Sara and I were looking for something shorter and fun to round out the weekend and I was feeling surprisingly sore from the previous day's adventure so we decided to check out the lower gorge stretch of the East Fork of the Kaweah River. Rick's parents kindly offered to relocate our car to the exit in Three Rivers so we were all go. This would be a few hour trip with no harnesses or ropes needed. I instantly appreciated the light pack and nine minute walk down the hillside to the river. A little scrambling and walking brought us to a left turn where the river began its lower gorge. Near here we found a neat waterfall you could climb up behind quite a ways.
Gorge really is the best way to describe this canyon- it's wide with great bedrock patios, large pools, occasionally long swimming pools, and typically short waterfalls well situated to be slides. The flow was exceptionally low, but we had a great time seeking out the best jumps and slides in this natural waterpark. Although not necessary, the couple longer swims and higher jumps made me appreciate the lifejackets we brought.
We took our time, lapping some of the better features. The canyon was more beautiful than I expected. There were a few pockets on the side with trees that I could see being excellent camping spots.
One of the slides towards the end (above and below) was probably my favorite. It had a nice long slabby slide to gain speed, which then rolled over steeply to drop you into the pool below. I couldn't resist three laps.
Soon the bedrock began to be overtaken by boulders, signifying the main end of the gorge and a stretch of boulder scrambling before Three Rivers. This stretch was still pleasant and still occasionally had some small jumps and nice pools to refresh ourselves. By this point in the early afternoon the water was considerably warmer than when we set out. The last adventure was trying to find our way back onto the road- probably the hardest part of the trip!
Thanks to Rick, his parents, and Sara.
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