April 2014, Warning A large nearly river wide log is wedged in the bottom of the main drop at
Maytag Rapid.

Posted to Boater Talk, 5/9/2001, by John Lester: From the Gold Country Paddlers Listserver. On
Monday May 7, a GCP kayaker was trapped and killed on a hidden log strainer in a relatively benign
Class III rapid on the Union Flat section of the North Fork of the Yuba. The rapid is located
approximately 1.5 miles down river from the Union Flat Campground. For reference, the rapid is
located and can be scouted by hiking down from the Apple Orchard at the 20.9 mile marker on Hwy 49.
From the river, the location has been marked on river right with a red plastic construction ribbon
tied into a tree approximately 10 to 15 yards above the hazard in a dead tree snag that is about 6
feet above the water level. The strainer may not be visible as the water is rising from our run on
Monday. The strainer is approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the way into the rapid, in the center of the
rapid. Out of our group of 5, I was the only one to notice a sharp pointed object (what I thought
to be a rock, but upon recovery of the body turned out to be a tree). It is hard to spot, at our
flow it was about six inches out of the water in a wave train section down the middle of the run.
As of today, the hazard is at water level, with a small rooster tail. The rapid is entered as a
right turn with a large rock island on river left with lots of dead trees and is about 50 yards
long. This rapid looks like any number of similar rapids above and below this section on the NF of
the Yuba. Please be careful and be aware there is a potential death trap waiting to claim another
unsuspecting paddler. We are preparing a detailed reported of the accident and will post it upon
completion. Please pass this along to any and all paddling buddies and groups to prevent any
additional tragedies. John Jerger & Craig Eneboe