There's a reason it's called the 'Slammin' Salmon'. 

Just minutes from the put-in, our paddle raft had just cleared the day's first rapid, a class IV roller-coaster named Butler Creek Ledge. John McDermott, our guide, had directed us into an eddy just below the rapids.

Seconds later, the second raft exploded into view - briefly standing on its side before it flopped upside down, dumping its four paddlers and oarsman.

The 'Slammin' Salmon', formally named the Cal Salmon to distinguish it from Idaho's famed Salmon River, thunders its way from the Marble and Salmon mountains of Siskiyou County to the hamlet of Somes Bar, where it spills into the Klamath River.
The Cal Salmon is the stuff of legends. It's respected and revered for its scenic remoteness as it passes through a choked, granite-walled gorge sporadically splattered with cells of marble. Most of all, it's known for its series of rampaging class IV and V rapids. Butler Creek is just a warm-up for what follows.

What followed over the next two days was better than promised.
Two-day Cal Salmon trips typically begin at Butler Creek. On that first day our two rafts rattled through a series of rapids, including class III+ Wooly Bully, class IV Double Move and the Fin, and class IV+ gaping Maw.

....That night we regrouped at the Nordheimer Campground, devouring barbecued salmon flavored with mango chutney, a salad made from fresh greens, delicious home-baked breads, and for dessert, intoxicatingly sweet truffles.

Day Two began at the campground put-in. It was only a short paddle to the class IV+ Bloomer Falls, which is actually two quick boat-burying holes. teaming with rafts from other rafting companies, the now five-raft flotilla continued along class III+ and IV+ rapids, including the Maze, Lewis Creek Falls, Oh What A Feeling, Airplane...to the class V Cascade Falls where the choices included a 400-yard long boulder garden and a narrow 15-foot waterfall. Although no boats overturned, several paddlers made unplanned impromptu swims before being hauled back on board.

Two class VI+ rapids followed quickly, Achilles Heel and Whirling Dervish, before two fearsomely frothy class Vs, Last Chance and Freight Train, relished for their boat-sucking holes  and spiraling hydraulics.
After lunch at Butler Creek, we zipped through rapids that created goose bumps a day earlier. No one swam, no rafts overturned.
But, like one paddler who makes annual pilgrimages down the river, we all flipped for the Slammin' Salmon.

For information on paddling the California Salmon River, which is best tackled during the spring and early summer, contact River Dancers Rafting & Kayaking at 800-926-5002. Visit their website at www.riverdancers.com or email them at rafting@riverdancers.com. Experienced paddlers are suggested because of the river's difficulty.
The company also offers challenging trips on the Upper Klamath and Scott rivers along with gentler journeys on the Upper Sacramento , Trinity, Middle Klamath and Owyhee river.