Memorial Day Weekend brought this years Mean & Ugly CCC trip to the Ocoee, with a group of around 12 paddlers, all K-1, gathering up at the middle put in on Saturday May 24thfor a 1st day’s event of both upper and middle Ocoee. The day was sunny, warm in the upper 70’s and the Ocoee release was full and high, just plain great conditions.
Most of the group put on the upper, with a few electing meet us at the middle put in. Myself I was out of my creek-boat and in my play-boat for the 1st time since October, after a long winter creeking and it was strange sensation to be back in a little edgy boat. Some of the group just starting up their season for this year. So we all took advantage of surfing and playing the small ledge just out from the put in before getting into the bigger stuff below.
Once of down-stream we pretty much just played down to the 1st good surfing wave, and found ourselves join by other group there taking turns on the wave. Then on down with everyone working the river through several nice size runs to just above Alien falls/boof. At alien several in the group who didn’t know the run got out to scout, about half of us who new it well went on the the staging eddy out in the river, having been told previously the drop was clear of any debris and good to go.
After running the drop, most of us eddied out at the rock shelf below, I did a picture or two of drop runs, then most of us walked back up and ferried back over to the staging rock and then past it over to the far right side of the river to run the creek lines. Everyone worked different lines, and there are several. Then off down to the drop turns above the Olympic course and into the top left eddy of the course. Myself I elected to work down the left side, not having been in my playboat for a while, some of the other worked the right at the top. Pat and Karen H. worked a lot of the right pretty far down, looking good, before running back left for the bottom end of the course.
After running out the bottom of the course and down the long wave train we eddied out below the bridge to gather up. From there it was off and down through Roach Motel. Several of the group went for far left, I ran to left of center, then back to far right out the bottom. From there we all worked and played the rapids and boogie water down to the drop into Thunder Rock power station’s rock flume, which was pretty full and cooking (meaning more water below), then out and down the lake to the dam at the middle put in.
At the middle put in we took a break, snacked, and several of the group got off and 2 more joined us. After a bit of rest we where down the ramp in in the put in eddy, and off down through “Snow White” and ” Grumpy’s”. On past the surf wave below just below the next drop, there was a fair size piece of a pine tree in the center of the river. Even in the right channel I had to drive right at bit to miss the end of it. One of the group dropped over to play the area below center and ended up doing a boat exit to avoid being pushing into the strainer, you just could not see it till you dropped over. We found out later just after we gathered up our paddler below and moved on, another paddler (another group) had done the same just after we left and gotten pinned in his boat for about 25 minutes barely able to keep his head up before his group managed to pull him free.
We stopped and surfed the ledges around “Whirlybird” for a bit and then down to Gonzo Shoals, where some did “walk the plank” and others the conventional line, all noted the hole below was really sticky and several danced a bit in the end of it going out (myself included briefly). On down at Broken Nose, there was a bit of a wave out from eddy #1 that tended to want to push you off down to the ledge, I had to dig in hard to clear into the eddy. Most of us played the eddies and worked down. I got down to the rock bar below and found no place to eddy and went on out to the left and down to the far bottom.
One of our group had a bit of an altercation with Broken Nose and folks still above managed to round up the wayward paddler and boat just below Broken Nose proper. From the bottom we noted several other incidences of river carnage and aided a couple of rescues for other groups including a wayward OC-1 doing a long swim from the top that I tagged with a rope.
Once gathered up we ran down through to Slice and Dice and noticed it was a bit different today with the level. I caught the tongue through the holes then found a 3rd hole had opened below that it dumped into, rode a stern squirt through and out into the main channel, the river was definitely booking this day. Play wave below was a bit flat and shallow with the high flow we moved on pretty quick after a brief break to “Moon-chute” where the surf was good and foam pile big this day. Then on down to “Double-Suck”.
Well I got to the top of “Double-Suck” 1st and ran the line just right of the big rock ledge in the middle. The hole below was big and wanted to play tickle just a bit, so I had to dig in to pull through and into the eddy. Two or three more folks went down the boof line on far right, then one of the group following had a disagreement with the boof, flipped and suffered a disobedient boat, which proceeded on without his presence. I started out and saw those below where all going for the paddler still at the bottom of the ledge, and spied his lonely frighten boat running off downstream by itself. With the rest of the group on the paddler, I turned and went on what turned out to be quite a boat chase.
With all the flow and it being a big WS Diesel full of water, that boat ran quite “energetically” downstream. I caught up with it paddling furiously just above the bend into “Double-Trouble” and started bumping, still in rapids toward the left where there is normally a big eddy and calm area at the bend on river left. Alas, it was not to be, there was no calm on the left with the high water this day and found I needed to separate myself from this 50 lbs. of plastic battering ram before dropping into Double Trouble. Below, I corralled it briefly along the far right but with the high level, most eddies where flushing along the outside bank, and I needed one more hand with nary another hard boater in sight, so off we went on down through ”hollywood” and below. Finally bumping into and eddy after a very long chase. Well, once drained and tethered, I towed to Go-forth for a re-union with it well washed owner, and sat for a long breather on the rock under the bridge till the rest of the group finally showed up.
Well from there it was on down to suprise ledge, I dropped the “surprise” slot river left, the rest worked the far right. Then on down to “Tablesaw”, everyone had good runs, with some boof up top. On to diamond splitter, where Kurt M. and Matt D. and a few other did tuns in the hole, surfing and getting trashed on occasion. Down below we stopped at “Gerbel” which looked super nice at this level, big pillow, nice wave hole. Then off down the boggie water to “Accelerator”, and on to “Skin the Cat”. I did the skinned the cat move and really had to dig after the last wave hole to ferry over to the slot with all the flow. Then down to hell hole, Several elected to surf a while, I was wasted from the boat chase and after taking a few picture of our group’s surfers, ran “Powerhouse” out to the take-out.
Sunday - May 25 -we had a smaller group of around 8 or so and ran the Middle Ocoee. The day was warm, sunny and flow was just a bit below the previous day. No sign of the strainer below Grumpies, evidently had been removed early that day. Runs went pretty well, with a bit more play at Whirlbird this day. Everyone cleared “Broken Nose” ok. I could get in the rock bar eddy below Broken Nose proper so I got some nice pictures of the group. On down through “Slice and Dice” and then surfed a while at the wave below, it was better form with the water being bit lower this day. Moonshoot below was still good so we surfed there briefly.
Things went smoothly through Double Trouble and Double-Suck this day. Several pretty good surfs by the group at Double-suck, and a lot of squirting at the David and Tammy rock below. Then off down through working the runs to Hollywood, where Kurt and Matt D. danced a bit with the hole/wave. Milt did a nice Watagua move below.
On down through surprise ledge and to Tablesaw. After a couple of ran down, one of the group got pushed right at the bottom, encounter the rocks at the bottom boil and started a bottom mapping session on down about half-way to Diamond Splitter. Quickly several went to gather the paddler up just above the nasty left side drop below, Matt D. was down after the boat, I followed and caught up with him working to bump the boat in just above Gerbel. While reuniting the paddler with the boat his paddle slipped down river and I did a brief session of paddle chase while most of the group played Gerbel.
Well we all ran out the down through Accelerator, and Skin the cat. At Hell Hole most eddied left, and a Kurt M. and Matt D. stopped to surf, I ran the right line through the hole, then out down Powerhouse ledge and on the the take out.
Most of the group stayed to paddle on Monday, I headed home after two good days of paddling. Good time and great weekend had by all.
Sounds like a great time. I had planned to go this year but I had a job change and now its all work and no play this year.