Norwood Scot stands safety for the author running a slide on Upper Cherry. Photo by Chad Daugherty

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We slept at the gravel pull-off just a few miles upstream on river left of the main stem, though this was only after a late-night conversation with the proprietors of the little resort at the confluence, whose feelings toward our presence seemed anything but welcoming. Please tread lightly when checking flows at the bridge at night.

In that ever-renewable paddling resource of unrealistic optimism (i.e., denial), though, we decided that because it was midnight, the river was at its nadir, and would surely be higher in the morning. Our true beliefs were revealed by breakfast, when we decided not to check the level again, but "just go to the put-in and start paddling" instead.

When we got to Wawona, the put-in just inside Yosemite National Park, there was little evidence there to suggest we had enough water. By this time, though, our group of seven was geared up and ready to put on. We later found out that the South Merced gauge, which can be accessed on the Daily Dreamflows page at www.boof.com, was reading 650 cfs, a level that I would classify as a boat- buster and not worth pursuing.

The first few miles of the run are mellow, and you only get a few Class III rapids to let you know that you are, indeed, paddling whitewater. At about mile four, however, things change when the first blind boulder garden comes into site and the river starts to get extremely busy. On the first day of the run, you can expect multiple, complex boulder runs, some with less-than-obvious lines. While it makes it easier to go with someone who knows the run already, first-time South Merced boaters who are willing to eddy hop and scout energetically can find their way down the run.

It was at one of these steep boulder gardens, just below a rapid known simply as "The Sieve" that we started having problems with our somewhat large group. Just before the first day lunch spot, which can be found when the river flattens briefly and splits to create an island in the middle of the flow, the river becomes extremely steep and boulder strewn. It was at this spot, after we had started getting in a good, scout-and-go rhythm, that we had our first swimmer as the result of low water and multiple rocks. This run is one that definitely goes better with more water, not less.

"Nothing like a little Class V+ when you're coming off the couch..."

After futilely pursuing a lost paddle and experiencing another swim just downstream, we decided to call it a day and made camp at a pleasant, sandy spot on river right. We knew that this choice would make our second day a long one, but sometimes, you know when it's time to call it a day.

Our second day, indeed, turned out to be long, especially with the low water. Despite the rush of running rapids such as Super Slide, Little Slide and Fire Hydrant, dark descended upon us before we had been able to descend the entire run. We had hoped to make it to the relatively less difficult lower eight miles of the run, which is III-IV, and find our way out from there. But in the pitch dark at the top of a Class IV rapid, we decided to camp again.

We exited the canyon the next morning at first light, and gorged ourselves on a good buffet breakfast at a friendly restaurant just upstream on Rt. 140. Due to low water, our two-day adventure had turned into three, and we all exited the canyon tired, beat-up and sore from hitting too many rocks. Aside from that, though, I think everyone in our party felt the satisfaction of having run the South Merced as our first Sierra overnighter of the season. Nothing like a little Class V+ when you're coming off the couch.

Dinkey Creek

After licking our wounds and determining that most good water during this time was south of us, we packed up Rick's van and headed down to his house in the mountains east of Fresno, just west of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee around the house, lazing in the kind of rural, picturesque farming setting that inspired Steinbeck's novels. We decided for a relatively easier Class V run on lower Dinkey Creek, which has good, manageable and tightly packed rapids in the last five miles before its confluence with the North Fork Kings River. Don't confuse this section with the Water Falls run, which is considerably more difficult, both from a rapid- running and logistics perspective.

The lower run is thoroughly enjoyable, and reminded me a lot of the classic lower Cherry Creek run on the Tuolumne River. To give a little more kick to the stretch, we hiked in about a mile and a half to the last really big rapid on the section above, which Rick ran. Opting not to start off my day with a plunge through a Class V+ hydraulic, I stood safety for Rick, who had a clean run. The day was filled with good, tight boulder drops, and some nice ledges and shelves in the seven-to-eight foot range. It culminated in an exciting boof drop on river left. After a nice workout that got the adrenaline going and eased the soreness in our South Merced muscles, we enjoyed beers and music in the park-like setting of the confluence with the North Kings. We also explored this gorge, which is a popular canyoneering destination in the late summer, from a distance by winding Rick's van up the steep, curving road that clings to the side of the mountain there. Many notable, 60-plus foot drops could be seen by even casual observation.