Spring Runoff Stoke - Brush Creek, CA.

We took a break from the mountian this last weekend to get some early season kayaking in while the gettin' was good...
The Put in...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...n/Theputin.jpg

The first couple of times you do this run you always are wondering what is over the next horizon line...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4.../whatsnext.jpg

...and for good reason, cuz sometimes it's a big drop!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...n/bigdrop1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...n/bigdrop2.jpg
Joe Dropping in...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...oebigdrop1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...oebigdrop2.jpg
Joe in the white room...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...ewhiteroom.jpg
That's me in the red boat...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...onbigdrop2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...onbigdrop3.jpg
from another angle
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...onbigdrop1.jpg
The white room...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...4whiteroom.jpg
Here comes Spence!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...erbigdrop1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...erbigdrop2.jpg
What's next? A nice little drop...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...encerdrop2.jpg
Happy, happy, happy!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...ardmeeting.jpg
a break in the action, but these sections are fun!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...man/creek1.jpg
Here, Joe is planning his approach to drop 5...there's a 14 footer just below this section
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...abovedrop5.jpg
Tobin took these shots from another angle. He's got a great camera and it's sure nice to have him along to take nice shots. This is the drop 5 area from another angle. Spencer is Tobin's son, he's only 17...we taught him to kayak 2 years ago and now he's scary good. Spencer dropping in...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...ce5thdrop1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...ce5thdrop2.jpg
I'm next, and I plan to take a far right route, but the rocks prevent me from getting over there so I end up just taking the fall line
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...on5thdrop1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...on5thdrop2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...on5thdrop3.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...on5thdrop4.jpg
From another angle...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...men06001-1.jpg

It's VERY nice to get through that section!!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...an/biggrin.jpg

With that drop behind us the rest of the run is just fun technical stuff. Channels that just take you down, you have no choice, you just go...
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...man/creek2.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...man/creek3.jpg
Then we came upon a section with a bunch of downed trees, so we portaged around them
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4...man/creek4.jpg

All in all it was a great day!!!

Those look like some good clean fun drops. We need more of those around here. Nice shots.

Time for all you west coasters to get some water and everything around here to start drying up. :(

Brush Creek Rocks. I ran it when I just started creek boating. I laughed the entire time I ran that section it was so much fun to be on something so steep. I heard it got silted up this year. Were there lots of shallow landings involved on your run?

That brings back happy memories. What a great run. Classic low consequence creek. In fact that whole valley kicks ass. I can not wait until my son is a little older so we can road trip out to Kernville for a little spring paddling. Thanks for posting!

The creek silted up 3-4 years ago when the McNally Fire ripped through the drainage area. But now, after a couple of years of great runoff, the gravel and silt has mostly gone away and things are back to normal.

You guys are right, though...that's a great "low consequence run" at lower flows, but at higher flows it can be gnarly. It's the funnest thing I've ever done in a boat!