Eric Seymour, Ben Stookesberry, Darin Mcquoid and others hit the Middle Kings...

By Eric Seymour

Hey EJ,

Glad you had an amazing Grand trip. I can’t wait to see that river. I just
got off the Middle Kings with Ben, Darin, and a few others. The trip was
amazing. We are all loveing the Hero’s. The boat just does it all and is
so fun to paddle.

Here is a trip report and photos

Middle Fork Kings

The Middle Fork of the Kings is one of my favorite rivers of all times. The hike over a 12,000 foot mountain pass and the 37 miles of whitewater dropping almost 7000 feet will push any boater to the top of their game. The run consists of waterfalls, slides, and burly boulder gardens. I ran the Middle Kings for the first time in 2002 and was in the fifth group to complete the run. I remember the Middle Kings as being one of the hardest runs I have ever done.

When I got the call from Gary Edgeworth, anther Jackson, WY, boater, I was fired up. I had unfinished business in the canyon. There were two drops that I portaged on my first trip down that I have been thinking about for years. I made a quick call to Ben Stookesberry and Darin McQuoid. They have been going off in Cali this year and did not hesitate on the trip. Ben also had been dreaming about a drop that was un-run.

After the one day hike in, we boated a few miles and set up camp. Day two would contain the largest concentration of huge slides and waterfalls. Ben was on fire all day and portaged only one drop. The rest of us portaged three to five times. Ben’s “dream” drop was in this section. Everyone knows it as the huge slide/portage with a massive fan or piton shelf spraying water 15 feet into the air. When we first got to the drop, Ben asked Gary what he thought of the falls. “It looks like a can of crushed ass to me,” Gary retorted. Is this the name that would stick on the falls? Ben being undeterred by the groups consensus of the falls, studied the drop for a good 30 minutes. He saw a line and he stuck it.

While at camp that night we asked Ben the new name for the falls. We were all leaning towards, “Can of Crushed Ass,” but Ben said no. “I am going to name it,”Butter Buns,” because it was as smooth as butter.”

I ran the two rapids that I portaged last time and now feel fulfilled. I still think the Middle Kings is one of the hardest runs I have done both mentally and physically. It just does not let up. The Middle Kings is one of the most rewarding trips in the world and I look forward to visiting again.

Cheers to the group for clean lines and an amazing trip!

Eric Seymour