Miss Out - The Sierra South Rapid!If you would like to receive email notification of equipment sales, special promotions, and other paddlesports related news and offers, please take a few moments to subscribe to The Sierra South Rapid! Email List, the fast-track to great deals on paddlesports gear. Barry Tessman |
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