The North Fork was a mission indeed, with a 4 mile hike in, 4 miles of unknown north fork, 6 miles of high water middle fork, then 5 miles to hike out from Cassidy crossing over the middle fork just above the Crucible.
Gearing up at the trailhead.
Scouting one of the more significant drops.
Dropping in to the tricky one.
Resurfacing in the middle about to go down a sweet granite hallway.
Gabrielli, sketchy portage to sketchy seal launch.
Scout that gorge boys.
With whitewater similar in nature to the middle fork, but lacking the massive committing gorges, we made good time down most of the north fork's boulder strewn rapids to a camp soon before the confluence with the middle fork.
We did have a couple very committing gorges to work down and one with two unscoutable but clean looking drops at the end. I committed to the gorge and ran down to a surging eddy just above the second drop to try to get a look. Seeing a clean outflow, I dropped over the lip and down into another small eddy above the final drop where I could get out and give beta and see the last drop. All good to go, we continued down through the next gorge and into the middle fork.
Most of the middle fork was mellow with the exception of two short gorges and a few rapids where we could definitely feel the high water. Seeing Cassidy crossing brought mixed feelings of the comfort and accomplishment of finishing the river, but also the dread of the nearly 4000 foot climb ahead of us.
Most of the middle fork was mellow with the exception of two short gorges and a few rapids where we could definitely feel the high water. Seeing Cassidy crossing brought mixed feelings of the comfort and accomplishment of finishing the river, but also the dread of the nearly 4000 foot climb ahead of us.
