River Trips Changed My Life

Ruby Madonia | Tuolumne River, northern CA

It was 1985 and I’d been living in the cold rocky mountains when I got an invite to apply for a job in California for a river company. My first question, “Do they run the Colorado/Grand Canyon?” The answer was affirmative, and I came out and applied for the job. It was March and a snowstorm closed Donner Pass for a day. When I finally arrived, dropping down in elevation, I was amazed at the trees, flowers, etc. Got the office job, and my first trip on the was was the “T”, as it’s affectionately called. Words can not describe the feelings of being in the wilds, along a river, with like-minded people. Trips like this change one, for the better. I’ll always be grateful to George Wendt for helping change my life!

Support the protection of 5,000 new miles of wild and scenic rivers