"We've had a tremendous season," says Robert Rodgers, a recreational rafter in the area."[The river is] the highest I've ever seen it. First time at these flow levels.""This is the year," says raft guide Andrew Ahlberg."If you've never been, you want to come out this year. It's like having a powder day every day, all summer."
"It's more of an issue with people coming out and doing things on their own without the experience and training to do it," Richards says."We run the river multiple times and see it multiple times with guides and do training trips. We are also swift water rescue trained." Downriver on the American, rafting companies are taking extra precautions but giving their customers their best chance to be a part of a historic river season. This also means that there are better chances for the river to be less congested and less of a chance for a human-caused issue.
Rafting companies tout their safety record as a way to get people in the river without risking their life. The biggest endorsement came from law enforcement agencies toward the start of the year. The Placer County Sheriff's Office told CBS News duringthat rafting with professional guides was the only way to enjoy the river safely and effectively.