Kern River Powerhouse Run May 15

After a lazy camp morning we drove towards Kernville for a relaxed packrafting jaunt down the Powerhouse Run (Lickity Split). This would be the first packrafting experience for three of the five of us. The river was running about 450 cfs meaning we would have lots of rocks to dodge but overall low consequence on the few rapids and riffles. Basically near-perfect beginner conditions. We got everyone organized, set the shuttle, then had a brief on water orientation before we floated down. Everyone seemed to get the hang of it and generally thought the boats were more stable than they were expecting. At one point we saw a deer and I mentioned how fairly often I will see beavers and turtles on the Kern, and then moments later I spotted a turtle that surprisingly let us get fairly close without the urge to plunge into the water. Powerhouse Rapid went smoothly for everyone.

I stopped for a quick scout of Ewings Rapid since I had no idea what it looked like at this flow; it ended up being fairly straightforward down the middle with not much hole to speak of. We pulled into Riverside Park, closed the shuttle, deconstructed the mountain of gear, then ate some burger stand food in the grass under the tree before we parted. It was a short trip but everyone seemed satisfied at the packrafting sampler. Thanks to everyone for a great trip, especially Keith, Kari, and Dav who loaned packrafts to make it happen.