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.