‘Prodigal River’ an essay by Rebecca Lawton

“We decided to take a walk up the north bank of the Stanislaus River. Remember? The water was low and the rocks exposed out in the river. But we weren’t looking for rapids that day, we wanted wildflowers.”

Rebecca Lawton is a writer, fluvial geologist, and former Colorado River (and Stanislaus) guide. Her heartfelt essay about the Stanislaus was first published in her 2002 book, Reading Water: Lessons from the River (Capital Books).