Re: American river

["Bonita B. Young" <corky@foothill.net>]

Julie
The reason you don't have to swim the American River on the Tevis is that
the Placer county Water agency that owns dams upstream of the crossing hold
back water, starting the morning of the ride.  By the time the first horses
arrive at the crossing the water is at a low level and you don't have to
swim.  This dose not mean that in pre riding evan the week before the ride
it may be possible that you would have to swim.  The middle fork of the
American river has become popular with commercial white water rafting and
generally the water company increases water output on the weekends for this
very reason.  We are very fortunate that the ride is as late in the season
as it is, last year the Western States Run was forced to hire a commercial
rafting company to get there runners across the river due to record snow
fall.  ( of course this is why Tevis is as late as it is so we don't have to
deal with the snow in the high country)  We where lucky last year and
believe me we were sweating it up until a week before the ride, we evan had
an alternate ride start location picked out in cases of too much snow.  Hope
this answers your question,
Corky Young
Board of  Governors, Western States Trail Foundation

jtaylor@pyramid.net wrote:

> When was the last time anyone had to swim the Amer river on the Tevis? I
> noticed the last several years no one has had to swim. Julie