My last run on the river
With one last run on the Stan in 1981 with my friend Paul Begovac, I felt it necessary to bring my sax on that run as a Memorial tribute. I played Amazing
Grace and some melodies from my heart and soul. In that moment, I blew the Stan up to the heavens where others could enjoy the good times she provided us.
After I did my Sax Memorial, excited for the adventure ahead, Paul and I pushed our kayaks into the Stanislaus River. Paul paddled down to Suspension Bridge and pulled over river right to film me. I finished Suspension Bridge Rapid and pulled into this little eddy on river left. It was only a couple of feet deep but I went over after hitting a hidden rock crossing the eddy line and drifted against a shore ledge where my upside-down kayak got pinned. Across the river, Paul watched me in this
dangerous position thrashing underneath the little ledge trying to get out. Paul scrambled down to his kayak to go help me, but then I finally broke out of the kayak and surfaced, but without my paddle – or my right shoe!
Once we regained our wits, making a paddle was absolutely necessary, as I had no way to finish the trip without a one. So, I made a paddle out of a sapling cut down with a Swiss Army knife and knocked out the Holloform kayak foam support, cutting a block out for the kayak blade, using my remaining shoestring to attach it all.
River guide ingenuity!
I had to carefully navigate Bailey Falls, Widowmaker, and other rapids with the foam paddle to keep water away from my already loose spray skirt so the cockpit wouldn’t fill with water. This was even trickier due to all the gear we had stuffed into our kayaks, making them awkward and heavy. Luckily, a little bit downriver, I found a raft paddle to make add to my rescue paddle.
Later that day, we ran into some rafters who had found my real paddle but were reluctant to return it. I sweet-talked them and they returned his paddle so we could carry on with our trip. We made it to Razorback for camp on the first night, celebrating my near drowning survival and the beauty of the rapids we had just run, consuming most of our beer for the trip that night. A one-of-a-kind experience!
We started the next day knowing we were going to see a different Stanislaus River, with the New Melones Dam filling to reach the upper Stan that Spring. As we drifted downstream, the river current gave way to a meandering flow. The water began swallowing the base of trees and the riverbanks were rising higher. Soon, trees became completely drowned with the rising water, standing there like flowers in a vase. The meandering current started to give out and we began to have to paddle the now newly forming lake waters.
As we approached Parrott’s Ferry Bridge, floating debris was evident, growing to the point that we had to paddle through a solid debris field just to reach the shore. We joined Gar Dubois on the Parrott’s Ferry Bridge at take out to say our goodbyes and shared our good times together, cave exploring and rafting and all the good friends we made.
What a trip, what a river, what a memory we have to this day!
See more about Scott Imsland on the Stanislaus River.