Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Cali Love 2010


My trip started on April 29th in front of my house looking at my truck covered in snow. I  headed to Steamboat for one last day of work before the annual RCRE spring Cali trip.   I only had to make it til 2 p.m. and then..... 10 days of freedom....  Cali baby!!!  The crew had the truck packed by 3:00 and we were on the road.  
Fisher's truck cruising through Lake Tahoe heading to the UMC. Photo Marty Smith

We headed for Tahoe and the Cosumnes. I drove through the night to wake up the next morning in the drivers seat passed out in a Super Wal-Mart parking lot.  We got supplies, got lost a couple of times, and put on the Cosumnes for our first time ever at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.  Its only 4 miles, how hard could it be?


First Stop Upper Middle Cosumnes, here is a link to Mcquoids blog that we used for beta. We had a higher flow of 425cfs.
Kevin Fisher styling one of the many clean drops.  
Photo: Martin Smith

Marty cleaning it up.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Eric making it look to easy.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Duckyman firing off into a huge hole.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Fisher running it switch.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Marty loving Cali.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Overall the UMC is well worth doing, but I'd recommend an earlier put on time.  We eventually got to the take out at 8:30 p.m.  There are access issues at the put-in.  Be respectful and courteous to the homeowners at the put in.  It is a very private and secluded neighborhood.  There is talk of putting up a gate to keep kayakers out.  Don't screw this up, play it super low key!

A massive storm system came in and changed the itinirary.   We head for good weather and perfect flows.  When the Kern drainage has water it is off the hook!

Brush Creek with water? Photos taken with 2.5 to 3 on the bridge gauge.
Kevin Fisher showing us how to boof!  Photo: Dan Piano
Marty routing through.  Photo: Dan Piano
Fisher dropping the main set of slides.  Photo: Dan Piano
Mayo in the s-turn slide.  Photo: Dan Piano
Eric on his third lap.  Photo: Dan Piano
Marty about to run into me.  Photo: Dan Piano
Dropping! Photo: Dan Piano
Dan in the lower mank section.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Marty and Dan hiking back up.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Dan going for the no paddle boof.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Ducky on his fifth lap.  Photo Adam Mayo

Ducky keeping it real.  Photo: Dan Piano


Marty stepped up for the day and ran it seven times.  I ended up pitoning and cracking the nose of my kayak. Brush is a low stress blast.  Our flows peaked around 3 on the gauge serving up great times but more water in this creek would be sick.

The following morning we ended up running into Eric Giddens and Geno at our base camp in the parking lot.  They were heading up to run Upper Brush Creek - the "UBC" sucka.  It hasn't run in four years due to drought.  Our crew from Colorado specializes in running wood mank.  Come to Cali and run a manky wood infested creek? Sure.  It turns out the UBC is legit.  It starts out a little manky, but I think we put in too high on the creek.  As you go on it just gets better and better.  Check out Giddens's write up on his blog.
Here are some photos.
Hiking in past Alder Creek.  If I went again I would follow this creek down.  Eric Giddens
More hiking.  Photo: Dan Piano
 Crew preparing.  Photo: Marty Smith
                            
The put-in.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Fisher feeling at home in the deep willow mank.  Photo: Dan Piano
Ducky styling.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Mayo unit.  Photo: Dan Piano
Giddens dropping one of the early ones.  Photo: Martin Smith
  
Marty BOOF!  Photo: Eric Giddens
Dan BOOF!  Photo: Eric Giddens
Fisher BOOF!  Photo: Eric Giddens
Dan lining up the pot hole drop.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Marty on the pot hole.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Fisher.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Giddens showing the line.  Photo: Adam Mayo

Duckyman firing on all cylinders! Photo: Eric Giddens
Fisher coming through the bottom. Eric Giddens
Eric probing the clapper.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Dan lining up for the mega clap.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Fisher about to clap.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Dan about to drop the big slide on the second part of
 the clapper as Ducky watches from the pool. 
Photo: Adam Mayo
Mayo charging! Photo: Dan Piano
Giddens making it look easy. Photo: Dan Piano
Geno, one of our guides. showing us how it's done. Photo: Eric Giddens
Duckyman hiking out.  Awesome day!
I highly recommend this creek.  Kernville folks need to clean this thing!

The weather was still lingering north and we were pretty cashed from the day prior so we decided to run the main Kern at 2000.  It was a super fun day with some classic rapids.  Here are some highlights.
Fisher dropping lower salmon falls.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Read and run.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Eric saying peace to the Kern.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Kernville was good to us this year!  The weather was clearing up north and we headed for the Kaweah.

All the flows in the Kaweah drainage were high so we decided to go run the North Fork of the Kaweah. We met up with Kevin Dombey for some North Fork action.
Marty, Eric, and Dan Wait for the shuttle in the rain.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Dombey on the first drop. Photo: Adam Mayo 
Please donate gear to Kevin. Photo: Dan Piano
Fisher probing Cherry Falls. Photo: Dan Piano
Dombey on his second lap.  Photo: Dan Piano
Dan getting a boof.  Photo: Kevin Dombey


The North Fork has a ton of other awesome rapids that we did not get photos of.  If the Kaweah is on the high side check this thing out!
That night at Three Rivers Hideaway.  Photo: Dan Piano
The next day heading to Sequoia.  Photo: Dan Piano

Up Next Hospital Rock at 1400.
Marty firing it up! Photo: Adam Mayo
Dan on one of the upper rapids. Photo: Adam Mayo
Eric showing the line.  Photo: Dan Piano
Kaweah is sick.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Hospital Rock is about as classic as it gets.  

Last but not least we wrapped up the trip on the Tule at 375 (perfect flow).
Later Kaweah.   Photo: Dan Piano
Adam firing up one of the many super fun slides.  Photo: Dan Piano
Dan on another slide.  Photo: Adam Mayo
Marty cleaning it up! Photo: Dan Piano
Eric lining it up.  Photo: Dan Piano
Fisher looks on as Duckyman fires up El Norte Caliepas.  Photo: Dan Piano
Marty on El Norte.  Photo: Dan Piano
Only in Cali!  Photo: Adam Mayo
Look at this place! Are you kidding me!  Photo: Dan Piano
Fisher.  Photo: Dan Piano
Dan getting one last boof!  Photo: Adam Mayo

Until next time....




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