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| Author: Cody Howard July 17th, 2008 Photos: Kevin Smith |
Its was finally time. I had done all the other High Sierra runs on "the list"...but still one loomed
over me. It had never been addressed, but I knew that it was a definite option for this short
trip to Cali.
I had just returned from a massive month of "runnin' the shit" in Japan, when I finally settled
into my chair at my computer to play catch up on all of my emails. Taking a pause from the
frustrating adjustment back into reality, I checked the gauges in California. Upper Cherry
looked to be in a good window with Middle Kings and Postpile droppin' into the right flow
range. I quickly entertained the thought of going, but too much was to be done. So I sat
down and tried to get back to work......only to be distracted again by the thought of getting
back on the water. "That's it!" I mumbled, so I called Mike Fisher and said, "Your fucking
coming with me, whether you like it or not." He didn't object.
over me. It had never been addressed, but I knew that it was a definite option for this short
trip to Cali.
I had just returned from a massive month of "runnin' the shit" in Japan, when I finally settled
into my chair at my computer to play catch up on all of my emails. Taking a pause from the
frustrating adjustment back into reality, I checked the gauges in California. Upper Cherry
looked to be in a good window with Middle Kings and Postpile droppin' into the right flow
range. I quickly entertained the thought of going, but too much was to be done. So I sat
down and tried to get back to work......only to be distracted again by the thought of getting
back on the water. "That's it!" I mumbled, so I called Mike Fisher and said, "Your fucking
coming with me, whether you like it or not." He didn't object.
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So again, we were off. Nothing had been accomplished, and the Japan mission had quickly
blended into a, "We aren't coming home til we do Postpile Mission". Upper Cherry was the
first stop. Linking up with Kevin Smith of Mammoth and Jake Stoesz, we made an enjoyable
bomb-fest of Uniform Charlie Charlie. While racing across the lake, one thing was on my
mind, The Crucible. I had a good team of 4 set and we had all the info we needed from
Charlie Center, Rush Sturges, Ben Brown and Darin Mcquoid.....(insert a big Thank You to
them for the solid beta).
The next day consisted of setting the shuttle. Dodging fires and making our way through the
crowds, we enjoyed an eight hour day of driving and packing. Finally settling down into our
sleeping bags with anticipation of the next days levels, whitewater, portaging, cliff hanging
and portaging.
blended into a, "We aren't coming home til we do Postpile Mission". Upper Cherry was the
first stop. Linking up with Kevin Smith of Mammoth and Jake Stoesz, we made an enjoyable
bomb-fest of Uniform Charlie Charlie. While racing across the lake, one thing was on my
mind, The Crucible. I had a good team of 4 set and we had all the info we needed from
Charlie Center, Rush Sturges, Ben Brown and Darin Mcquoid.....(insert a big Thank You to
them for the solid beta).
The next day consisted of setting the shuttle. Dodging fires and making our way through the
crowds, we enjoyed an eight hour day of driving and packing. Finally settling down into our
sleeping bags with anticipation of the next days levels, whitewater, portaging, cliff hanging
and portaging.
Putting in above Rainbow Falls, we made our way down and portaged the fall on river left,
noticing that the flow was identical to the Seven Rivers flow. Atfer a short photo sesh, we
pushed onward with hopes that it wasn't too high. Our team of four (Myself, Josh Hill, Kevin
Smith and Mike Fisher) then made our way to Lower Falls. Finding wood in the entrance and
a brief scout, Josh opted to go first. He quickly (as with the rest of us) breached and bashed
his way over the log/sieve, finally going over the fall. Stoked with the high flow, we then
started the long awaited, "River Right Portage". This basically takes some time in the
exposed, manzanita infested canyon, bringing you down to the first runnable section of river.
Tired and sunbaked, we ate lunch above the big boof. "Hell yes!" and "Prepare for war" were
the only thoughts repeating in my mind.
noticing that the flow was identical to the Seven Rivers flow. Atfer a short photo sesh, we
pushed onward with hopes that it wasn't too high. Our team of four (Myself, Josh Hill, Kevin
Smith and Mike Fisher) then made our way to Lower Falls. Finding wood in the entrance and
a brief scout, Josh opted to go first. He quickly (as with the rest of us) breached and bashed
his way over the log/sieve, finally going over the fall. Stoked with the high flow, we then
started the long awaited, "River Right Portage". This basically takes some time in the
exposed, manzanita infested canyon, bringing you down to the first runnable section of river.
Tired and sunbaked, we ate lunch above the big boof. "Hell yes!" and "Prepare for war" were
the only thoughts repeating in my mind.
With clean lines from Josh, myself & Kevin, it was then Mikey's turn. He came in driving right
to left and ended up barrel rolling (completely) off the first drop. For the select few who have
ever run this drop, you know how dicey that would be.....and for those that haven't, imagine a
horror-line in the worst possible place. Amazingly, Mike pulled it off and boofed the hell out of
the second tier, calming our nerves. From there we made our way down to the next
significant drop, a three staged, boxed in hole (middle stage) that I had only seen pictures of
Charlie running on Darin's Blog. Josh deemed it good to go, and stepped up to run it first.
Coming in a little too left, he dropped into a channel on the far left wall that exited into a
sieve. Dropping the camera and running downstream, all I could see was him, still in his boat
with both arms on either wall, trying to work his way upstream. There was nothing our group
could do, but provide motivation and set safety below the sieve. What happened next was a
true display of power, skill and will. Josh managed to make his way upstream against strong
current, only by using his hands pressing against both walls. Once to the top of the channel,
he then 270'd his boat, corrected, got a last second boof stroke, bashed the hole, made the
ferry, bashed another hole and pinched through the exit. We were on our feet cheering and
relieved. ...."this is still day one" rushed through my head.
to left and ended up barrel rolling (completely) off the first drop. For the select few who have
ever run this drop, you know how dicey that would be.....and for those that haven't, imagine a
horror-line in the worst possible place. Amazingly, Mike pulled it off and boofed the hell out of
the second tier, calming our nerves. From there we made our way down to the next
significant drop, a three staged, boxed in hole (middle stage) that I had only seen pictures of
Charlie running on Darin's Blog. Josh deemed it good to go, and stepped up to run it first.
Coming in a little too left, he dropped into a channel on the far left wall that exited into a
sieve. Dropping the camera and running downstream, all I could see was him, still in his boat
with both arms on either wall, trying to work his way upstream. There was nothing our group
could do, but provide motivation and set safety below the sieve. What happened next was a
true display of power, skill and will. Josh managed to make his way upstream against strong
current, only by using his hands pressing against both walls. Once to the top of the channel,
he then 270'd his boat, corrected, got a last second boof stroke, bashed the hole, made the
ferry, bashed another hole and pinched through the exit. We were on our feet cheering and
relieved. ...."this is still day one" rushed through my head.
Day Two was upon us and we where about to drop into Boof-o-Matic Gorge. This gorge was
a spitting image of some of the rivers I've paddling in Arizona. I couldn't get over it. It was
like I was at home. Definitely some cool geology in there, intermixed with some "deserty"
parts and quality mank. Boof-O-Matic was surely a highlight, but brought us to our first "Un
Un". Thats right. The most notorious gorged out run of America, was finally closing her walls
upon us. Kevin and I scrambled up the cliff and shouted verbal command to poor Mike on
what turned out to be one of the biggest series of the trip. A "Center, Left, Left, Eddy, Right,
Right" did the trick on this sweet, sweet drop. The last drop had a boil about 10' downstream
that definitely dished out it's fair share of beatings.
a spitting image of some of the rivers I've paddling in Arizona. I couldn't get over it. It was
like I was at home. Definitely some cool geology in there, intermixed with some "deserty"
parts and quality mank. Boof-O-Matic was surely a highlight, but brought us to our first "Un
Un". Thats right. The most notorious gorged out run of America, was finally closing her walls
upon us. Kevin and I scrambled up the cliff and shouted verbal command to poor Mike on
what turned out to be one of the biggest series of the trip. A "Center, Left, Left, Eddy, Right,
Right" did the trick on this sweet, sweet drop. The last drop had a boil about 10' downstream
that definitely dished out it's fair share of beatings.
We made our way through gorge after gorge and finally camped at Millers Crossing. Marked
by a cable crossing on open area below the "High Water Mark Gorge", we found ourselves a
cherry little camp spot. I changed over and ran up to the cable cart, and took a ride out over
the river. Very cool to be sitting 25 feet over the canyon, with some amazing views of the
gorges downstream and upstream. Shootin' the shit over the campfire about the run so far
was fun, but The Crucible was main topic of discussion for our three man crew.
Day Three..The Crucible Day. Morning came, and I woke first to wake up Mike and Kevin at
the wonderful hour of 6am. It was to be an early day, for we wanted all the time devoted to
The Crucible. Within an hour of paddling, we found ourselves at Cassidy Gorge and
dropped into the first of the gorges above The Crucible. With Balloon Dome in view on the
Left, we made good time, hopping over rocks, portaging the river when it went underground
and running sketchy walled in falls. Once we finally made it down to The Crucible, it finally hit
us, that this was full on. The flow was high for sure, and we couldn't see a damn thing.
Broken Arrow Falls was the last fall we could see. At the far end, Granite Creek spilled over
sheer walls into Shangri-La. Its was a sight that I will never forget. I remember thinking to
myself, "hmm, this doesn't look like it drops all that much". Boy was I wrong.
by a cable crossing on open area below the "High Water Mark Gorge", we found ourselves a
cherry little camp spot. I changed over and ran up to the cable cart, and took a ride out over
the river. Very cool to be sitting 25 feet over the canyon, with some amazing views of the
gorges downstream and upstream. Shootin' the shit over the campfire about the run so far
was fun, but The Crucible was main topic of discussion for our three man crew.
Day Three..The Crucible Day. Morning came, and I woke first to wake up Mike and Kevin at
the wonderful hour of 6am. It was to be an early day, for we wanted all the time devoted to
The Crucible. Within an hour of paddling, we found ourselves at Cassidy Gorge and
dropped into the first of the gorges above The Crucible. With Balloon Dome in view on the
Left, we made good time, hopping over rocks, portaging the river when it went underground
and running sketchy walled in falls. Once we finally made it down to The Crucible, it finally hit
us, that this was full on. The flow was high for sure, and we couldn't see a damn thing.
Broken Arrow Falls was the last fall we could see. At the far end, Granite Creek spilled over
sheer walls into Shangri-La. Its was a sight that I will never forget. I remember thinking to
myself, "hmm, this doesn't look like it drops all that much". Boy was I wrong.
We positioned our boats inside The Crucible and talked over what we were going to do. With
our anticipation at an ultimate high, I figured that I would break out Kevin's fishing rod and
give a cast. Perched on a rock, right above Broken Arrow, I casted into the virgin pool. With
the very first cast, I hooked into a great sized trout. Reeling it in on such a small rod proved
to be difficult and then I heard Mike cursing and jumping into the water with his camera. His
paddle had fallen in, but he recovered it. Keeping the fish on the line, I stepped backwards
and hoisted it into Kevins boat. What an event!! Not a better way to calm the nerves inside
The Crucible, than taking a cast and landing a lunker!! After a release of the beauty, we
hopped in our boats and bombed over the 4 drops to freedom. They were huge and it was
completely white-out over the second to last drop for us. Pretty terrifying experience, being
shoved under the water against a wall and the fold that the "pool" created. The last and final
drop was boofing into the "pothole drop" and we were free. A massive sense of
accomplishment rushed over the three of us, and we rejoiced all the way to lunch at the falls.
our anticipation at an ultimate high, I figured that I would break out Kevin's fishing rod and
give a cast. Perched on a rock, right above Broken Arrow, I casted into the virgin pool. With
the very first cast, I hooked into a great sized trout. Reeling it in on such a small rod proved
to be difficult and then I heard Mike cursing and jumping into the water with his camera. His
paddle had fallen in, but he recovered it. Keeping the fish on the line, I stepped backwards
and hoisted it into Kevins boat. What an event!! Not a better way to calm the nerves inside
The Crucible, than taking a cast and landing a lunker!! After a release of the beauty, we
hopped in our boats and bombed over the 4 drops to freedom. They were huge and it was
completely white-out over the second to last drop for us. Pretty terrifying experience, being
shoved under the water against a wall and the fold that the "pool" created. The last and final
drop was boofing into the "pothole drop" and we were free. A massive sense of
accomplishment rushed over the three of us, and we rejoiced all the way to lunch at the falls.
While at lunch, I reflected on what we had just passed through and I truly felt blessed to have
had a safe and solid trip through there. The rocks inside those narrows seem to be in
constant change, and with a fresh rockfall (leaves where still on the tree in the entrance) we
were fortunate to have paddled through its gates. But the trip wasn't over. Finding an
amazing campsite downstream, we set up and relaxed amongst the overhanging granite walls.
Day four was our last day and we were greeted with some more quality mank. The river
didn't let up until the lake. We were boat scouting, and covering some serious distance on
this last day. Really quality rapids are tucked away in there, and we were stoked to have
made short work of the last gorge, ending with the lake at it's base. The lake served as the
final push. Not as lucky as before, we ended up paddling it's length....which didn't matter
after what we had just been through. For the first time in days, we finally felt the space of the
open lake environment. Reflecting, Devil's Postpile without a doubt, is one of my favorite
runs. It is everything that a true expedition boater can hope for. It can dish out some serious
pain or some serious reward.....or both. We finally reached the truck and remembered, "We
just spent the 4th of July in there!!"
Footage is featured in THE RISEN SUN, a Huckin Huge Film
had a safe and solid trip through there. The rocks inside those narrows seem to be in
constant change, and with a fresh rockfall (leaves where still on the tree in the entrance) we
were fortunate to have paddled through its gates. But the trip wasn't over. Finding an
amazing campsite downstream, we set up and relaxed amongst the overhanging granite walls.
Day four was our last day and we were greeted with some more quality mank. The river
didn't let up until the lake. We were boat scouting, and covering some serious distance on
this last day. Really quality rapids are tucked away in there, and we were stoked to have
made short work of the last gorge, ending with the lake at it's base. The lake served as the
final push. Not as lucky as before, we ended up paddling it's length....which didn't matter
after what we had just been through. For the first time in days, we finally felt the space of the
open lake environment. Reflecting, Devil's Postpile without a doubt, is one of my favorite
runs. It is everything that a true expedition boater can hope for. It can dish out some serious
pain or some serious reward.....or both. We finally reached the truck and remembered, "We
just spent the 4th of July in there!!"
Footage is featured in THE RISEN SUN, a Huckin Huge Film
| Camp below The Crucible. Hell no you ain't done. |
| The Author, enjoying a moment on the big portage. Day 1 |
| Mike, also enjoying a moment on the big portage. Day 1 |
| Josh Hill, boofin' the hell out the drop. Thoughts, "Prepare for war". |
| Mike, freestyle on the Devil's Postpile. |
| Rare, high water action on Day 1. |
Josh was hurt pretty badly. During that ordeal, he had pulled something major in the rib
section. He determined that a hike out above "The waterfall gorge" would be the best option
for him, for paddling only sent him into more pain. We all agreed, but were very bummed out
to loose such a solid teammate. This brought us to "Tommy's Drop" where Mikey decided to
run the slide and exit, ultimately resulting in a massive beatdown and swim for him out of the
slide. The afternoon was getting late and we had to get down to designated hike-out point
for Josh. After running a huge, low-angled slide we said our goodbyes to Josh and pressed
further into The Waterfall Gorge. Boofing off the 15'er brought us to our first camp.
section. He determined that a hike out above "The waterfall gorge" would be the best option
for him, for paddling only sent him into more pain. We all agreed, but were very bummed out
to loose such a solid teammate. This brought us to "Tommy's Drop" where Mikey decided to
run the slide and exit, ultimately resulting in a massive beatdown and swim for him out of the
slide. The afternoon was getting late and we had to get down to designated hike-out point
for Josh. After running a huge, low-angled slide we said our goodbyes to Josh and pressed
further into The Waterfall Gorge. Boofing off the 15'er brought us to our first camp.
| Making our way down near first night's camp. |
| Boof-o-Matic Gorge action. Pic 1: Boof-o-Matic Falls Pic 2: The exit stomper |
| High Water Mark Gorge. Droppin' into Day 2's camp. |
| Cody, solving problems on a high scout near The Crucible. |
| Fishing inside The Crucible. Lunker action. |
| Shangri-La Lunch. Best tasting food of your life. |
| Parting shot....so close, yet so far. |
