Marble Fork Kaweah River Aug 30

Some fellow canyoners were planning a late season descent of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River (aka Chrysalis) the same long weekend we would be staying nearby with family and the opportunity was too great to pass up. There was a large group of us, eight or so, all keen to see what this canyon is about. It's the only classic I know of in the Sierra Nevada that is cut mostly through metamorphic rock, including beautiful banded marble. We left Lake Kaweah as the heat of the day was starting to set in and drove through Sequoia National Park and up the General's Highway to our start. I had spent much time in the general vicinity caving and was fearing the worst. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and we saw surprisingly little poison oak, all easily avoidable. 

Suiting up at the edge of the river we saw that water levels were very low but still flowing steadily. The water temperatures were initially quite cold (much of the water originates from cave systems) but improved as we worked our way downstream. We boulder hopped our way past a towering cliff of banded blue marble, then swam a couple pools to the edge of the world view from the top of the technical section. The main falls drops 140ft out of sight from a sobering perch. We had little trouble but could understand the warnings given about the hydraulics at higher flow. It was a great start to the canyon but unfortunately also the best part.

About a half dozen raps followed, some into beautiful pools, the rocks always grabbing my attention. The canyon soon opened up into more of a steep gorge which didn't have the same wow factor but afforded excellent views of Panorama Peak in the distance. We generally made good time. I found a clean 25ft jump into a bottomless pool at our lunch spot and most of us took laps on it

At what appeared to be the final rap I was disappointed to see the bolt anchor completely avoided the last waterfall in favor of a chossy corner so I rigged a different route down the falls and through a neat boulder cave. Some creative theatrics allowed for an easy pull once everyone was down. We were expecting a much longer canyon but soon found people bathing in a pothole which signaled our exit trail. The exit trail was much much longer than I remembered (I had hiked up the bottom years before), longer still from the neoprene and intense heat of the Sierra foothills. The canyon would be much more satisfying at higher flows but I think my curiosity is satisfied fr the foreseeable future. Thanks to the gang.

Mineral King Aug 29, 31

My parents arranged for us to stay in a rustic cabin in Mineral King valley, the old family favorite. Though it had been many years since I last was in Mineral King, I was surprised and somewhat relieved to see how little had changed. The same old windy, cliff hugging one lane mountain road, except with the added challenge of increased traffic due to the holiday weekend. An early morning start from Riverside through the Mojave ensured we missed holiday traffic. We stopped at Atwell Mill for the traditional hike down to the nice waterfall on the river. As soon as we stepped out of the car we saw our first bear, looking on at us more cautiously than curiously.

After Saturday's canyon adventure we all went for a hike up to Eagle Lake. I was sure to pack all the luxuries: hammock, packraft, etc. Despite the drought the meadows still looked to be in relatively decent shape. The colorful splashes of metamorphic rocks no less fascinating than I remembered. The final hill climb was longer but no more challenging than in my memory. It was nice and warm up by the lake, perfect for a leisurely lunch. Almost everyone had a go at paddling the packraft around the lake and napping between two foxtail pines.

Sara and I were looking for a bit more of a hike so I left some of the unnecessities with my parents and brother to take down. I always wanted to do a traverse from Eagle to White Chief valley which would take in some nice alpine wilderness and allow me to show Sara some of the interesting karst features in White Chief (though the day was quickly getting on). We boulder scrambled our way up the obvious route and the head of the lake which afforded spectacular views of this unique area of the Sierra Nevada (frontispiece). Once on top we walked through gnarled clusters of foxtail pines, sentinels of the granite slickrock and scree. At the saddle down to White Chief Lake we ran into a friendly ranger who chatted us up for a bit before we headed on. He talked up the route down into the glacial cirque of White Chief but we found it very straightforward. I had never been in the valley this late in the day so it was neat to see it in a different light.

        Seldom seen White Chief Lake

Unfortunately there was not much time for caving but we did walk into the entrance of Shower Cave for a quick look before high-tailing it down to the main trail. We were hiking out a bit later than I hoped but ended up timing the hike just right to see the last golden light touch the peaks on the north side of the valley.

The trip felt short but it was a great weekend away, the first real one I had since settling back in to southern California. It was even better to be able to spend some quality time with Sara and my family in a special place I have not been in quite a while. Thanks to all of them.