Anyone up for Eel River multi-day float/paddle April 7-15 ?

sensory overload is how i've described the rides i've taken. after rolling thru the redwoods, we branched off along the middle fork of the eel river, headed south on top of a load of lumber. the speeds were quite modest. in an out of the sun in perfect weather, cool in the shade, warm in the sun. stopped in fort seward and got some berry picking in. the greatest thing was peering down into the river, pools clear enough to see fish, otter, and the continuity of riverine sculpture, where rock and sand were shaped to fit the fluid passage of pure cool liquid.

it was many miles between bridges or any sign of human disturbance. if we had been on the river, one side would have screamed about the scar of the roadbed, but we were spared that with only a view below and across. plunging ridgelines separated alternating worlds. each south facing slope had the golden grass, smelled of oakey california toast, and each contrasting slope breathed cool pine and fir. the flight of every bird could be traced in its entirety from our domeless vista.

our perch was the upper two bunks of lumber, set on three below, so we had a notch fore and aft to settle into facing either way and not a care in the world at sixteen. that line has since been closed, some eco burning of a timber supported tunnel spelled the end as i understand it.

then down through the wine country, things were pastoral and moved along a little quicker. we stopped in schellville, ambled over to a road crossing and hitched with a sign reading s.f.

across the street were three retirees, sitting in the shade of a big porch, we could hear their murmur. finally one of them walked over and with his thumbs in his suspenders, suggested that if we were going to san francisco, we should cross the road and aim the other way. my folks lived on the peninsula where our ten thousand mile summer would be celebrated

lucky for me, no drama in my story, i was contouring very steep terrain well above the north fork of the eel river and spotted a large cat crossing a gravel bar directly below me. i believed it was too big to be a bobcat but the only reference was the cobble of uncertain scale. digging blindly for the binos i watched intently wanting it to be a cougar and got my wish when it walked directly into a pool in the river. swimming with that tail swaying above the surface of the water clinched it. i was solo, and secure, but when it reached cover on the far bank, it vanished even in the binoculars and my hair stood up as if it had been an apparition. feel very lucky to have seen one, still looking for my wolverine...seen one?