lcarreau - Apr 28, 2008 12:52 pm - Voted 10/10
I wonder if thatshappened to anybody before.
Guess you'd have to be a
strong swimmer. There must
be a backcountry ranger
stationed there with a rope
during the busier times of
the year. Great photo, Guido!
SoCalHiker - Apr 28, 2008 12:58 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: I wonder if thatsThanks. In fact, several people have died in the past by jumping/sliding into that water. Just last year in 2007 one person was killed. There are apparently strong undercurrents that are almost invisible from the surface. Cheers.
shanny8 - Jun 20, 2015 5:43 am - Hasn't voted
Re: I wonder if thatsI did it thirty five yrs ago when I was fifteen. There were some locals there doing it. My best friend and younger sister also did it with me. I swam every day of my childhood practically and was a member of hs swimteam those years. it was in the month of august. i think the water was barely a qtr inch deep running like a sheet so powerful that it almost knocked me off of my feet just standing in it. So, I went first and its was awesome. But when I began to swim back to the shore let me tell you I was a very very strong swimmer. I was worried for more than a minute though as the current was pushing me sideways as I swam forward. Of course I wanted to go again so I did not express anything to my parents however, I stood up and turned and was braced and ready to jump in and get my friend and sister if they struggled at all. they made it fine. I cannot believe my parents allowed us to do that. the edge of the falls is very very close. I do remember that the locals told us specifically where to go up a bit so we could position on the rock without getting the rug so to speak pulled out from under us which is exactly wht it felt like when i first stepped onto it . and the also showed us exactly where to sit on the rock so they did have lots of experience which is something a tourist would not have. I loved doing it and dont regret it but I do remember exactly how it felt when i thought I ay not make it to the shore and how quickly i would be rushed out and over the falls. there was not much room at all to play with i know it was closer than i was totally comfortable with so only went a second time. I am a little hesitant to post this and hope it does not persuade anyone to try it, even with the locals expertise it was not at all a safe thing and one little gush further and i would not have had time to recover. its that fast and that strong. funny I was just telling a friend this story a few days ago. we did many other just as crazy things as kids growing up in the bay area. sitting on train trestles tucked in while the train goes by five to six inches from our faces plus the timin issue that once we heard the train we rand a littlw ways up the track and on to the trestle but once we got to where the track was there was no time to turn around and go back once you hit the track you were committed to run all the way to the testle. we also jumped off of over passes into the american river while camping. we made locals jump first and then jumped in the same spot after them becase there are a lot of huge rocks that cant be seen in the river. I have two children 25 and 20 and i have never told them I did any of these things and never intend to. we had loads of fun though!!
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