First Known Descent of Fish Creek

By Darin McQuoid

Photos

Fish Creek is the first major tributary to the Middle Fork San Joaquin and at the confluence flows nearly equal the MFSJ. Getting off the North Fork San Joaquin first descent only a week previously and just getting off Upper Cherry Creek, we decided Fish Creek was the next natural step. The run required a ten mile hike in, which was made harder by the fact that we had to hike right past the put in for Devil’s Postpile on the San Joaquin. The first five miles on Fish Creek was really just one steep, manky boulder garden, and then the creek finished in style with a bedrock gorge leading to the confluence. Happy that Fish Creek had gone so smoothly, Ben and I pushed into the Devil’s Postpile run of the San Joaquin, and the further we went the higher the water level rose. Although I had done the run last year, and flows at Rainbow Falls looked identical, by the time we arrived at Cassidy Crossing flows were substantially higher than the previous year, which would have been considered high.

Having already done the arduous hike out at Cassidy just weeks before, we pushed into the Crucible and collectively, one of the scariest sections of river in either of our careers. Having seen the crucible this high, I wouldn’t go back at similar flows, and we were both glad to be on the other side!

Darin