The river that came back to life: a journey down the reborn Klamath

Less than a year after four dams were removed from the river, life has blossomed along its banks, presenting new challenges and joys of recovery

Bill Cross pulled his truck to the side of a dusty mountain road and jumped out to scan a stretch of rapids rippling through the hillsides below.

As an expert and a guide, Cross had spent more than 40 years boating the Klamath River, etching its turns, drops and eddies into his memory. But this run was brand new. On a warm day in mid-May, he would be one of the very first to raft it with high spring flows.