Paddlin’ Ed

Well, at last rain arrived in our area on Friday 9/14/07 after an extended very dry spell.  Rivers had about dried up so it was a welcomed event.  All day we recieved the rain from the reminents of a hurricane Humberto that came ashore earlier in the week in Texas.  On Friday the area around BRI recieved 3 – 3 1/2″ of rain.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it, but after months of almost no rain it took nearly all day for gauges to even show rise and overnight it ran off quick what didn’t get soaked up.  Basically after all that rain while we had water it was a modest flow and falling quickly.

Bev B. had posted Friday evening and several had responded,  in fact quiet a large group showed up.  I was needing to get out in my OC-1 not having only paddle it a few times recently and this being a local paddle I e-mailed Bev and asked to be included in the plans. We quickly dressed out and got about doing shuttle.  Amazingly the road into the take-out was not to bad. Evidently it’s long rest during the dry spell and now through harded red clay had taken all the rain without washing out more and turning into the normal mud requiring 4-wheel drive.Shuttle set we began moving to the river bank to put in.  None of the normal openings where visable,  it was bush-whack all the way, everything had grown over densely during the dry months.  Finally with all the group on the river we set off.  There where several of us in OC-1’s,  one OC-2, a couple of C-1’s and the rest in K-1.

The day had started at home bright and sunny but temps nice in the 70’s,  as I rode up the moutain on 52N into Va. it had clouded up and gotten down right chilly and winding going over the Hillsville.  When I 1st arrived it was very cloudy and chilly,  however just as we finished the shuttle the sun came out to a Brilliant blue sky day with just some whispy white clouds here and there, and temp in the high 70’s,  a really beautiful day.

Everything went smoothly down the couple of miles to the gorge area, pretty much folks just warming up a bit.  We stopped for a bit below the drop where the river necks down between rock walls, took some pictures and stretched a bit, then off again.  Just below here is an other drop that was severly consitricted due to a tree down,  so much so that everyone was forced to run the far left bow against the wall and bang down litterly against to the left rock face to miss the end of the tree, no other place was open.  Anyone blundering down on this one anywhere else could get severly pinned underneath.

During the trip we ran into serveral downed trees nearly all the way across the river, the one just mentioned however was very dangerous and will need to be approached with care until it washes out particularly at high levels when there is more push to the river.  Most of the others you just needed to be by one bank and duck some.

On down the the group worked,  working the eddies, drops, curlers, and playing some holes that where big enough here and there.  The gorge are was absolutely beautiful, water sparkling in the sun and going in and out of deep shade,  and by this time the water had begun to clear form its early run-off brown,  there was enough water to work a lot of places with some care taken to avoid suprise trip rock or those lurking just beneath the surface in some wave lines.  Overall we had enough water to get down and play through the gorge but we clearly knew we didn’t need to tarry long as it was dropping fast.

Well we all arrived at the confluence at the end of the gorge, and proceeded to work and play the last ledges just below.  At high level these ledges form some significant size waves and hydralics,  today the wave and surf spots where there and quite playable just smaller and more tame.  Well most of the group set about taking a couple of turns at the ledges and in particular the bottom ledge where we hung out for a while.  Some of the group pulled out after a turn or two to stretch and watch from river right below.  I worked  into eddy on both sides and over on the left bank a bit to get pictures.

Well everyone was having a great time and the day was great,  however about this time one of our group had a small altercation with the hole in the surf ledge over toward river left and ended up out of his boat having done bad things to his shoulder.  Joe came up from the hole and was able to plant himself on a rock just below the ledge but things didn’t look right,  he was holding his left arm at a funny angle and pointing to it.  I head out across and upstream,  got over by the left bank, jumped out and had Trent grab my boat at one end from the bank and keep it extended out so I could go out to help Joe walk in holding his PFD straps and then using my boat for support.  Once on the bank Joe was ready to sit down and bit and catch his breath.  All of the group came over and we decided with nothing of any size below and only a short paddle to the take out we would put him in his kayak between two canoes and paddle him out, Joe hanging on with one hand and the canoes holding on too.  With the water low a couple of us went just ahead to find the cleanest path and the two canoes moved him down to the takeout in-between them in his kayak.

Joe sent out an e-mail that evening reporting his shoulder was back in after a visit to the Stewart VA. ER and he was doing ok.  The whole group pulled together well to take care of the situation and I am very glad to here Joe’s ok.  Joe,  take care of that shoulder and rest up so we see you back on the river soon.

Anyhow we got loaded up,  and people and boat back to vehicals at the put-in, said our goodby’s after all agreeing it was great day and good time,  just hoping Joe was ok and headed home.