Canoe trip along the Klamath River
The lower Klamath River and the redwoods, which grow nowhere else on Earth, are at the heart of Yurok culture.
Yurok tour guides Sammy Gensaw, 26, left and Zechariah Gabel, 20, launch a trip on the Klamath River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Yurok guides paddle tourists along the Klamath River in canoes handcrafted from redwood trees. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Yurok guide Jon Luke Gensaw paddles on a rainy Klamath River. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
![Canoe, paddles and seats](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5cfd829/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0b%2F6e%2F1b57b56c4315a29e21b6f20aec95%2Fla-photos-1staff-797080-tr-0610-yurok-canoe-7-rcg.jpg)
The canoe, paddles and seats are all handcrafted by tribal members. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Tribal member Dave Severns uses traditional Yurok methods to hollow out redwood trunks. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Robert Gauthier has been with the Los Angeles Times since 1994. He was the photographer for a project detailing the failings of an L.A. public hospital that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for public service. Before The Times, Gauthier worked at the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Escondido Times-Advocate and the Bernardo News in San Diego County, his hometown.