Paddlin’ Ed

This years annual CCC Week of Rivers (WOR) proved to be a excellant week despite the recent lack of rain.  Suprisingly was not only good at the beginning of the week but remain good through the week and many came in or came back for the second weekend help in part by Cheoah releases the last weekend this year.  My special bonus for the week was however Saturday on the 1st weekend - Chattooga IV to start my week off.  Well its all to follow so read on, and there’s pictures too!Myself,  I took the day on Friday June 29th to load up that morning and travel up to the mountains at a relaxed pace and miss the mad evening holiday rush traffic that many would endure Friday evening/night.  Pulling into Smoky Mtn. Meadows Campground around 4 pm that evening  I had time to set up camp,  pull out my grill and prepare some most excellant marinated chicken for dinner and then relax around the 1st campfire of the week with friends.

• Chattooga IV - Day 1 WOR for me - Saturday June 30th brought a nice opportunity for me.  There had been enough thunderstorm activity overnight to bring water up to runnable levels on section IV of the Chattooga.  This was really nice,  I had run section III before but never IV.  USGS reported in around 1.4 at the morning meeting which according to the formula of USGS minus 0.3 = 1.1 on thepaddlers gauge a low but quite runnable level, excellant for a 1st time run.
• Jim and Jade W. served as out trip leaders.  Pat and Beth G. where also along who ad previous experiance on this section along with 3 more of us who had not run this before.  Guidence on the river was excellant.
• At the put in we hike our boats and gear up for a run of “Bull Sluice” with most of us catching a boof off the slide to the left of de-cap rock.  Jim W. ran the sluice, which he found to be a quite deep drop as flow was not filling in the bottom from above.
• With low water we had to run the the main drop on river left of Woodall Shoal on its right end catching a small tougue through the hole and being very careful to be on line.  The normal far river right line had no water. Jim W. did the far left.
• About halfway down the river it was getting really hot, so everyone enjoyed the stop at Long Creek Falls - a short hike up the creek to stand in the cool shower and get a little to eat and drink in the cool.
• Further down we where treated to great drops like 7′ falls, and Raven Chute - good runs by everyone.  Pat G. with the low water demo’d the through the hole and out the bottom of ledge for us at Raven Chute.
• Five Falls -  everyone had good runs, the only walk was at “Crack in the Rock” where middle and right cracks where blocked at this level with logs and debris and not safe to attempt.  With the low level we got a good peak up into hydro-electric rock (nasty-nasty flow through/under-cut).   Entrance went well for all,  Corkscrew did some pushing most of us into/over some hidden rocks at bottom left but with no real problems, Crack as stated was a walk, Good lines by all on Jawbone then down past hydro-electric rock to Sock-em Dog with good runs by all, then Shoulder-bone, where the “boof” rock was to exposed so it was run just left and cut back right over the ledge or take the alternate on the far right, all got down in good order.
• After the last last class three rapid just past 5 falls we entered lake Tugaloo and ran the infamous “Purgatory Rapid” better known as the 2 miles of flat water paddling across the lake to the take out.
• Great paddle, great day and good time had by all, dinner in Clayton Ga. and home to the campground before 8 pm.
• Ocoee - Day 2 for me - July 1, 2007
• Beth G. and myself lead a trip on the middle Ocoee accompanied by serveral others, most of whom had limited experiance on the Ocoee but where good paddlers.
• We had an excellant day with no real carnage or OBE issues in the group all day.  Everyone did excellant and had a great time.
• Ocoee - Day 3 for me - July 2, 2007
• Pat and Beth G. and myself along with a couple of other ran the middle Ocoee and took our time playing as much as we wanted and where we wanted.  A nice leisurely day of play.
• All had good runs, plenty of play time, no rush, great time had by all.
• Pigeon - Day 4 for me - July 3, 2007
• Joined in a group with Joe B., Pat and Karen H. and some other for a trip on the Pigeon - Waterville to Hartford section.  This was a release day.
• Loads of play by all,  there where serveral CCC groups and much of the time it became one big CCC day on the Pigeon as far as you could see with groups intermingling and folk just plain having a great time.
• Days 5 & 6 (July 4 & 5) where days off from paddling with the family over around the Lake Junaluska area, including fireworks over the lake.  Back to WOR campground evening of July 5th.
• Day 7 - Ocoee - Friday - July 6th.
• Did the middle Ocoee with Grif and Joey and a sizable group of other CCC’ers.
• All had a good time and great play.
• Introduced many in the group to some new lines and especially to Gerbal - 360 hole.
• On a personal note I did develop a sizable crack in my playboat and ended up dumping every other major rapid big time.  Due to this, above Accelerator I stopped to spunge out a bit and evidently did’t get a section of edge back in place fully on my skirt, this was bad as it proceeded to blow out on hitting the first big wave going down,  I paddle like mad to get to the right eddy and just before it hit on last wave, glug-glug-glug - submarine comander time, oh what a sinking feeling.
• All finish out well, and took out just below Hell-hole and powerhouse ledge per personal preferance.
• We all did the pizza buffet in Murry and had a great day overall.
• Day 8 - Cheoah - Saturday July 7th.
• Went with Pat & Beth G. and serveral other to the Cheoah.
• Ran about 2/3 and took off,  I was just to tired after the last 7 day and not on my game,  the rest of the group continued on without me.  Had a great time but it was time of me to get off and go home and come back another day rested.

Overall a great WOR’s despite the lack of rain.  Looking forward to next year. - Paddlin-ed