RiverPhoto Gallery

JD Batove on Triple Falls - Kern Below Democrat
09/08/05 (In-channel flow about 1400 cfs.)

Much has changed in kayaking since 1995, but the Kern Below Democrat remains a somewhat enigmatic and inscrutable section of river. The long boating season of 2004-2005 renewed interest in the Cataracts and Brett Valle (boof.com) got together with Eric Giddens (Olympic kayaker) and JD Batove (Bakersfield class V boater) and did a few runs on the KBD. You can read Brett's impressions in his calrios blog, and Eric's in his Kern Cadillacs and Cataracts Trip Report (PDF, 658K). This RiverPhoto is a shot by Eric Giddens of JD on Triple Falls with an in-channel flow of about 1400 cfs.

John Hastings (CAN) racing in the Kern Tripletazo
August 28, 2005

Top paddlers from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, and the U.S. competed in a series of three whitewater slalom races -- the Pan American Whitewater Slalom Championships, America's Whitewater Slalom Open, and the USACK Whitewater Slalom Nationals in August 2005. Results and Photos are posted on the event web site.

Sierra Thunderstorms
Thursday, July 21, 2005 at 5:00 PM PDT

July 21st (Thursday) Sierra thunderstorms dumped more than an inch of rain on the snow sensor at Crabtree Meadow, at about 10,700 ft. in the Kern River basin. Rainfall from these storms supplemented the flow on the Upper Kern, increasing it to about 1500 cfs Friday afternoon. More thunderstorms on Saturday helped maintain the flow on the Upper at about 1300-1400 cfs through Monday.

Jamie Yount on Sock em Dog - Thunder Run - Upper Kern

Wyoming boater Jamie Yount getting in some high water paddling on Sock 'em Dog on the Thunder Run at about 5500 cfs earlier this season. Jamie is ferrying to the left side of the river to avoid a big hole that is just downstream. At the end of the ferry, he stayed right of the bushes and trees and boofed a small drop under the overhanging limb. The photos were taken by Jake Farrell.

Headwaters of the SF & NF Kern River
June 26, 2005

This panorama of the headwaters of the S.F. & N.F. Kern River was taken June 26, 2005 from Olancha Peak. Even on warm south-facing slopes there's significant snow on the highest peaks, and much more snow is hidden from view in cirques, gullies and north-facing slopes. This satellite overview of the Upper Kern drainage was taken in early January 2005.

Bombs Away (V) - Upper Kern
June 11, 2005 at about 3500 cfs

Bombs Away is a class V rapid on the Upper Kern, downstream of Fairview Dam and upstream of the class III Fairview Run.

Borel Cascade

Water, water, everywhere... But in this case, the hillside isn't gushing water -- from time to time the operators of the Borel Powerplant bypass the flume and create the "Borel Cascade." Here's what it looks like at river level .

Keith Kishiyama on Vortex, The Forks
May 18, 2005 at about 3700 cfs

A shot of 2004 Slalom Sierra Cup winner Keith Kishiyama running Vortex Rapid, on the Forks, at about 3700 cfs. The photographer was Ian Buckley, and Keith's boat is a Perception Java.

Brush Creek Race Video - 2005 Kern River Festival

The hit of the Saturday night Kern River Festival dinner and party was Andy Stone's video short "Brush Creek - the race that never happened!" Andy did a phenomenal job of same afternoon editing to get the footage cut, scored and ready to go. See it here. (8Mb Windows Media, © 2005 Last Minute Productions) KVRC is hoping to have the Brush Creek race as an official event at the 2006 Festival. Be there!

Team Sierra South Bueno
Raft Races - 2005 Kern River Festival

Team Sierra South Bueno (Lynn Watson, Zac Boyd, John Arario) maneuver through Ewings Rapid (class III) during the head-to-head Raft Races at the 2005 Kern River Kayak & Raft Festival.

Vince Geise Pulls for Gate 7 in his OC-1
T.J. Slalom - 2005 Kern River Festival

Great water and weather greeted all that participated in the 2005 Kern River Kayak & Raft Festival. Many thanks to the paddlers, spectators, sponsors and all the volunteers that help put on the event. Click here for additional photos.

Peter Wiechers and bud Space Monkey
Photo: Katharine Edmonson

Peter Wiechers and his bud Space Monkey get in some early season whitewater on the Kern River. Peter is a teacher at Camp Owens Boys Camp in Kernville, and also a part-time kayak instructor.

GOES-10 IR Satellite Photo
03-22-05 2015 UTC (12:15 PST)

Yesterday's storm brought the seasonal rainfall total in Los Angeles to the second highest on record -- 35.89 inches. While L.A. was getting drenched, the Sierra was getting slammed. Today's Regional Snowpack Summary from California Cooperative Snow Surveys reports the Southern Section Sierra at an average of 39 inches water equivalent and 147% of the normal April 1 seasonal total.

Kern River Basin March 1 Snowpack
Comparison of Big Years

How does the 2004-05 season match up to other big years? To get an idea we took a look at March 1 snow course data for several of the biggest seasons in the last 35 years and compared the measurements to this season's. The value used for the comparison was the combined snow water content, in inches, for the Kern snow courses for March 1. A number of adjustments to the data were necessary, so the total should be considered approximate.The value for 1968-69 is an estimate.

Rebecca & Eric Giddens - 02/19/05
Whiskey Flat Days Parade (Photo Katharine Edmonson)

Olympic Silver medallist Rebecca Giddens, with husband Eric, atop the Sierra South/Hyside float, brighten a gray and damp Whiskey Flat Days Parade. Other notables riding in the parade were grand marshal John E. McNally, state Senator Roy Ashburn and state Assemblymember Kevin McCarthy.

Kern River - Sierra Nevada - 01/12/05

We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled.

GOES-10 Satellite Photo - 01/08/05 11:30 am PST

Most of the record snowfall in early January 2005 occurred when a northern stream upper low moved down from the Gulf of Alaska, set up shop off the west coast, and propelled a conveyor belt of southern stream moisture and jet energy into California. Orographic lifting on the slopes of the Sierra did its magic, effectively squeezing the moisture from the flow.

HPC 5-day Precipitation Forecast - 01/06/05 12z

Prior to January's record setting storm, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) forecast more than 7 inches (water equivalent) of precipitation in much of the Sierra. The Wet Meadows snow sensor in the Kern basin, recorded an astounding 13.8 inches water equivalent of snow!

Updated NOAA Winter Precipitation Outlook - 10/21/04

NOAA released it's updated Winter Outlook October 21st. It forecasts "equal chances" of below average, average, or above average precipitation for Southern California for the period Dec-Feb, but maintains an increased chance of above average precipitation for Jan-Mar, Feb-Apr and Mar-May.

HPC 5-day Precipitation Forecast - 10/16/04

Winter returned to the Sierra in mid-October. As forecast, a series of three increasingly potent systems produced a total of 4+ inches water equivalent in areas of the Northern & Central Sierra, and from about 1.5 to 3.0 inches water equivalent in the Southern Sierra.