Needlerock Creek May 24

Alden and I were brainstorming a trip to the Kern River area. Once we nailed the weekend down as Memorial Day weekend I became even more excited by the prospect of checking out two accessible but likely undescended canyons, Needlerock and Freeman. I knew these would be our best chance to disappear from the crowds and enjoy a beautiful day with a few friends. I knew it would be a bit of a push but had pretty high hopes that we could fit both canyons in a single day. Alden and I had both researched the canyons separately using aerial photos and topo maps, but interestingly came to different conclusions: Alden had much higher hopes for Needlerock while I had much higher hopes for Freeman to be good. Needlerock being the shorter canyon, we decided it should be first up. Alden, Scott, Pete and Celia met Sara and I bright and early at the turnout above Needlerock. Soon we were ready and heading downhill.

We climbed down and skirted around several slabs, not quite steep or enclosed enough to justify rappels. We had nice views of the Needles high above us. A small trickle in the creek meant little chance of using the wetsuits we were carrying. Unfortunately the "canyon" was quite choked with wild rose and poison oak and slippery pine needle-coated slabs. At some point we made an unnotable rappel- probably bypassable but we were eager for something other than bushwhacking. More bushwhacking led to something better, a pleasant 100 ft slabby waterfall.

Beyond we found another rappel down an interesting wet slot which ended in a waist deep pool. I was the only one of the group the decided to engage in some creative acrobatics to sacrifice only my feet and ankles to the water. A short distance on we reached a nice granite patio area with twin waterfalls plunging over a vertical cliff. Here we debated anchor choices for a while, ultimately deciding on a bomber rock chock equalized with a small rock thread (considerably better than my hastily chosen first descent-style rigging). Once down we enjoyed a snack on the rock above the river.

From here we had a steep and punishing 1100 ft vertical ascent back to the cars. Fortunately we soon intersected the trail and found it to be surprisingly good travel. We made it back to the cars a little after noon, later than anticipated which made our decision of what to do next a little bit harder. It would never reach classic status but as for as a first descent goes it made an enjoyable trip that I am sure will be repeated by others. And it was good to just get out and explore! Thanks to Alden, Scott, Sara, Pete, and Celia.

Freeman Creek May 24

Round about 1:30p we drove to a pullout where obstructed glimpses of Freeman Creek could be seen through the trees. What we could see looked scenic but far from something requiring ropes and wetsuits. Everyone's enthusiasm seemed to plummet but I still wanted to see what the next lower portion of canyon looked like so I awkwardly walked downhill through the scrub in my Crocs. After a couple hundred feet I could see a little lower. Hints of potential: a couple hanging potholes and a large slabby waterfall rolling over out of sight. I returned to show everyone a pixelated zoomed-in image. Still limited enthusiasm. If we were going to do this it would seem the decision was on me! Waste of time or heinous bushwhack? My fault! Deciding there was not time for much else and that we were here, now, I said we should go for it. And so we did.

The approach to Freeman Creek was ridiculously pleasant. Wide open forest with a deer trail to follow around a sloping granite dome I thought would maybe be a rappel. In all of 13 minutes we reached the creek from the car!

The creek was very scenic with small waterfalls and pools surrounded by lush vegetation, but did not give off any hint of a canyon. We continued on, opting out of several short slides and wades in the interest of time. After about 40 minutes from the car we reached an impressive horizonline. This part of the canyon looked great! I was delighted to see a healthy pine tree growing in a dry pothole that would place us right in the center of this nice waterfall. We suited up here and worked our way down the waterfall.

Beneath us was a second slabby waterfall, low enough slope that it could be easily downclimbed on the side. Trying to give the others the most bang for the canyon (after trusting me with the rest of their day), I explained what we would be doing next. We rigged a 150ft rope off a chockstone such that a short 40ft rappel led to the top of the fanning waterfall. From here we each would lay on our back, letting the slippery waterfall slide us down while we used our brake hand to control our descent speed. The rope was intentionally rigged 15ft too short to allow us to rappel off the end and slide the remaining distance into the shallow pool below. It was a big hit and everyone in our group repeated it. I think I did it a total of 4 times and would have happily done it more. This seemed to help moral a bit though there was still talk of bailing on the canyon from here and heading back up to the car. Knowing there was at least one more rappel (near the river, visited by rafters and kayakers), I led us onward to the lower reaches of the canyon.

Continuing on the creek was pleasant enough with more little falls and pools. Skirting around one pool and through a darker stretch of vegetation I was suddenly presented with a surprising sight. Straight ahead was a beautiful waterfall plunging sideways in a short but very scenic gorge. This was the best waterfall in the canyon, not least because we were not expecting it at all. We found perfect tree anchors that placed us right in the middle of the flow, making for a very fun rappel. The last part of the canyon had quite steep walls and the others seemed worried about our escape options while I reassured them.

Through the gorge and around the last corner we could hear and see the Kern River, and then the final waterfall the rafters visit. This was also a fantastic spot! I found a chockstone anchor hidden in the flow which put us right down the meat of this final waterfall. The pool below was vast and seemingly bottomless, requiring a couple hundred foot swim to exit. I found a neat bouldering traverse over the water which allowed a sporty climb up to a perch from which you could jump. The day was getting on and everyone seemed to be dreading the uncertain escape, but I was pretty confident we would make it out by dark. We followed a deer trail on a loose slope above the river, and around the corner to the next drainage to the south. The deer did an amazing job for us and we had no trouble following deer trails all the way up the steep hill right back to our waiting vehicle. In a short and pain-free 45 minutes we were back at the car, well before dark and with extra energy to spare. Everyone seemed jazzed that we had done this first descent and I felt relief in making the right decision to go, despite the canyon appearing dull on topo maps.

Freeman was a really nice canyon and I have no doubt it will be visited by many other groups. I'd love to go back in high flows. Thanks to Alden, Sara, Scott, Pete, and Celia for an awesome day. Two canyons, two first descents!

Seven Teacups & Kern Packraft May 23

Seven Teacups is easily one of the most classic canyons in California, yet somehow the opportunity to visit it eluded me until now. At high flow it can be a challenging adventure, but at low flow it is a natural waterpark. Seven Teacups is a short section of Dry Meadow Creek just before it reaches the Kern River 2 miles up from the bottom of the super classic Class IV-V Forks of the Kern whitewater run, supposedly one of the best wilderness runs in the U.S. Flow in Dry Meadow was quite low, and exceptionally low in the Kern River for this time of year (250 cfs). This didn't bother me one bit because I had a theory: at that flow, what is usually a terrifying and dangerous kayak/raft run should still be just barely navigable by Alpacka packraft. After running the Teacups I would packraft out the Kern!

After draining a vast plateau area, Dry Meadow Creek funnels steeply over granite bedrock on its final 400ft drop to the Kern River. The Seven Teacups starts with a textbook example of a rapid-fire pothole chain: waterfall, pothole, waterfall, pothole, etc, seven times (many excellent jumps or slides). From there it continues on through a more technical section with larger waterfalls that most be rappelled, and a final slide into the Kern just below a Class IV rapid.

        Swimming through the natural arch from Teacup 1 to Teacup 2

Sara and I got a late-ish escape from Riverside and it was about 2:45p when we finally were packed and set out on the trail. The approach skirts just above the Kern for most of the distance which provided a perfect opportunity to scout the rapids. Although disturbingly low flow, I could see a packraft route through every major rapid I could see which gave me high hopes for the exit. Out late approach meant we passed several groups of fishermen, backpackers, and canyoners heading out (it was Memorial Day weekend after all. We also passed a large group of canyoners camped just opposite Dry Meadow Creek and spotted the last canyoners (apart from us) exiting the canyon. After a little back and forth deciding where to cross the river and where to climb up the opposite hillside, we suited up, waded across, and found the foot trail easily enough. After a steamy 15 minutes (we kept our wetsuits on), we were finally at the start of the canyon.

Although we were a little rushed for time and it was more first time to the canyon (and so had to approach jumps and slides with caution), we had a great time jumping, sliding, rapping, and swimming through this beautiful canyon. It all seemed to go by in a flash. I could see how it would be worth camping nearby and lapping the canyon multiple times.

        A tricky waterfall when in higher flow

        More teacups

Soon the teacups ended and larger waterfalls became the standard. Still each one of these were different and scenic in their own ways. A highlight was the Toilet Bowl, a perfect pothole with a narrow escape. Also interesting was a narrow corridor towards the end that I could see becoming a dangerous hydraulic at higher flow.

        Into the Toilet Bowl

Once back at the river we re-crossed and I set about getting the packraft setup. Since I was floating out I offered to carry most the gear, leaving Sara with a light pack for the way out. I would do my best to stay within sight of her on the trail but I quickly realized I could easily outpace her if I didn't periodically stop to eddy out. The run exceeded my expectations. Certainly exciting enough to keep me entertained and challenged but not to the point where I was fearing any mishap. At this flow the Class IV rapids were realistically probably only Class III, but they still were great fun. I only made one critical mistake resulting in a flip. Being alone and late in the day I opted to portage Carson Falls, the only solid Class V on the run. Even at this low flow it looked impressive: a boulder garden above to destroy careful positioning, a solid 4 ft+ vertical drop, and a seething series of holes and rocks to maneuver on the exit.

The rest of the run went smoothly and I made it to the Johnsonville bridge with the very last bit of light. The trip was exceptionally fun and I would do it again in an instant. It was so satisfying to run the Kern in my packraft and I am already craving more technical packrafting.

Photos of me by Sara. Thanks to her.