Sheltowee Trace Begins

from Jay Thomas:

We are planning a trip this weekend, the beginning of the journey from one end of the Commonweath to the other.  We have the gear, the transportation, and the will.  All we lack is the weather.  The forecast is cold, mid forties for highs, upper twenties for nightime lows.  Also saturday carries a thirty percent chance of rain.  Cold I think that I can handle, but I don't want to get wet.  We will watch the weather and make a determination on Wednesday whether or not to postpone.  I would like to start at the beginning of the trail in Tennessee at the Picket State Park.

Google says that it's little over five hours drive to Picket State Park.  We could try that or we could try something closer and a little more familiar to us, like the Red River Gorge section or the Rockcastle River section.  I ordered a good guide book that should give us a better idea of the sections.  I'm down with any.

Team River Runner

This Thanksgiving I am thankful that there is an organization out there like the Team River Runners.

Team River Runner (TRR), established in August 2004 by kayakers in the Washington, DC, area, is an all-volunteer organization run by a council of nine kayakers and overseen by a board of directors.

Working in partnership with The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA, TRR helps veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating on the Potomac River.

While the focus of TRR’s work is on soldiers recuperating at WRAMC, TRR also provides whitewater boating opportunities for family members as well as for other wounded veterans.

eBay Steal

So I have been looking for a Thule 56 Fit Kit to put my old rack on my new Ranger. Well I thought I should brag a little about what a steal I got off of eBay. Normally it's $50 but I got it for $1 on eBay. Now I just need to complete the bed with the Yakima Outdoorsman and I'm all set.

Bardstown's Water Worries Haven’t Dried Up

by DAVID MANN

City leaders will decide in January if mandatory water rationing will be necessary in Bardstown, following a report by city engineer George Greenwell. The city of Bardstown’s primary water supply, Sympson Lake, is still down — as it has been for the better part of the last five months. Bardstown Mayor Dixie Hibbs said they will continue to monitor the situation and agreed to make a decision on mandatory water conservation by Jan. 15.

“At that point we have to determine which way we have to go,” she said. “There is no reason to panic at this point.”

Though the lake level is close to three feet lower than “full,” November and December are typically wet months for the region, she said. Additionally, water demand is lower in the fall and winter when residents aren’t as concerned with watering their lawns and gardens. The city is currently under voluntary water conservation.

“We asked for voluntary because we were treating and delivering so much more than we anticipated,” Hibbs said.

The water supply in Nelson County has been a concern of late for both city and county leaders. Earlier this fall, Nelson Fiscal Court announced it wanted to work together with the city of Bardstown to solve the issue. Citing recent water supply concerns and recent calls for voluntarily conservation, Nelson Fiscal Court announced its intention to find a new water source in September. The city supplies about 90 percent of Nelson County’s water. The city also pumps water from the Beech Fork River.

Right now, the Beech Fork supplies the city with about 3 million gallons per day.

Bachelor Party Expedition Trip

We plan to run 2 rivers in 2 states in honor of Jay getting married. This will be the weekend before Easter.

Thursday April 6th - Sunday April 9th 2006

Chattooga River, Georgia
Section 2 class II 7 miles
Section 3 class III+(IV) 13 miles
Ocoee River, Tennessee
Middle Ocoee class III+

The Plan
Drive down on Thursday, camp and setup.
Paddle section II on Friday, camp.
Paddle Section III on Saturday, drive to Tennessee.
Paddle Ocoee on Sunday and head home.

Big South Fork in Trouble?

This was taken from a post at BWA's forum:

Premium Coal Co., a coal company from Kentucky, wants to blow up Buffalo Mountain in the New River watershed. Not only will the mine destroy five intermittent streams, it will destroy the watershed on the mountain and result in a massive release of sediment into Ligias Fork.

Ligias Fork is a direct tributary of the New River, which was recently designated critical habitat for five species of endangered mussels. Mussels require pristine waters and will die if the water becomes sedimented. That means that Governor Bredesen and TDEC are about to violate the Endangered Species Act (applicable to state agencies) by issuing a permit allowing Premium Coal to murder five endangered species and annihilate their critical habitat.

Even worse, however, the New River joins with Clear Fork to become the Big South Fork, one of Tennessee's (and Kentucky's) most beautiful wild rivers and the centerpiece of the Big South Fork National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service. Designated an Outstanding National Resource Water by TDEC, the Big South Fork is supposed to be protected against pollution and degradation. Indeed, federal law and TDEC's own rules forbid new discharges of pollutants, including sediment, into the Big South Fork, unless the discharger can affirmatively demonstrate that the discharge will not result in degradation or pollution.

Unfortunately, however, TDEC and Gov. Bredesen have embarked upon a pattern and practice of throwing the Clean Water Act, the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and TDEC's own rules out the window. TDEC and Bredesen have already issued illegal permits to allow the destruction of tens of thousands of feet of headwaters in the New River watershed and for the discharge of untoward amounts of sediment. In doing so, they've ignored both the plain language of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and the pleas of the Park Service to address the cumulative impacts of the mining in the watershed on the Big South Fork.

Premium Coal's mine will destroy even more headwaters and result in the release of even more sediment into the New River and the Big South Fork. This will cause pollution in violation of the Water Quality Control Act and degradation in violation of the Clean Water Act, the Water Quality Control Act, federal regulations and TDEC's own rules. In other words, the only way that TDEC and Bredesen can issue these permits is to flagrantly break the law.Don't let them continue to get away with it. The only way to make them stop is to speak out and tell them "No."

Tell TDEC and Bredesen that their duty is to uphold the law and protect the public and citizens' rights to unpolluted waters and to use and enjoy one of Tennessee's most beautiful wild rivers and National Recreation Areas. Come to the public hearing and stop Premium Coal Co. in its rapacious, coal grubbing tracks.

What: Public Hearing on Premium Coal Co.
When: 7 p.m., November 15, 2005
Where: Cove Lake State Park

Jury Town

Don't F with a Jury.



Twin or no twin, he'll lop all your hair off!

Dominica

I'm back from Dominica so it's time to get things going again on here. I have a video slideshow from my trip, I hope to put some more video together later on.



Dominica does have whitewater and probably much more of it than I even saw. Most of the rivers were too low while I was there, but during the peak rainy season I am sure there is plenty of it. Dominica has lots of rocks in the rivers and steep drops, high class stuff. Beautiful rivers though.

Also more photos from the beautiful Dominica can be seen in the picture gallery.

I also registered us as an American Whitewater affiliate club today. I don't know if I have received my new journal yet, but we should be in the next one sent out, not the new one.