Canyon Section X2

Big South Fork Canyon
1400cfs



I went back to the Big South Fork on Saturday and paddled the canyon run twice. I camped out Friday night close to where we camped the week before. I ran it with Kevin, Darrin, Michelle and their friend Steve. At 1400cfs the canyon was just as easy as 600 or 500cfs if not easier. Got some good enders on 3 sisters and Deliverance. Got good roll practice on my first run, played a lot and flipped a bunch.

My camera lost one of it's button and I almost destroyed it. But it is still kicking after drying out. Need to repair the casing and it will be money once again.

Big South Fork

This was our big three day adventure. A bachelor party for Jay and a homecoming for John from Hawaii. The trip morphed many times from a week long river trip to a Chattooga overnighter to 3 days in the Big South Fork area. The last hurdle was the weather. As the weekend approached we knew we would have to deal with heavy rains and colder Saturday temperatures. But we quickly reshuffled our run of the gorge to Friday and we were all set.

Zack, Joe and I went down on Thursday to get a prime camping spot at O&W bridge. We camped just past the bridge on the right with a good view of the river and enough space to build a tarp city and sleep 15 people. Some climbers had taken the camp spot just at the bridge on the right. There was also another camping spot just down from us a little ways in case we need that in the future.

John Albright and his sons came in on Thursday night too. I hooked up with them on the Viking boards which proved to be very valuable in helping down the BSF for the first time. On Friday morning the rest of the crew came in. Toby and Tim. The Thomas' and the Mathews'. We dropped their gear at camp and immediately headed for Burnt Mill Bridge.



The plan was to do Clear Fork on Friday then the Gorge on Saturday. But with heavy rains moving in on Friday night we knew Friday would be our only chance at the gorge. We put on with 2 rafts one open boater and 5 kayakers.

At 1950cfs for our run the rafts bombed through everything, Zack tore it up all day, I rolled my way down double drop and John swam the El, the only swim of the day. I remember running on the Clear Fork, Rocky Top and the Funnel. Everything else on the Clear Fork was easy class II stuff. Then came the Confluence and the start of the gorge. American Whitewater tells the tell on the rest of the run.

The rain moved in heavy on Friday night. It poured from 10pm to 5am. But we were high and dry up in Tarp City. Hail hit the county, but not us. Tornados hit eastern Tennessee, but not us. The next morning the Big South Fork was huge. Cresting at around 27,000cfs. We spent the day checking out the area, but not paddling since it was high water everywhere and a cold front moving in that day. We got to see the put-ins for all the tributaries of the BSF. White Oak Creek, Clear Fork, Pine Creek, New River and North White Oak Creek.

Sunday we debated on doing North White Oak Creek. The scenery through it was spectacular. But the shuttle to Zenith is a bitch. Supposedly O&W road crosses the creek and goes to Zenith along the waters edge. But is the creek is low enough to cross then the shuttle wouldn't do any good in running it. So on Sunday we rested and headed home.



Water Level - Weather - Directions

*Discuss the trip in the forum section.
*A map of the river.
*Pictures from the trip.
*Video from the trip.

April's Fools

Rockcastle River

river level: 350cfs
lake level: 712.5ft

This was our best run on the Rockcastle to date and the most fun through the lower narrows.  More water equaled more fun.  The rating should be changed on AW to be II-III(IV) and not II(IV). All the lower narrows were in. The lake seems to be rising about 1/2 a foot each day right now.

On this trip it was Toby, Tim, Jay and I and we met Josh and Jim at the take-out.

From Frankfort it took only about 2 hours to Bee Rock.  Of course the shuttle is 45 minutes one way after that and 1 hour & 1/2 to the pick up vehicles afterwards.  But there is a trail at the narrows.  So paddling up to them and hiking up the trail isn't impossible.

Pictures - AW Listing

The rapids break down this way:

•Stairsteps (II)
Very fun.  Rub multiple times, portage back up on river left, it's easier.

•Beech Creek Narrows (IV)
Alright to run at very low levels like 140cfs.  300cfs and up the rapid is mean.  At a high level there may be a left side chute available.  Portage on the left.

Then there is a bit of flatwater after Beech, then the river turns sharply and the lower narrows begin.

•A,B,C (II)
To start things off there is a quick succession of three fun little class II ledges.  You can easily eddy out after rapid A, but eddying out after rapid B is harder to do.

These next four come very quickly one right after the other.  When the lake is high they are covered up.

•Rapid 01 (II+)
3 Ledges.  The middle one is the best option.  It's wider than the one on the left and has more flow going through it.  The right chute is a twisting, curling, mangled mess.  Immediately comes the next rapid.

•Rapid 02 (III)
This one looks mean, even meaner from scouting above it on a rock.  But, it is very straight forward.  There is a tongue to ride straight down it.  It is a big drop and can be run on the left or right of center, but we all preferred left of center.

•Rapid 03 (II+)
This a entrance rapid for the next one.  It's small ledge drop, you have to catch an eddy on the right or left afterwards to setup for the next  rapid.

•Rapid 04 (III)
Last big rapid of the narrows.  There is sneak along the left that is shallow and rocky but bypasses the big meat of the rapid.  Run the meat in the center, right of a rock that sticks up and run it towards the left at the drop.  The drop is diagonal with a large hole on the right.  After this is a few riffles and squirrely water, then you are in the lake.