Postpile, lifestyle.

As the 2010 snow melt played out and I eyed the Roger's Crossing gauge on the Kings, a new gauge caught my eye, a realtime reading on the San Joaquin at the Devil's Postpile. I daydreamed about the rapids, I re-counted the portages. I remembered the stillness of clear pools impounded between boulder piles in deep gorges. I thought about the remoteness of the river, crossed by footbridges but never paralleled by a trail, the canyon walls rising straight out of the water much of the way. My consciousness was caught up with the river. When the plan came together, I was in. We would sleep on real couches in Mammoth before and after the trip at Kevin's house. We would be dropped off and picked up by adventure chasers. Upon completing the run we would eat pizza at the take-out and then get Mexican food once back to civilization. The details dialed in, we set off.

I don't know what those plants are called, but they are worse than manzanita. Kevin Smith visualizes himself on the other side of the thicket.

David Maurier conducting first hand research as part of his San Joaquin conservation efforts.

Kevin Smith appears on the paid advertisement informing viewers about an amazing product: boof-a-matic!

Thomas Moore, selected at random from the audience, can not believe how great and easy to use boof-a-matic really is!

If Balloon Dome (granite batholith in background) were a thought bubble, it would say, "What is going to happen to us in the Crucible?"

Caveman Ikea at "Snake Camp."

Photos Taylor Cavin and David Maurier