Seeing as how my last trip to the Kern got called off much too early (water filtration breakdown), I had one last opportunity to get in and catch a Kern rainbow (for the CA Heritage Trout Challenge). I left Sacramento at 4:00 am, arrived at the trailhead by 9:30 am, hiked 10 miles, and set up camp by 4:00 pm.

Along the way, I got to pass creeks, meadows, and giant Sequoias until I got my first look at the amazing Kern canyon (look closely to the left and you'll see the trail snaking down the side of the canyon):


Finally seeing this come into view, I was getting excited:


And this is what I came to catch:


You just can't get mornings that are much better than this:


The fishing was great:




And the water was spectacular:


This was to be the last fish of the trip:


Had to pack up and get ready for the next day, a day I knew would be long. Left camp at 8:15 am, climbed the 2,300 feet and hiked the 10 miles back to the trailhead, and got to the car at 2:00 pm. Dusted myself off, and drove back to Sacramento, arriving at 8:00 pm. 3 days was a whirlwind, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

John