Paddlin’ Ed

Christmas Eve arrived this year bringing a nice present, “Rain”.  Late Saturday and through the day on Sunday we got rain, glorious rain after months drought and very little rain.   For almost 2 months we had no local water to paddle, no dam releases, and only water hours north in freezing temperatures.

Monday,  December 25th rolled in with the gauges on several rivers in Western NC rising overnight including our closest local “gem”,  Wilson Creek Gorge - a spectacular, national wild and senic river.  While the water was going to fall fast and we where past peak flow that morning we where assured good water for the day.Darron P. called me early, and we arranged to meet up at the put in around 11 along with Eddie C., Greg, and John H.  We where all in K-1’s with good previous expericance on the gorge section, except John H. who was in OC-1.  John was also running the gorge having only run it once before about 35 years ago at age 17 (a bit of a story in itself there), so this was basically a new run for John.

When we arrived the level was somewhere between -3 to -3.5″, which is nice level.  I expect by the time we put on around 11:30am it was probably around -3.5″.  We got off to a good start,  eddy hopping and playing here and there our way down, and all coaching John H. here and there as needed on lines.  Great group, everyone spaced out well and worked the river well together.

I had a good 1st run, only having a bit of a smack on the nose of my boat off the boof coming out of the eddy in 10 foot falls, with water flow being a bit low over the boof I got stalled a bit over the drop and smacked a rock below off the center,  on the 2nd run I did it a boat width further right and angle right into the pool in the right corner and had no problem.  Never had a problem with a rock there before,  but it has been a while since I have run it at -3 or below,  and don’t remember a rock but it’s there now, so stay far right on the boof.

Other than my smack off the boof the 1st run went well.  John H. did well down to and through 10 foot. Darron, Eddie and Greg where all in their elment, catching eddies and hitting their lines.  Everyone was having a great time, it was really an excellant early Christmas present as far as we where concerned,  we where just glad to be out paddling after a long dry spell, and especially thankful to be on a great run line Wilson Creek.

Well we worked on down toward Boatbuster,  ran the drops and areas above clean.  Down at boatbuster Darron and I ran through the lines with John, then I took him up in the corner eddy at the top of the turn into the run down to boat buster so he could see others run and point out the landmarks and line to him again.  Everyone ran down clean,  I followed doing the right side boof, then eddy right and ferry left to the big eddy above thunderhole.  John H. followed and dropped the boof nicely,  and caught the left eddy.

All ran down thunderhole and onto the ledges below.  Eddie, Darron, and Greg ran the slot down the ledge from right side to left,  I dropped in behind on the far right and planted my nose in the micro eddy behind the rock at the top allowing me to slide down through the sluice along the base of ledge above and avoid being pushed and slammed into the rocks just below.  I had suggested to John that he take the left line for a clean shot over the ledge to the pool below, which he did with a little rock bounce and brace at the bottom.  Then out the slot on the far left end,  John H. got hung a bit on some rock down the right side of the slot,  I beat a very sudden path far left to avoid slamming face first into the stern of his canoe which was hanging out into the slot at eye level.  Then John with a little scooching got clear and came on out.  Down from there on through a series of ledges.

Then on to triple drop,  I ran 1st down the far right line,  Eddie, Darron, and Greg follow doing the right slot down into the left line,  John came down last, laying over on the 2nd drop and hanging onto a brace and rolling back up on the next curler.  All came out clean a the bottom.

From there we worked on down to Fat Moma’s Squeeze.  All of us took the left chute and work back right to make the right then left turn.  I went high running down into the turn and hung up a bit, worked loose and ran on down.  Darron, Eddie, and Greg ran down and caught eddies and then out.  John H. did great,  and seeing the issue I had wih my normal high line at this level,  he ran just below and caught the right eddy platform just below.

From there we ran on down through Maytag, taking care to make sure John understood the line because of the hazard-hole/under-cut.  Then on down through the various nice ledges and drops including corner eddy where I caught a nice boof off at the bottom on my 1st run.  Eddie caught the corner eddy.  Darron went for the boof as did John, though he bang a bit roughly.  On down through more nice ledges, chutes, and drops to Razorback.  At Razorback we discussed the line with John H. a bit as its pretty blind once you drop off down the line.  Eddie ran 1st, with a nice clean line, Gary 2nd, then Darron.  I followed hitting the lower trough which usually has more water at this level, slid the turn banking a bit off the pile at the rock below.  John followed getting a nice line down the trough, but not quite finding the turn headed into the corner (which I had assured hime was ok, and would just stop you and then back you out down the exit),  after a moment in the corner John slide out backwards into the pool below.

At this level we ran the left line at the clog below Razerback,  all had good lines, however John after clearing the clog, got bobbled a bit clearing the turn below and had a short altercation with the creek.  Once John resumed his paddling position we where off running the ledges below and playing out the rest of the river.  At the rock slot drop ledge,  Eddied did his boof right of the rock,  I followed him into the eddy via the boof,  Darron ran the left slot/slide move, as did Greg.  John went for the left slot/slide move and hopped the slide into the eddy below cleanly.  From there we ran out the river and played.

The 2nd run we all ran again except of Greg who need to get home.  We basically did a straight through run. The level was around -4 to -5 on the start of the 2nd run.  We where all feeling sharpened up with the 1st run after 2 months of no paddling.  I had a excellant line through the top clog in 10 foot, and the boof went well on the far right this time.  Darron did the far right slot drop at Fat Mama squeeze.  John did a bit of an ugly at the bottom of razorback but walked away ok.

Overall a great, great day.  Beautiful sunny skies,  crystal clear water,  nice temps in the upper 50’s,  great group.  John H. did especially well for bascially a 1st timer in an open canoe (which is not easy on this run).  Great day, great time,  good time had by all.