Paddlin’ Ed

Well the last spring weekend for releases of the Cheoah arrived, Darron P., Will S., and myself (paddlin-ed) all agreed to get the runs in for the weekend.  After meeting up at Black Mtn. for dinner we drove over and camped at the bottom of the run for the night.   We where in for two days of runs on this almost continuous class 3 to 4 run for serveral miles that pumps up to 3+ to 5 for the last couple of miles. 

Sat. the 17th came with brilliant sunny blue sky’s a nice temps into the low 70’s.  After breakfast we headed up to the upper most Forest Service put in just below the dam and paddled the very upper section not paddled by most.  The very upper is scenic, lots of growth in the river and a nice little warm up with on fairly significant ledge sporting some nasty hydraulics most places.  This upper section adds 30 minutes or so to the run.

Once past the more used O’Henry put in we where off down the meat of the run where things pick up considerably, with the next couple of miles being a lot of 3+ spiced up with some class 4 here and there.  Well things moved along pretty good,  we worked the river and played a bit here and there.  I was in my K-1 creek boat, while Darron and Will had where doing K-1 play-boats.  We all cleared on down through Wilma’s ledge which was pushing and sticky with the 1,100+ plus level and required keeping the boat on line and hammering the strokes coming off the ledge into the pool below to pull through.

Further down at “take-out” rapid (not the actual take-out) Darron and Will got a clean line going right around the rock ledge at the top,  while I got push up against the tall rock at the top of the slot, leaned downstream into it, wrapped an arm around it and picked by boat up under me and twisted it to the right side into the slot going right and threw myself boat and all into the slot and finished up cleanly down around and out through “take-out”.  After couple more rapids we pull over for a short breather and then off again.

Down into “land of holes” ( a long series of holes and ledge hydraulics, some capable of giving you a pretty serious dance lesson) we worked.  A short way down we ran up on a boater in trouble and washing out of a hole, boat going ahead of him, so we all caught eddies to assist if need, till his partner caught him and his boat on a exposed ledge assured us he had it under control.  Off again we work down through the holes, working for chutes or fast water and at times having to just plain slam through digging hard, and then working the tricky ledge drop, turn and chute out the bottom.

From there we worked the rapids and played down to the Forest Service bridge where we stopped for a break.  Below here things pick up quickly from 3+ to 4-4+ and 5.   After a brief rest and snack,  we where off again working the run down to the entrance above Bear Creek falls.  After working the last drops and chutes above the bend into the run above the falls,  we where off down this steep, fast and technical run.  We all entered high moving from river right to left,  Darron and Will moved quickly to eddies along the left bank.  I moved left of center and worked chutes, ledges and drops down a bit further,  and taking a boof of the edge of a ledge over a fast chute along the left cliff wall, twisting and landing, stroking down the chute and down to an eddy along the wall just below.  Darron and Will, worked down a couple of eddies along the wall and joined me.  Then down to the staging eddy for the fall.  Darron lead off, followed by Will, then myself over the left “falls” side of bear creek falls right of center of the main falls. 

I hit the pillow and foam pile below, spun facing the falls and pushed left, and caught the eddy just below a rock out from the left side of the falls, then ferried over river right to the bank eddies to join Darron and Will.  From there we headed down and across to river left and dropped over the wall at ”bear creek rapid” just above a large boulder on the left side of the main channel.  I did a dance for a moment or two in the hydraulic at the base of the wall drop then pulled out and joined Darron and Will behind a big rock below.

From there is was down a series of ledges, chutes and through holes below over to a big eddy on river left.  From there we started our run down to Tapco Lodge and the bridge.  Lots of technical water, some surfing and play and working the river then running back right around the end of a rock bar just above the lodge and down through a big boiling series of waves, holes and drops into an eddy on river right.

Out of the last eddy and around the bend then down under the bridge at Tapco Lodge and down into “yardsale”.  “Yardsale is rapid not to terribly long but ends in a mean hydralic hole almost river wide that is officially “Yardsale”.  Now you can run it far left by ferrying over to that side above it,  or far right either in a slot near the end or hitting an eddy against the right bank and dropping into the slot over a boof at the end of the eddy.

I headed down in the lead,  ran right into the eddy and off the boof in the corner, twisting back right to land straight into the slot and flush through below.  Then pulled right to hop the end another river wide hydraulic just below about 40-50 feet and hit the eddy on river left.   Darron and Will ran down and stopped in the eddy then ran for the slot and on down to my eddy.  From there we played out the remaining run down the lake.

It was an excellent level, a really nice run, we all had a great time.  After changing at the campground at the lake,  we headed up to pick up the shuttle vehical at the top, then on to dinner in Robbinsville, seriously hungry!!! 

 Sunday May 18th dawned like most typical spring Smoky Mtn. morning,  cool and overcast.  We headed up the road from the campground at Caulderwood lake and caught breakfast at Deal’s Gap before dressing out and setting shuttle.  We had decided to do shorter runs of the lower section from the Forest Service bridge down to the lake through the class 3+ to 5 section with the falls joined by Kevin, Karen, and a couple of others in addition to Darron, Will, and myself.  The day stayed overcast and a bit cool with water level being around 900-950 cfs for the day.

In short order we dropped boats at the Forest Service bridge and waited for the release water to get up good and well downstream so as not to outrun the release.  Once on, we warmed playing on our way down to the last large rapids and drops just above the bend leading into the long continuous and technical run above Bear Creek Falls.   Darron and Will took an alternate main chute in the last run out above the bend.  I did the ferry from the last big eddy on river left across to a small platform on river right.  Then ran out the drops along the right wall cutting back toward right of center earlier than I have previously to try for a different and cleaner line, which worked and kept me out of a nasty series of diagonal holes far right below and into the main flow instead.

We all rounded the bend right of center but then went for separate lines.  Darron and Will worked their lines more to the far left,  I ran a bit toward just right of center early on,  then worked down toward the center and caught another flow to ferry further left just above a last ledge drop before the staging eddy on river left above the falls.  After running the last ledge and hammer out of the hole below,  I cut left and hit a high eddy and joined Will and Darron.  From there we dropped down to the normal staging eddy with most of the rest of the group.

Kevin, Karen and a couple of others ran 1st,  then Darron head over to the middle double ledge creek line.  I went for the falls on river left – running right of center, landed a bit rough,  turned in the foam pile below and ferried over to river right into the eddy below.  Will did his run and joined us.  From there most of the group ran the far left channel around the “bear creek” below.   I dropped the wall on “bear creek” rapid just right of the far left boulder in the main channel,  caught the eddy behind the rock in the pool below, then worked the ledges, drops and chute down to the staging eddy on the left below to join the rest of the group.

We all played the run down to the river right eddy across from Tapco lodge then head around the bend, under the bridge and down through “Yardsale”.  Some did the ferry to far left,  a few went to the slot far right.  I hit the eddy right of the slot on far right and dropped the boof into the slot.  As I dropped into the slot everything seemed normal,  I got stern squirted a bit and accelerate on the flow and then just as I was pushed out and taking a last couple of strokes to pull through,  I got a unfamiliar cross-current that moved me left.  Now I was stroking hard to pull clear, then pulled into a side surf,  then window shaded and finally flushed,  a new twist to a line I had done the same way quite a few times.  After collecting with the group in the eddy below we all paddled out working the final run down to the lake and take out at the campground.

Darron and Will decide to do a second short run,  the rest of the group called it a day.  I decided to shuttle Darron and Will and then photograph some of their run.  Both had good runs and I got some nice pictures (something I never have time for on this busy run when paddling).  Both of them ran above the falls over to the left wall and down a series of eddies and drops most of the way down to the falls. 

Darron ran the falls 1st doing the double drop middle creek line,  clean in the 1st drop, then dropped the bottom and got spun hitting the flow coming from far right and did some serious rolling up off a far over brace nicely.   Will dropped the middle creek line also,  going deep on the 1st drop in the hole, pulling out and dropping the bottom cleanly. 

Got good pictures of both of them running down to the falls and through plus working the bottom half of the run below down to Tapco lodge.   From there I got some photos of them running “yardsale” from the bridge above, where Darron ran down to the eddy on the right, then went for the slot and came through slow and went deep (Darron later commented that he found the run out of the line a bit sucky as I had earlier, but but being aware my experiance,  he quickly hammered and stroked out).  Seems like the exit end of this chute may have changed a bit at lower flows from the blast through it  used to be.

Will ran down “Yardsale” and elected to ferry over to the far left and run.  From there Will and Darron finished out the run to the lake, and I hit the road home.  Pictures are in the picture gallery,  some nice ones.

 SYOTR – paddlin-ed