coming soon

Bring your own cooler.

A lot has happened since my last post. I've gotten on some natural flow, including the Green at 33 inches...Crazy big. Soon after we put on, my sprayskirt ripped, so I was nervous to get out of my boat to scout or portage out of fear I would not get my skirt back on the boat. We managed the rapids down to sunshine where my buddy told me I was going to have to hike out...There must be some other way I thought. I was able to successfully paddle out to fishtop with my on the fly repair job. I am not proud of my decision to put onto a class V creek at crazy high flow with anything less than the best gear. I knew my skirt was jangled up before we put on, I thought it would hold. It did not, and it could have been a super serious issue in a hurry had it imploded. Everything was fine, but there is a lesson to be learned.

The other way out.

Where the Gorilla lives.

The monk at a more reasonable flow.

Green Race is Coming.  Are you ready?

A walk through the woods

Life is good here in the mountains of North Carolina. The weather has cooled off a little bit, we got some rain, everything is right dandy. The Green has been the norm but I've made it out to the Ledges to goof around a couple times. The Cheoah has ran the past few weekends, but my schedule hasn't matched up right.  

My good friend came to town. To celebrate we went for a walk in the woods. We stumbled upon a little gem out here in the south eastern rockies. Linville Gorge is an awe inspiring place. The river which runs through it is wilderness class V. 

The Mighty Linville

Verde

 It has been a little bit since my last post but everything is good. North Carolina has been a bit dry the past couple of weeks. I've been pretty much on the Narrows plan. My Jefe is pretty well trashed. I have an idea, and I'd like to give it one more chance, but I fear she is on her last legs. The duct tape is holding my current creekboat together quite nicely though. It is summertime in North Carolina, and it is HOT! I'd like to sit in the river right now actually..

Saturday Sunshine, Green River Narrows

Myself, Go Left, Green River Narrows

Mr Monkey afterwork, Green River Narrows

Derek getting a good look at the Monkey, Green River Narrows

Gorilla Guppies

The past week has been pretty dry around these parts. I've staggered down a few Green laps and went to a release on the Cheoah. Everything is good. I got an idea for a new sort of river adventure today. More about that later. I was fortunate enough to be at the put in with no water, and then watch the water fill in. Unfortunately for us, as this was going on, and as we were waiting patiently on the side of the river, the clock was ticking and darkness was falling on the land. We rode the bubble all the way to the take out and took out at 9:15pm sans headlamps. 

Here's Swami at Bear Creek Falls, Cheoah.

Underneath the scariest rapid on the river. 

Memorial Day. I found this flag on the side of the street as we were being pulled over on our way to paddle.

Myself, Monk Monk Madness. Memorial Day

Sam with style to spare dropping into Sunshine

This kid here was the one to show me a lot of very hard to catch and elusive eddies on the Green. I usually miss them and get hammered now. Here's Toby making the most of a sour situation. Switch Gorilla.

Why is that cow in the woods?

Well, life is rolling on by quite nicely here in North Carolina. Aside from my poison ivy, my truck only having 2 working tires, and my creekboat having 3 cracks, one of which allows water to wash in and out as it pleases, everything is great, the weather has been nice and life is good. I was building a patio the other day and I saw a cow walk through the woods. I thought to myself, why is this cow walking in the woods. Next thing I know, I am across the driveway staring down 3 bears. Really Cool! 

This is not good or cool.

                                                                               

I got off work the other day due to rain and we made the most of it by driving out to the NF French Broad. It was my first time down, and it was a lot of fun. It is one of the local creeking staples around here, and I'm glad I had the chance to paddle good lines with good people. After that, we made the call to drive out to the Rocky Broad. It was my first time on that stretch as well and we had a great time. It is such a fun stretch of continuous whitewater. It flows behind houses, bars, and bbq joints. It is a really cool and unique type of scenery kinda close to home. 

NF French Broad

                   Rocky Broad

                                                                            Rocky Broad

                                                                           Rocky Broad

There was an excess of water in the French Broad last week, so I set off looking for waves in my playboat. What I found really wasn't worth talking about, but the adventure was cool. Alexander wave at 3500cfs is decent, kind of retentive, and kind of deep in spots, but also easy to get flushed. The eddy is alright. I hiked out barefoot through glass and poison ivy, and a steep embankment. The ledges at 4000cfs were fun short lived down river play. Not really any good waves-especially with eddys.

              The Ledges, French Broad 4000cfs

This past weekend we drove up to the Cheoah for a scheduled release. We were kind of on a time crunch, so we did a lap and a half and then split. It is a really great river, if you every get the chance to experience it, you should. Everyone was in good spirits and the weather was really nice.  

                       Cheoah Takeout

          Where did all these darn kayakers come from?

Throw in a few Green laps and that about sums up the paddling adventures here for the past little bit. Oh, so last night a few of us met up for an after work Green run. Somewhere between the time I got off work and the time I tried to fix one of my truck tires I got a call saying no rush, the water just turned on. That was 5pm. We got to the put in around 7 and there was no water. Shortly there after she began to fill in. After waiting for the water for 45 minutes we put on, and rode the bubble all the way to the takeout at 9:10pm. It was a fun run for everyone. Props to Jojo for his first descent of the Green, in the dark no less. 

                             Grita on her last portage of the first descent of the Green. Good Dog.

                      Green River Narrows

                  Green River Narrows

               Green River Narrows

My Creekboat is Cracked

I have been going to the Ledges on the French Broad lately to attain upstream from "Shithole".  The hole would be really really good if not for being so shallow, but given the quality of water in that section I prefer to stay upright. Creekboat spins all day long. The Green ran a couple times during the week and I was able to squeak in a few laps. I love that place! I have poison ivy now, or still, or whatever, but I'm tired of being itchy. I was hanging out in a thicket of it yesterday passing boats, so I can only imagine the fun I'm about to have here in the next week or so.

Upstream of the ledges

Summer, North Carolina

Green River Narrows

Yesterday, we went out to Jackson County in search of a new creek to run. What we found was a fair bit of hiking, very healthy poison ivy populations, and a low volume creek with trees intersecting it every which way, the whole way. The whitewater was scrapey. A couple fun little sections and 1 boof/slide to vert combo thing with a possible piton ledge in the landing. Boof! But mostly just sketchy trees everywhere. The creek was flowing right through a forest enveloping us into it at times. It was quite the experience. I will continue to experience it as this poison ivy takes over my skin.

                       West Fork Tuckasegee

Arlyn flying high

                                                                     Bark burn on the cheek? A common scene.

WFT!

And speaking of that...I broke my back band, and my hip pads were all janked out, and my boat desperately needed some tlc. So, I finally got around to it, and after I had my seat out on the grass and my center bulkhead sitting next to it, I realized that there was daylight shinning through the bottom of my boat. I am not stoked about this. I devoted a portion of today to getting her seaworthy again, including welding the hull and using a top secret, maybe not so secret adhesive repair on the inside. I also fixed my hip pads, and got my back band in order.I think the old girl is ready for a float.

No, this is not a window, it is the bottom of my boat. I think I can see my neighbors fence.

Mount Clare Avenue

It's been busy here in the world of Asheville the past week or so. Work is work, the Green hasn't been running a ton, I broke a little chip of bone off in my foot, and life just continues to spin round and round. When the Green does run we've been trying to make the most out of our laps, but for the most part, I have been heading to the Ledges a lot lately with my creekboat and attaining upstream. My arms are jello after but it sure is a nice cool down after a long day at work. 

Dawn comes early on a boat...

5 creekboats, and the 5 human beings that drive them.

Green River Narrows

Now there's a happy creeker.

No Portage Green laps and a bunch of ducks who surf better than me!

So this week was a fairly solid week of boating for me. I got off work because of the rain on Wednesday and we took off to the West fork of the Big Pigeon. We got there and it was a bit low, but it was great to get on a new creek. We all had a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to more rain so I can go back.

West Fork of the Big Pigeon

Friday night Scott and I went out to the Ledges with our creekboats. The French Broad was at like 2800 cfs and we were able to attain all the way up. It was a workout to say the least. Catching micro eddies and subtle currents, moving back and forth across the river all the way up to the top of the ledges. A full days worth of kayaking in 45 minutes. At the top, I witnessed something that was truly remarkable. In the very top hydrolic (definatly side-surfable in a creekboat), there were two ducks, and three of their chicks. The chicks were learning to surf. If one would climb out of the hole, the mom would kick it back in. For as long as I sat there this went on. If one drifted too far downstream one of the parents would jump in after it. They always made it back up the eddy and back into the hole. It was an amazing experience. Watching the parents teach the little ones to surf. What a joy they must now know!

One of my favorite Boofs on the river.

Nut Cracker, Green River Narrows

Saturday was a milestone for me. We set off down the river as usual, but when we got to Go Left, I went left. Then when we got to Gorilla, I ran it. I manked through nutcracker, got down to Sunshine, and in the eddy at the bottom, I completed my first no portage Green run. I'm so Stoked.

Gorilla, Green River Narrows

Sunshine 

Green River Narrows

 

West Carolina Creekn'

Georgia Canoeing

Another good week of boating! I was fortunate enough to sneak out on a couple after work Green missions. On Saturday I did a quick lap too before I drove down into Georgia for the annual Tallulah River Festival. There were bands, vendors, reps, foods, drinks, a video contest, a big bonfire, girls, and a ton of people tryin to party. Everyone had a great time, and I don't really think there were any problems. Everything was pretty smooth. I'm glad it is only once a year though... For my own health! The river was awesome too. A big slide called Oceana, and some fun drops. The gorge itself is incredibly aesthetic and beautiful, cascading water and steep sheer walls all over the place. The color of the water is a clean clear dark green. Really cool!

The newest squirt boating concept.

Tallulah Fest, Before the booze.

Taste the rainbow.

Video Contest, Tallulah Fest.

Late night fireworks, Tallulah Fest.

Tallulah Fest, 8am.

500 something steps to the river. As I type now, I can still feel it in my calves.

Oceana, Tallulah River.

So running the Tallulah requires a bit of extra effort to get to and from the river. Beginning with the waivers, and emergency contact information, and then the 500 something steps you walk down to wait in line to put in 2 people at a time, and then you get to boat awesome whitewater for about a mile or so, and then since you are still jonesin for more boating, you get to paddle a mile and a half across a lake to get to your vehicles, and then negotiate the parking lot/road out to the highway.

Well, halfway into our paddle across the lake, we ran into these folks adrift out in the middle. Kind of like a floating snack bar. Only instead of snacks, they had coolers of pbr and mason jars of moonshine.

Georgia Canoeing.