Elkhorn at 4,500cfs?

Elkhorn Creek, Kentucky
4,500cfs

I don't really know what the level was, the gauge got hung up the night before somewhere around 5,500cfs. But I would guess the level to be around 4,500cfs. The only concern was the dam. But the dam wasn't that bad to portage. Just go to the left as you always do and go one by one. The rocks you normally step on the get out are just below you and you get out on top of them.

Even with GAF and the Rendezvous going on this weekend there was still a good crowd running the Elkhorn this day. The weather was pretty good and the Elkhorn was running so of course I had to get on it. I had never been on it this high. 3,500cfs was my high before this. It was actually pretty washed out at this level. The water moves fast, you don't even need to paddle.

I ran it with Josh and we found a couple of good play spots at the end. We spent most of the time there surfing and pretty much bombed the rest. It didn't take long to do. I have now ran the Elkhorn 13 times this year. You gotta love home court.

Pictures of the Elkhorn at higher water: one | two | three | four

The ASCI Looks Very Interesting

Adventure Sports Center International (asci) is home to the world’s only mountain-top whitewater course and to a diverse array of adventure sports opportunities.

This whitewater park is set to open the Spring of 2007 on the summit of Marsh Mountain in McHenry, Maryland. McHenry is 3 hours from the Washington, DC area, 2 hours from Pittsburgh, and within a 3 hour drive for over 26 million people.

The asci whitewater course is just over 1700 feet long and drops 24 feet. Pumps lift water from the lower pond and shoot it out horizontally into the start pool at a speed of 5 feet per second. At five locations on the course are variable wave shapers that allow asci to adjust the waves and hydraulics to fit the needs and desires of the guests.

• Adventure Sports Center International
• Pictures

Paddlers to Race Kentucky Gorge

SAMIRA JAFARI

Associated Press

ELKHORN CITY, Ky. - Gerald DeLong has paddled whitewater rapids across the country for nearly 30 years, but it's an eastern Kentucky river that courses through his veins.

Like the thousands of others who have kayaked, canoed and rafted their way down the Russell Fork River, a 15-mile stretch of water from Virginia to Kentucky, DeLong finds its rocky twists, turns and treacherous gorge irresistible.

"You just have to love the water," said Delong, 50, of Elkhorn City, taking a break from a chilly morning kayaking trip to catch his breath and munch on salmon slices.
DeLong, known as the "Father of the Fork" to some, and his son, Matthew, will join about 500 others for this weekend's Russell Fork Rendezvous, an annual festival celebrating the river's natural obstacles and the last high water of the season.

About a dozen, including 26-year-old Matthew, will enter the Lord of the Fork race - a high-speed trek propelling kayakers around the four-mile gorge, taunting them with jagged rocks, powerful waves and narrow outlets.

For whitewater enthusiasts, it's the best time of the year to run the Russell Fork. Each weekend in October, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases the dam at the Pound River in Virginia to bring water levels down for the winter.

Spilling nearly three times as much water downstream across the Kentucky state line into the Russell Fork, the result is four weekends of faster, higher waters that draw paddlers as far as Europe and Australia.

"They come from all over the country, the world, to paddle this river in October," said festival organizer Steve Ruth. "We draw the upper echelon of kayakers in October."
Moe Kelleher, 21, traveled from his native Ireland just to participate in the Lord of the Fork race. His buddy, Dave Finney, 23, of Roanoke, Va., will join him, hoping to get through the gorge without any flip-overs, cuts or broken bones.

"I just close my eyes the whole way down," Finney laughed after finishing a recent practice run.

While the river ranges from milder difficulty levels, the gorge's obstructed, turbulent rapids, steep drops and congested chutes have earned it a Class 5 label by expert boaters.

Typically, Class 5 rapids are meant for only the most experienced of paddlers who have the endurance and skill to maneuver such dangerous waterways, according to American Whitewater. The North Carolina-based environmental group recognized for its expertise in paddling and safety has marked some 45 rapids nationwide as Class 5.
While some whitewater veterans, like Gerald DeLong and Ruth, have crossed the gorge at their own pace, they refuse to race it.

"You have to get your mind set for it," said Ruth, before adding with a laugh, "Only crazy people race."

The heightened momentum of the Lord of the Fork competition, named after Jon Lord, who drowned in a kayaking accident at the river in January 2004, splits the best into racers and non-racers.

Daniel Helbert, 21, of Coeburn, Va., said the key is to "become one with the river," before actually racing the gorge. Helbert, who has paddled other Class 5 rapids in West Virginia and Tennessee, said he'd probably be ready to enter the Lord of the Fork next year.

"I want to get used to these high water levels," Helbert said. "It's very intense in places."

For Sara Martin, the allure of Russell Fork in autumn is less about competition than nostalgia. This is where Martin's future husband took her on their first date, where he proposed marriage and where they had their wedding.

"This is our home away from home," said Martin, 27, of Canton, N.C. "To me it's a very spiritual experience here. ... You have to respect this river."

ON THE NET
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/15830033.htm
Russell Fork River at http://www.russellfork.info

Red River Gorge

• Level: 150cfs
• Red River Near Hazel Green
• Pictures

On this Saturday Jay and I finally made our long awaited run down the Red River Gorge. We were the only paddlers on this stretch this day as the level was a bit on the low side. But for our fist run this just what we wanted. A low level, so we could test the gorge and see what it is all about. And beauty is what it's all about.

This certainly is a scenic run and you can see it in the pictures. But I can also see how the difficulty of this run increases dramatically as the water rises.

The drive to the put in and time for setting up the shuttle is long. There is a designated put-in just a mile up stream from 746. The first 3 to 4 miles are easy class I rapids. The scenery through all of it is awesome. Especially when you come upon a huge rock amphitheater. At this point you are getting lose to the first real rapids.

I would call everything a III- or II+ at our level Saturday. Around mile 4 the first rapid, Entrance Rapid, is encountered. No problems here. After that is more flat class I water. The next is the falls, a river wide ledge, the center looks to be the best route at higher water. After that is even more flater water. We were starting to wonder if there would even be any more rapids, but soon they came.

Next you really enter the gorge as the walls tighten and bigger boulders lie in the river. The rapids come one after the other now and these could be mean at high water, but at our level they were no problem. You do how ever have to watch out for trees at all times. I accidentally rolled in some squirly water right undera tree I was trying to avoid.

Once you start seeing hikers and campers you know you are getting closer to the park. There are some more class II rapids then some flat water and the bridge at 715.

The run is 10.8 miles and it took us 4 hours to paddle it. We left home at 8am and were home by 8pm. You gotta love those home court whitewater runs. I sure do and I especially love this one. This may make a perfect overnight trip with some experienced paddlers when the water is just right.

I have been eyeing the gorge for 2 years. Hopefully it won't be that long until I'm back.

Capsized Canoeists Rescued from Salt

By Robin Bass
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 12:35 PM EDT
from The Spencer Magnet

What started out as a pleasant trip down the Salt River ended abruptly last Tuesday when several canoes tipped over spilling three adults and five children into the cold rushing water.

"Up until that moment, we were having a great time," said Ty Neal, who brought along his wife and two daughters for the trip.

Eleven people in all had decided to spend the afternoon on the river after renting canoes from Salt River Outfitters. The plan was to launch from the tailwaters at Taylorsville Lake Dam and end their trip at the rental shop on East River Road.

"They told us the water was up and we needed to use good judgement," said Neal.

But all agreed no one could have known what lay ahead.

Brett Beaverson said that he and his twelve-year-old daughter Hannah were about four minutes down river of the others and were the first to encounter a fallen tree spanning the width of the river. The pair attempted to slip through a narrow opening, but the swift current didn't allow them enough time to execute the maneuver.

"My head hit a branch. We wobbled and went over," said Hannah.

After making sure his daughter was okay, Beaverson began yelling warnings to the approaching canoes.

"I was yelling up river '9-1-1' and 'Get on the shore,'" he said.

While they waited, clinging to branches from the tree, Beaverson said he and Hannah began to pray. "We prayed for the babies coming down the river, because we knew what was coming," recalled Beaverson as tears formed in his eyes.

Just upriver the remaining canoe party, containing three more adults and six children ranging in ages from 7 to 13, were fast approaching.

"We heard people screaming and we didn't know what was going on," said Tatum Neal, 8, one of Ty Neal's daughters.

When the group became aware of their dilemma, some tried to get around the tree while others attempted to get their canoes to the riverbanks.

Three managed to get safely to shore and make the call for help, while the rest were flipped over by the strong current. Rescuers found most of the canoe party holding onto branches or sitting atop the large tree that caused their perdicament.

Connie Jefferies and her daughter, Courtney, were found a little further downstream after Courtney lost her grip.

"Her mom let go to go after Courtney," said Hannah.

"They were all real lucky," said Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Bennett who responded to the scene, "the Corps of Engineers were letting the water out at full capacity."

According to the Army Corp of Engineers daily lake information line, water that day was being discharged into the tailwaters at a rate of 2,250 cubic feet per second which equates to over one million gallons per minute.

"As swift as that water was moving, they couldn't get over to the shore in time," said Taylorsville/Spencer County Fire Chief Nathan Nation, "the ones that were in the water were fortunate enough to have something to hang onto and weren't swept under."

Nation said it was also fortunate that everyone in the canoe party was wearing a life preserver.

"You just can't say enough about wearing life jackets," said Nation.

The whole rescue took firefighters and others that responded only about 45 minutes to bring everyone safely to shore, but for some of those waiting in the water, it seemed like much longer.

"While I was in the water I kept moving my hands and feet to make sure they were okay," said Heather Beverson, "If we had been there 20 minutes more we would have frozen to death."

While it was highly unlikely anyone was going to perish from frostbite, Nation said in this type of situation hypothermia and more likely, drowning, is a concern. Which is why local firefighters have been working to improve their response to water emergencies.

Nation said since the rescue of Matthew Gentry in May 2004 from another section of the Salt River, "we have made the commitment to increase our water rescue training and the equipment needed in those rescues."

In fact just last month, local firefighters participated in a two-day water rescue training at Taylorsville Lake.

"There's no doubt that training came in to play" during this recent rescue, said Nation, "it went pretty smoothly even though it was the most difficult one we've done so far."

The stranded canoe party was returned back to shore by firefighters in life jackets swimming out to some and by throwing a rope out to others. Those rescued by rope were escorted safely through the rushing water.

"The rescue team did a phenomenal job. It looked like they did it by the book," said Neal after he and the rest of the canoe party was dry and secure back at the rental store, "we are going to come back. We'll just wait for the water to go down."

New River Trip '06

McCreery to Stone Cliff
5.5ft and 5500cfs

First of all there is no alcohol allowed at Stone Cliff. Any drinking of alcohol at Stone Cliff is in violation of the law. The Bardstown Boaters had no trouble with this rule because we follow all rules and regulations. I'm just saying it to warn others who might think they can out wit the park ranger. So according to the signs at Stone Clif, there are bears and there is no drinking of alcohol.

We had a great run on this class II+ section the of New River in West Virginia. The club had a large group that included, myself, Jennifer, Jay, Sarah, Kenny, Shirl, Bill, Michael, Johnny, Tim and Toby.

The weather was too great on Saturday, just our luck I guess, but once on the water and paddling through the rapids it was hardly a concern. The water was actually warmer than the air temperature.

We moved pretty fast down the river. I believe it only took us 3 1/2 hours to make the trip to Stone Cliff where we camped. The water was higher than last year so that moved us along faster as well.

The highlight for everyone was the Ledges. It was the biggest rapid since Silo was washed out and just more of a wave train than anything else. Everyone aced the big rapids. Bill stepped his game up and is quickly becoming a full fledged white water boater. He'll have the fever soon, if not already.

It really was a great trip. I can't wait to do it again sometime soon. Next time we camp out of our boats though. Alcohol allowed.

Support the Bardstown WW Park

Please visit a new section of the Bardstown Boaters website and write a few words on why you would like to see a whitewater park built in bardstown. We need to gather up as much local support for the park we can and we can now document that support right here: CLICK HERE

Please give this link to family and friends or anyone you know who wants to support bringing this unique opportunity to Bardstown.

To learn more about the whitewater park idea, click here.

Whitewater Park Interests Crest

Our Views/Editorials

From The Kentucky Standard: Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Enthusiasm seems to be building for a whitewater park on the Beech Fork in Bardstown.

Fundraising efforts are underway to pay for a visit and analysis by a whitewater park engineer, who will address issues such as water flow and structural feasibility.

While the plan is still just in the idea phase, it does seem to be generating both discussion and actual efforts toward moving the plan forward.

A poker run Saturday that finished at the site of the proposed park drew good participation, especially considering the rainy weather.

The poker run raised more than $500 to add to a “pot” to pay for an engineer’s visit, which is expected to cost about $7,000.

Additional fundraisers are already in the works and whitewater enthusiasts seem to be rallying behind the effort.

Anytime a plan generates both enthusiasm and specific activities that involve real work to further the effort, it makes sense to take note and watch for results.

The Bourbon Festival was just a plan a few short years ago, as were other local initiatives that draw thousands of people to the area annually.

A whitewater park may be just such an idea.

Elkhorn Creek

1400cfs

What a great capper to the weekend, after having the Poker Run on Saturday I was able to catch the Elkhorn at a good level for Sunday. I paddled with a group of Vikings.

Lots of little play waves were in. The left side at Angioplasty was the better option of the two at this level. The run this day got me thinking about having an Elkhorn race. Beautiful day for paddling.