Sunday 3/22/09 dawn bright and sunny with modest but good flow on the Nolichucky from rains late the week before. Water was crystal clear as it often is on the Noli. I had spent the night at the Campground near Chestoa along the Nolichucky and waited for Knut R. from CCC who had posted on Friday looking for takers to run a trip. Jim C. had also responded and met up with us. Knut, Jim, and myself all in K-1 set our own shuttle over in my van to the put in. It was turning into a brilliant, beautiful day with decent late winter temps, though still a bit nippy, not to mention the typical chilling late winter Noli water, so dress was still winter gear.
After shuttling over the mountain, gearing up, and setting off downstream, we stopped and warmed up our skills for a few minutes at a little surf spot under the railroad bridge. Then off down railroad/entrance rapid, working back and forth, weaving the holes and diagonals, then cutting around the midstream boulder and ferrying back far left to catch eddies, then play the run out and hydraulics at the bottom.
After paddling the short pool below down to “On the Rocks” rapid we briefed Jim on the options. Knut and I both hit the left line, Jim went with the flow and ran down the drop/tongue and moved right through the lower right chute just above “the rock”. I caught the eddy behind “the rock” and played out the far left run-out. From here we all played and surfed down to “Jaws”, the river wide hydraulic rapid and surf spot. Knut surfed a bit, I elected to wait for warmer weather as did Jim.
From Jaws, we worked the boogie water section with lots of small ledges, holes, hydraulics etc down to the pool above “The Pearly Gates”. I ran to far river left and behind the boulder and eddied out at the top entrance, then turned and ran down along with Knut and Jim through to the staging eddy far at the entrance to “Quarter Mile” rapid.
Entering “Quarter Mile” I made the ferry down the tongue just above Hungry Jack, followed by Knut and Jim. Knut ran the left line, I elected to do the far right sneak as the water was plenty cold, Jim ran a hybrid of some kind right to left down through Hungry Jack hole. Catching the eddy river right below Hungry Jack, I made the ferry over to river left, then back to mid river around the center boulders, catching the eddy above the drop right of Red Rock and across to the right bank. Knut and Jim made the moves and turned downstream from the center eddy above the drop, I ferried back and turn down the chute over the ledge and worked the ledges, holes and hydraulics down eddy to eddy to just above Murphy’s ledge on river right where Jack, Knut and I caught the eddy and ran the far right chute down Murphy’s ledge clear of the hydraulic at its base.
From here we played our way down through the couple of minor rapids to above “Rooster-tail”. At Rooster-tail, I caught the small eddy just above the lip of the drop along the far right rock wall, then spotted the diagonal trough moving behind the pour over rock to the left of the entrance chute and moved left cutting behind the pour-over, briefly catching the backwash eddy, then turning and running down and left to catch a high eddy along the boulder line on river left well above the dog-leg of the bottom half of the rapid.
Knut moved down through the entrance chute and then eddied river right below the entrance. Jim moved down but caught the diagonals on the right of the entrance and became dislocated from his boat about halfway down after a couple of roll attempts. I moved out to try to snag Jim and keep him away from a huge upstream slanting undercut rock formation just right of the dog-leg entrance and got him to the rock above just right of center, then moved back left down the dog-leg to eddy below the rock ledge where his boat was pinned.
Knut got out on river right and put a line down to Jim for safety. I moved down the dog-leg and then back river center below the rapid and pulled out in a rock garden below the big slanted rock on its back side. After setting my boat up the back of the rock, I climbed up and over the slanted rock and delicately down its front working out some rocks above it to try to free Jim’s boat that was pinned up just above to the left. This was a bit delicate, as I was working above the undercut and making sure to keep a firm footing. After scooting myself along a rock ledge sitting in the ice cold water up to my waist, I finally pried his boat with the end of my paddle and got it moving, however it move down to my ledge and hung again. About this time a commercial raft and a kayaker came down and where nice enough to set safety below and keep and eye on the proceedings. Meantime I had to move out further on the ledge and after several attempts and finally looping one end of the Jim’s kayak with my throw rope and pulled it free and bumped it down with my paddle, then the nice folks waiting below snagged it up.
After several minutes waist deep in cold water getting the boat I moved that we needed to hit the beach below and sit on the now warm rocks and sand in the brilliant sun and warm up. So we took our break and warmed ourselves.
Once re-warmed, fueled up with a snack and drink, rested and ready to go we where off again playing downstream through the smaller rapids down to Roller-Coaster. In Roller-Coaster I worked the line down through the rocks mid river at the top and Jim and Knut enter far left. Catching an eddy behind the last large boulder mid-stream above I lined up and started my run down to the first eddy along the rock ledges on river right. Knut pretty much played down the middle and left and eddied out below me. Jim ran mid-stream and eddied out with Knut. Knut worked back up a bit and we both took a turn or two surfing the wave train near the bottom on river right.
From Roller-Coaster we moved on down and worked the boogie water and small ledge rapids stopping at one of the better surf waves to take a break and surf a bit before moving on down to Doo-Doo hole ledges. At Doo-Doo hole, I lead down and caught the eddy between the entrance boils and the bottom ledge and waited for Jim and Knut, then lead off demoing the line. We all cleared out through the tongue below avoiding what can be a punishing hole.
On down to Rock-Garden through the boogie water above and entering the run through the rock garden just above the camel’s back rock at the top where the water is normally the best flow. I caught the eddy at top, Knut passed and ran a nice line down, I started down and got a bit off line and did some pin-balling through the garden (not my best line by a long shot) but managed to clear through after several hard boofs, Jim passed me in the process. Down below Rock-Garden we gathered up and started our paddle down to Hole-in-the-Wall rapid.
We all took various routes working down to just above main ledge in the last part, where we gather up just above and I lead a line just right of a exposed rock out-crop in the ledge wall right and mid-stream, cutting back left behind the exposed rock to slice cleanly through the small end of a major hydraulic hole extending from the rock to river right. Knut and Jim followed into the eddy below where Jim could get a good look at the nasty large hole avoided on river right by this line. From here we all took the route of our choice down and out the last ledge and chutes of Hole-in-the-Wall.
We paddled on across the pool below and entered the bend to the right which starts the run down into Souse Hole rapid. Halfway down the river turns left, I went to the far right bank in the bend and caught a eddy, Knut follow and caught a smaller eddy just above me, and Jim came up last into my eddy. From here I ferried out and across and ran out through the souse hole at the bottom along the far left with Jim behind me. Knut played down a bit of the middle and then ran out the souse hole left of center in the meat of boil and waves.
From Souse Hole we worked the three long legs of boogie water between bends down to the last major rapid, enjoying the many diagonals, hydraulic ledges, and holes along the way for surfs and play. At the last rapid, Twin-eddies we eddied out at the top on the far left. I ferried out to center and ran the chutes and weaved the holes between ledges, drops, and large holes below into the eddy and pool below. Knut took a more river left line and worked down to the right, followed by Jim who ran the far left line. We stopped and played a bit then turned to run down the last boogie play water to Cherokee Rock and across the pool below to the take-out at the campground.
We had a great day with the river to ourselves most of the day. Beautiful late winter weather, sunny and warm for this time of year. After packing up we said goodbyes to Jim and Knut ran me over the mountain to pick up my van. Good time had by all and two good new friends to boot.
SYOTR-paddlin-ed
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