Paddlin' Ed

Kibler Valley Run Day - July 26th, 2008 - Dan sec. 1

Ed — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:44:03 +0000

Saturday July 26th, brought the annual Kibler Valley race/release, just in time with everything in day trip distance about dried up from lack of rain. This occurs on Section 1 of the Dan starting at the Pinnacles Hydroelectric station at Kibler Valley Va. The upper most part of this run features a nice class 2+ to 3 creeky run. The hydro station cranked out around 10KW this day, close to full release, so there was enough water to play this section. The middle section of the run opens up a bit but has some nice class 2 play features along the way. The lower section is moving water with a few play features but mostly a paddle out, though moves well with full release. I had decided to open canoe and ran into John H. another open boater almost immediately and paddle my first run with John. (more…)

New River Gorge - July 19th, 2008

Ed — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:16:20 +0000

New River Gorge was on of the few rivers in day trip distance with water this year, so Darron P., Gif G. & Joey, and myself did the early morning run to West Virginia. After we all gathered at Tamarack for breakfast we headed to Fayette Station at the bottom of the gorge, set our shuttle, and did the run up to the Cunard put-in. We had left NC thinking it was going to be just above 0 on the gauge but the dam upstream cut back overnight as it was -6″, which in the New River is still a lot of water. (more…)

WOR-CCC-June 27 to July 6, 2007

Ed — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:28:50 +0000

This years CCC (Carolina Canoe Club) - WOR (Week of Rivers)was a enjoyable week of river running in Western North Carolina with good attendance this year despite another summer with little rain. Turnout for the week was excellent, and I suppose that the fact that it is held in an area centrally located amoung several key dam released rivers in addition to many other rain dependent runs, certainly helped. My week started out with a late drive to the campground at SMM late on Thursday night.

Friday - June 17th, 2008 - Middle Ocoee- Well Friday morning came and I was glad to find a group of other early folks I knew making the pilgrimage over to the Ocoee about an hour away. In the group where Don and Karol G. both in K-1, Sandra and David L. both in K-1 and Woody K-1. I opted into my EZG-60 playboat for the run. Raft traffic was present but light and the day was sunny and warm with a good release. (more…)

NRG-NEW RIVER GORGE - Sat. June 21, 2008

Ed — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:14:11 +0000

Saturday, June 21st started early for the ride to WVa. out of NC. It was sunny, blue sky summer day, with mild warm high temps into the low to mid 80’s. NRG was running about -0.60 ft. which with its size and volume is still plenty of water. In fact with not much rain for the last few weeks it was one of the few rivers around runnable. The gorge is a beautiful section of river running from Cunard put in to the take out at Fayette Station WVa. with most rapids of significance in the class 3 to 4+ range.

This section of river holds such well know rapids as the Kenney’s (upper, middle, and lower) with feature large waves and holes in a stair-step succession down through all three back to back, Double Z which is a very busy long rapid with lots of under-cut out-cropings and boulders, plus holes, and about every feature you can name to keep one busy along the way, and its final rapid Fayette Station where the river funnels down to a third of its width and blast down through a stair-step of ledges and features into a boiling line of large waves and holes. Its a nice run even at lower levels, as changes in level changes it’s features and brings new challenges and play opportunities. (more…)

USNWWC - Charlotte NC - Saturday June 7, 2006

Ed — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:45:09 +0000

This was my first experience at the US National Whitewater Center, in Charlotte NC. After meeting up with Darron and a couple of others, we geared up, paid our fee’s and slipped our boats into the upper pool.

The first run we did the “Wilderness” channel, which is supposed to be a bit easier but is very short and drops into the “Big Water” channel. Second run we did the entire “Big Water” channel. Personally I could not tell much difference entering either way, the upper end of both are similar and 80% of both runs is the main section of the “Big Water” run. (more…)

Pigeon River - Waterville to Hartford May 31st, 2008

Ed — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:12:41 +0000

Well it started with Eric R. posting about interest in doing the Pigeon this Saturday earlier in the week. Lack of rain was starting to leave a lot of rivers low, so with Pigeon-Waterville released started for the season, serveral of us worked up a day trip run. Eric R., Robbie G., Karol G., and myself Paddlin-ed all piled in the car with our kayaks and head out for Waterville at the Tenn.- NC line of I-40W for a day on the Pigeon. There we where joined by two other paddlers, Jack in OC-1, and a newcomer to the Pigeon Don A. in K-1.

Once shuttle was set the 6 of us set off downstream for a really nice day on the river. It was Sunny with blue skies and a few whipy white clouds here and there. The water was cool up not uncomfortable, quite nice with Temps in the high 80’s in fact. We played the entrance down the left catching eddies then a hard ferry across for the rolling bottom have full of holes, run after we caught the eddies along the right band just above the bottom run. (more…)

2008 -Mean & Ugly Ocoee CCC Weekend -May 24th & 25th

Ed — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:09:31 +0000

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.

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Cheoah - May 17th & 18th, 2008

Ed — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:44:09 +0000

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. (more…)

North Fork of the Mayo - Saturday May 10th, 2008

Ed — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:48:31 +0000

Saturday May 10th came as a bright sunny blue sky day after heavy rains in the watershed of the North Mayo up into Virginia just over the NC line 24 hours earlier. SRVCC members and TRR members both joined up at the put with the river running around 800 cfs, a nice healthy level. With my travel limited this particular weekend to local day trip water, I elected to joined the group and get in a little open canoe time.

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3 Run Day - Wilson Creek Gorge - Sunday 4/20/08

Ed — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:44:04 +0000

We had all been watching gauges closing since Friday, waiting for one of those rains that “was supposed to happen”, and went to bed on Saturday night expecting to see some gauges going off by morning with hard rain coming in. Sunday morning came and the hard rains had been scattered west of our group, so choices where limited for a day trip. After some checking of river and rain gauges, telephone calls to people west near possible spots it was going to be Wilson Creek. A couple of its watersheds had received some decent rain during the night and while levels where on low end, quite doable. Wilson Creek Gorge is one of those unique places where lower levels still present lots of fun and challenge, as in many ways some areas get more technical to run lower. (more…)