Middle Kings: As Good as it Gets

There's been so much written about this river (including 2 other posts on this blog alone - http://thenexthorizonline.blogspot.com/2013/07/drinking-from-fire-hose-in-california.html and http://thenexthorizonline.blogspot.com/2010/08/middle-fork-kings.html), that I'm going to keep this one as more or less a photo drop.  We had low flows this year (900 at rogers crossing) as a cold snap dropped the river through the ideal flow range in about 1 day.  This makes the big drops on the river much more accessible as they aren't running together, but the price is that the in between rapids entail quite a bit more boat abuse.  Regardless, this is probably my favorite river trip in the world.  5 days of world class kayaking in the grandest of settings with a beautiful and brutal hike as the price of admission.  It just can't be beat!

The beautiful hike in.  Photo: TJ

 

 JJ somewhere in the switchbacks down to Leconte Canyon.  Photo: TJ

 The Kings Canyon fish hatchery.  Photo; TJ

 Jordy on one of the first good rapids.  Photo: JJ

 Jordy finishing off the waterfall gorge.  Photo: TJ

 Ari blasting out of the Willie Kern Meltdown drop.  Photo: TJ

 And blasting through the bottom half of a burly boulder drop shortly downstream.  Photo: TJ

Small waterfall below Raw Dog Falls.  Photo: TJ

Final move of the sweet gorge above Simpson Meadow.  Photo: TJ

 The splendid Tehipite Dome.  Photo: TJ

That's all folks.