Middle Fork of the Feather River

Taken from the steel footbridge (inset) where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses, in the vague northern end of the Sierra Nevada, California. Looking upstream. The Middle Fork is a designated wild & scenic river, so there are no dams or other control structures. River branches named as "forks" of a main stream are found all over western North America. It's supposed to be due to the early trappers, who found it a much more straightforward naming system! The Feather River is a free translation of the original Spanish name, "Río de las Plumas." The original name is preserved in "Plumas County" and "Plumas National Forest."