Well after a fantastic day on the Cheoah on Saturday, Darron, Will and I met up at the put in for the upper Ocoee on Sunday 9/2/07. The upper release was full and above average, a really nice level. Darron had run this once before, and for Will it was a 1st time event. I had run it numerous time over the last 7-8 years in both OC-1 and in kayak, running it last on Memorial day weekend this year. Basically this elected me by defaut as leader/guide for the run.
After setting shuttle down to the upper take-out and getting back to the put in, we finished gearing up, picked up our boats and walked down the path to the put in. A little surfing out from the put in was our warm up and then it was off down through the initial boggie water at the top to the 1st nice surf spot.I had brought my new EZG-60 that I had for a bit, but had only taken out in it on the French Broad a couple of months ago once. It was time to put in on some pusher water and see how it handled next to the Super EZ’s I had always kayaked in. It a shorter boat, tighter cockpit, and narrower abeam. After a bit of pushing it on moves and some surfing at that 1st nice surf spot, I was getting pretty comfortable with it, and found it surfed very well, and advance upstream good, but a bit different on the edges with its shorter and narrower profile.
Will and Darrons took some turns at the surf spot with Will getting in to it pretty good. From there we headed on down working the couple of rapids of significance down to “Alien Falls”. At Alien Falls, I was ready to get out for a moment and stretch anyway, so We decided we might as will let Will get a look at the falls and be clear on where and how to run the boof line off the top, plus make sure he was aware of the hidden cave hole hazard in the ledge further left. After a brief stretch and quick look with Will at the falls, we climbed back in ferryed over to the rock on the right above.
While waiting for Will to ferry over, Dr. Jim M. paddled by and shouted hello, it had been probably 2 years since I had seen and paddle with him last, alway nice to see and old friend on the river. Dr. Jim was having a good day.
Well once we where all in the eddy, I lead of to demo the line and angle off the boof, Darron followed. My last words to Will where, “better to err to far right than get pushed off left into the crease which has a nasty rock in it”. I guess Will was listening pretty good cause he actually came off straight off the boof ledge, where most folks get pushed and go angled a little left near the end of the ledge extention that you boof off, anyhow he landed fine as did Darron before him.
We all pulled out on the rock ledge below Alien and carried back up, ferried across to just above the rocks out in the center and worked over to the far left “creeky” run and took our turns on the left hand run, working the eddies and holes. From there we worked down to the “corner eddy” above the ninety degree slot drop off into the “blue hole” run after holding up a bit to let rafts clear out above the drop (not a place to be in with rafts). Darron lead off, I followed getting a bit to far right on the right hand slot drop where it was a bit boney (its best to hit to bottom of the eddy behind the boulder on the upstream-left side of slot opening to keep lined up onto the main tougue of the drop). Will followed me, and we all enjoyed the romp through the big rolling waves, holes and diagonals, working hard to the left to avoid getting pushed into the rock face below that the main current slams into.
After paddling down under the Forest Service bridge just below blue hole that marks the start of the Olympic section, we wait turns for some raft to clear and then ran the “nose curl from right to left off the left end of main flow on river right to hit the left eddy and stay out of the hole below. Darron and Will played the nose curl, which allow you to do ascentions up onto the flow above and over to river right eddy. After they played there a bit we began working down the left side, in and out of the eddies, weaving out into the main flow to clear the next ledges and back to the next eddy. Making the last pull-out above Humongus ledge, we all pushed hard to cut back into the re-circulating whirlpool eddy on the left back beside Humongus ledge and dug in to pull through the backwash to the far left to clear the end of the hole and drop out the bottom of the eddy down into the line on river left and run out to the bottom of the Olymipic course. Once below the bridge at the end of the course we started working right to the eddies along the bank well below to catch our breath and get ready for the next section.
From the eddy we peeled out after telling Will a bit about “Roach Motel” below. My last words where as you get down to the bottom where the huge holes are you just about can’t go to far right - seem he listen well again. Well I got almost through all the holes to the right, but with the higher level I came up on one last huge hole and was not quite far enough right and demo’d for Will who was right behind me, Will seeing this took to heart my earlier word and quickly got further right to avoid my delima. Once below I collect myself and we where off again. down through the remaining boogie water, working the ledges and holes here and there. Just above the last bridge I had lead them to the flow on the far left, through two pretty good line/ledge hydraylics, both of them found these on their way though and did some dancing and side surfing in them and played out of them just fine.
From there under the bridge and down to the last ledge drop. Along about here I went over the drop with Will since he was a 1st timer, only to let him know that while it was an easy move with his skill, there was serious hydralic at it base, and where we need to run it, angle and to push though. We all dropped over just, fine and in fact with the higher flow it was a smooth line, as compared to the usual bang down in the upper left corner of the drop opening at the usual level.
From there we paddled out taking advantage of the deeper pool water below to practic some rolls. Darron did some hand rolls too. We all cooled off rolling and paddled to a take-out at the end of the main parking lot. It was an excellant day, great weather and water, and group. After loading up and changing we beat a path down the highway, stopped in at NOC’s Rivers End for a bit to eat, a quick vist to the outfitter store, said our good-bys, and hit the highway home after a great weekend of paddling.
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