Tubing.html

What's tubing?

Several times each summer a group of people will camp along the Kern River and spend the weekend inner-tubing.
We now have 3 tubing runs; the main run is by the Ming Lake Campground east of Bakersfield. Also there are runs by Kernville north of Isabella Lake, and the advanced Dam Run just South of the Isabella Lake dam.
Depending on the amount of water in the river, a run can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The rapids are not extreme, they are class 1, 2 and 3 (on a scale of 1 to 6), much of the run is spent slowly floating on calm smooth water. The Dam Run is mostly 3- to 3+.

Tubing tips | rapids classifications

Here is the typical routine

Folks begin arriving Friday night at the campground.

If we camp at the Ming Lake Campground, we just tube from the campground. Otherwise, on Saturday morning we may leave our campsite and relocate; either to the Kernville Riverside Park, or to the Day Camp part of the Ming Lake Campground., There we set up a home base at the end of the tubing run. If we're camped south of the dam, we will probably tube from our campsite. If we are relocating, folks arriving Saturday morning may want to go directly to the day camp we are using that day. The first run of the day is usually around noon.

As people continue to arrive, we fill up our tubes at a local gas
station. Then we pack the tubes and drive up to the top of the run, leave our cars there, and float back down to our day camp. Someone will then drive the other drivers up to retrieve their cars. This routine is repeated up to 3 times each day (usually twice).

Drinking alcohol in the Ming Lake Daycamp is permitted only with a permit. We usually don't have a permit (unless someone got up to Bakersfield by 4:30 Friday). The permit is not nessesary, for those camping at the Ming Lake Campground.

Dogs are welcome, but must be kept on a leash while at the Ming Lake Campground.

The county sheriff patrols the park and routinely gives tickets for violation of these 2 laws. The tickets are both very expensive (up to $100 or more). They also give tickets for too many cars at a site.

At the end of the day we pack up and drive to our camping spot.
The BLM camping area is fairly secluded (there usually is 1 or 2 other groups camping near by) and not patrolled; so we are able to cut loose and make noise around the campfire.

There is a hot springs close by that we sometimes visit on Saturday nights.

Sunday morning we pack every thing up and relocate at the Ming Lake Campground for more tubing.

You don't need to bring a tube.
Steve has about 30 tubes he brings up. You are responsible for filling, packing, retrieving and deflating the tube you use. You may want to get your own tube. You can buy tubes at Kernville and at tire stores that service semi trucks for $15-20. Sporting goods stores like Big 5 have plastic tubes with handles for $10-15. For more info BuyingTubes

What you need to know about tubing

Most of our tubing run is slow moving calm water. There are 4 or 5 spots (depending on the water level) where we pass through rapids. These are class 1 and 2 rapids (see below) and one spot (about 25-30 yards long) is classified as class 3 (see photo on home page).

What to do:	Why to do it:
Don't tube if you can't swim	This my seem like a no-brainer, but some folks need to be told. When on your tube you are safe, but tubes are top heavy and can flip in the rapids. If you know how to swim it's no big deal. Weak swimmers should wear life jackets. Some people wear wet suits.
Stay away from the rivers edge	There are a lot of bushes and tree branches along both edges of the river. The river will pull you thru them and scratch you up, pull you off your tube, or suck and hold you underwater. It's not possible to stop yourself by grabbing a branch in a swiftly moving current.
Hold on to your tube	When splashing thru the rapids, your tube may flip over. If you keep both arms around each side of your tube when you flip you will be able to let go of one side while holding onto the other (depending on which way you flip). This will (1) keep you and your tube together and (2) keep you above water.
Stay with the crowd	If this is your first trip you don't want to go first, because you don't know where the hazards are. You don't want to be last, because you won't have help if you become separated from your tube.
Keep you butt up	There are a lot of big rocks just below the surface of the water, especially in the rapids, that can scratch or bump your lower back. So lean back and keep your butt up.
Paddle backwards, to get away from, or to go towards, something	As you lay on your back in your tube you want to reach all the way back with both hands and pull the water forward propelling yourself backwards (just like in a row boat). This is the most powerful way to turn and move.
When people are stopping to jump off a certain tree on the left bank, paddle over to the right bank to watch. (or keep going)	(Unless you know you can make it around the dangerous tree branch sticking out of the left bank.) On the June trip someone got sucked under the branch by the strong current, got all scratched up, and thought that they might not make it.

The six classes of rapids:

class 1: easy.
fast moving water with riffles and small waves. few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.

class 2: novice.
straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed. rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated "class ii+".

class 3: intermediate.
rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid and which can swamp an open canoe. complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large-volume rivers. scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims. rapids that are at the lower or upper end of this difficulty range are designated "class iii-" or "class iii+" respectively.

We do NOT see any of the rapids listed below

class 4: advanced.
intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. a fast, reliable eddy turn may be needed to initiate maneuvers, scout rapids, or rest. rapids may require ômust'' moves above dangerous hazards. scouting may be necessary the first time down. risk of injury to swimmers is moderate to high, and water conditions may make self-rescue difficult. group assistance for rescue is often essential but requires practiced skills. a strong eskimo roll is highly recommended. rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated "class iv-" or "class iv+" respectively.

class 5: expert.
extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids which expose a paddler to added risk. drops may contain large, unavoidable waves and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex, demanding routes. rapids may continue for long distances between pools, demanding a high level of fitness. what eddies exist may be small, turbulent, or difficult to reach. at the high end of the scale, several of these factors may be combined. scouting is recommended but may be difficult. swims are dangerous, and rescue is often difficult even for experts. a very reliable eskimo roll, proper equipment, extensive experience, and practiced rescue skills are essential. because of the large range of difficulty that exists beyond class iv, class 5 is an open ended, multiple level scale designated by class 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, etc... each of these levels is an order of magnitude more difficult than the last. example: increasing difficulty from class 5.0 to class 5.1 is a similar order of magnitude as increasing from class iv to class 5.0.

class 6: extreme and exploratory.
these runs have almost never been attempted and often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability and danger. the consequences of errors are very severe and rescue may be impossible. for teams of experts only, at favorable water levels, after close personal inspection and taking all precautions. after a class vi rapids has been run many times, it's rating may be changed to an apppropriate class 5.x rating.

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from:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/archive/safety/safety.html#rating%20scale: