A gathering of relatives, friends and other watched as the kayakers broke through the fog and into view. As brown pelicans soared and glided overhead, the group worked its way to the sandy spit.

Immediately after touching land, the kayakers sprinted across the sand to the Pacific, where some dived in and others dipped their toes in the surf.

“We want you to feel our warmth, our love, our welcome,” said Sue Matzen, a member of the Karuk Tribe who lives in Requa. “You are not the same person you were before you traveled this river. You’re our future and we need you to be the best you can be.”

A series of others spoke, elders from various tribes and several of the youth, who ranged in age from 13 to 18.

Along with congratulating the young paddlers and giving them words of encouragement, a recurring theme was celebrating the removal of four Klamath River dams and the return of salmon.

Fittingly, the ceremonies, which moved from the spit to the road in Requa, were adjacent to what was intended to be a fish processing plant but is not operating because of the lack of salmon. Speakers also noted that weeks after the removal of the dams, salmon were seen beyond the John C. Boyle Dam near Keno.

While dam removal was a frequent story, the larger focus was on the youth. Before attempting the journey they had trained in whitewater paddling under the guidance of Rios to Rivers, some for three years, with some traveling to Chile.

“This whole trip is a letter of love … it’s also a letter of promise — a promise we will be able to keep this river free-flowing,” said Danielle Frank, Rios to Rivers director of community relations.

“By opening this river, the river is healing itself,” Matzen said, “because the river remembers, the fish remember … This is a day we are bringing balance to our world.”

The (Klamath Falls) Herald and News is a news partner with the Rogue Valley Times.