Last Saturday I met up, by prearrangement, with Chris Kelly at the
Tellico River in Eastern Tennessee. It was low but boatable, the
weather was great, and it is a beatiful river.

From there we went to the Nantahala Gorge, where a bunch of Boatertalk
correspondents of Chris' were partying. It is rumored that some of
them boated that weekend.

During dinner at Guayabito's in Bryson City, Chris and I called gauges,
culled Guidebooks, and decided to head for the Doe River, in the
farthest eastern corner of Tennessee. Lower-water options would have
been the Nolichucky or French Broad, though I was loathe to consider
the French Broad because they were having a French Broad Festival at
the takeout in Hot Springs, NC. En route we camped at Moonshine Creek
campground in Balsam, North Carolina.

It rained on us all night in camp in Balsam. The Doe River is a Class
IV creek in a very constricted, isolated gorge. We were reluctant to
put on such a stream in possibly rising water, so we drove past the
painted gauge at the put-in for Big Laurel Creek, which runs into the
French Broad and for which the take-out is also Hot Springs. On the
way we passed numerous vehicles heading the other direction with boats
on their roofs. Bad sign.

Big Laurel was low -- about an inch above boating zero by the painted
paddlers' gauge -- but this rare gem is hard to catch and Chris has
never run it, AND it has the advantage of a coverted rail-grade hiking
trail alongside, in case *it* came up too high from the rains, that we
decided to endure the Hot Springs crowds and do this.

As we set our shuttle to Hot Springs Campground, takeout and site of
the festival, we saw virtually no-one in camp. There was no other
vehicle with boat-racks at the put-in. We had a delightful (if chilly)
run and had this lovely stream completely to ourselves. We figgered
we'd run into lotsa festival-goers once we entered the French Broad
proper for the last two miles or so into Hot Springs, but we saw nary a
one.

When we ran out afternoon shuttle to pick up Chris' car at the put-in
there was STILL not a single vehicle with boat racks at the put-in.

Unbelievable. A boater festival at the takeout to one of North
Carolina's gems, a Saturday night rain bringing it up to (barely)
boatable (actually, an easy level for Class III first-timers), and the
only people on it were the two of us who had driven 100 miles to get
there.

Unbelievable.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
================================================== ====================

And there I was stuck at Cheat Fest.............but we had first timers and
it was fun shepherding them down the canyon......I got tired of dealing with
drunks however....at the fest of course...... hicup!


"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote in message
oups.com...
Last Saturday I met up, by prearrangement, with Chris Kelly at the
Tellico River in Eastern Tennessee. It was low but boatable, the
weather was great, and it is a beatiful river.

From there we went to the Nantahala Gorge, where a bunch of Boatertalk
correspondents of Chris' were partying. It is rumored that some of
them boated that weekend.

During dinner at Guayabito's in Bryson City, Chris and I called gauges,
culled Guidebooks, and decided to head for the Doe River, in the
farthest eastern corner of Tennessee. Lower-water options would have
been the Nolichucky or French Broad, though I was loathe to consider
the French Broad because they were having a French Broad Festival at
the takeout in Hot Springs, NC. En route we camped at Moonshine Creek
campground in Balsam, North Carolina.

It rained on us all night in camp in Balsam. The Doe River is a Class
IV creek in a very constricted, isolated gorge. We were reluctant to
put on such a stream in possibly rising water, so we drove past the
painted gauge at the put-in for Big Laurel Creek, which runs into the
French Broad and for which the take-out is also Hot Springs. On the
way we passed numerous vehicles heading the other direction with boats
on their roofs. Bad sign.

Big Laurel was low -- about an inch above boating zero by the painted
paddlers' gauge -- but this rare gem is hard to catch and Chris has
never run it, AND it has the advantage of a coverted rail-grade hiking
trail alongside, in case *it* came up too high from the rains, that we
decided to endure the Hot Springs crowds and do this.

As we set our shuttle to Hot Springs Campground, takeout and site of
the festival, we saw virtually no-one in camp. There was no other
vehicle with boat-racks at the put-in. We had a delightful (if chilly)
run and had this lovely stream completely to ourselves. We figgered
we'd run into lotsa festival-goers once we entered the French Broad
proper for the last two miles or so into Hot Springs, but we saw nary a
one.

When we ran out afternoon shuttle to pick up Chris' car at the put-in
there was STILL not a single vehicle with boat racks at the put-in.

Unbelievable. A boater festival at the takeout to one of North
Carolina's gems, a Saturday night rain bringing it up to (barely)
boatable (actually, an easy level for Class III first-timers), and the
only people on it were the two of us who had driven 100 miles to get
there.

Unbelievable.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
================================================== ====================

Oci-One Kanubi wrote:

When we ran out afternoon shuttle to pick up Chris' car at the put-in
there was STILL not a single vehicle with boat racks at the put-in.

Unbelievable. A boater festival at the takeout to one of North
Carolina's gems, a Saturday night rain bringing it up to (barely)
boatable (actually, an easy level for Class III first-timers), and the
only people on it were the two of us who had driven 100 miles to get
there.

Unbelievable.

Indeed. But how was that gem of a creek? Any chance for a tiny trip
report for those of us who had to spend the weekend in a less
satisfactory surrounding (i.e. re-installing all the software on my
machine :-( )?

--
Wilko van den Bergh
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://wilko.webzone.ru/

Oci-One Kanubi wrote:
Unbelievable. A boater festival at the takeout to one of North
Carolina's gems, a Saturday night rain bringing it up to (barely)
boatable (actually, an easy level for Class III first-timers), and the
only people on it were the two of us who had driven 100 miles to get
there.

Unbelievable.

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--


I'm sure that the lower water levels and higher gas prices had a lot to
do with it, but then again, how many paddling festivals can you go to
in one year. At one time, you had Gauley Fest in the Fall and Cheat
Fest in May and not much else on the East Coast. Now you have festivals
at the Deerfield, the Moose, Gauley, Cheoah, Cheat, French Broad and
the Nolichucky, plus GAF and Spring whatever they call it on the Nanty,
plus the Ocoee Headhunt and the new and smaller Russell Fork Festival.
Oh, and they had a festival on the Emory Obed this year too. Maybe
there are just too many damn festivals and they really aren't special
occasions anymore.

BTW, I finally caught Island Creek on the Plateau a couple of weeks
ago. That little gem really goes down hill fast. I will admit that I
walked Compound Fracture, but the rest is very steep and fairly
challenging. The is a big steep slide toward the end that probably
drops better than 15' not quite at a vertical that I am going to have
to get a shot of me going over someday.

Sorry I couldn't get away last weekend.

Larry

Larry C wrote:

I'm sure that the lower water levels and higher gas prices had a lot to
do with it, but then again, how many paddling festivals can you go to
in one year.

snip

Sorry I couldn't get away last weekend.

Larry

I drove from Minnesota to Oregon and back at the end of April and
was amazed by lack of any kind of traffic. Staying on US highways
(20, 26) instead of the interstates was part of it, but this is our
normal preference.

We would see maybe 2 to 4 cars per *hour* of oncoming traffic in Idaho,
Wyoming, and Eastern Oregon. And when cresting hills and gazing unto
the immense vistas before us, only rarely was there any cars in sight.
And that was a true joy.

While we curse the price of gas at the pump, if you are willing to pay
for
it, one can apparently escape the crowds. Everyone else has the good
sense to stay home.

Blakely
---
Blakely LaCroix (#86)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

"The best adventure is yet to come"

But Larry, the point is *they were already there*. As we were driving
in we passed lots of them driving out; they had already committed the
gas money, and now they were passing up the opportunity to get in a
second day's paddling, on a hard-to-catch creek, at no additional fuel
cost. We saw Eli Helbert, who was there breaking down the Esquif
exhibit, and he told us they had had a decent crowd Saturday.

Can you imaging paddling the Gauley on Saturday, going to Gauley
Festival Saturday evening, camping in the rain Saturday night, and then
driving home early Sunday because it is cloudy and rainy, without even
bothering to check and discover that the Meadow has come up to a
boatable level?

I mean there were many boaters *already there*, yet Chris and I had the
creek to ourselves. Lucky us, but, geez, what's with all these other
so-called "boaters"?

-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

================================================== ====================
Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
OK, OK; computer programming for scientific research also matters
================================================== ====================

Mebee they heard you and Kelly were on your way. : )

Hey Richard, good to see you're still paddling. I finally left Alaska to do
some sailing, but still have my kayak (lent my Viper to my ex-wife).

Brad

Hey there, you good ol' bold snowy dude!

So are you just electricianing yer way around the world? Coupla months
and a few contracting jobs in each new port and then hoist sail and get
on with it? Tell more; there are lots of us here who would like to
hear your latest story (for those who don't know, Brad Snow, former
r.b.p stalwart, had a whole chapter written about him in John McPhee's
"Coming Into the Country" about Alaska homesteaders).

Give a call when you call on any Carolina or Virginia port and I'll
come get you, lend you a canoe, and take you to some mild mountain
rivers!

-Richard

Richard, his Kanubic self, wrote:
So are you just electricianing yer way around the world? Coupla months
and a few contracting jobs in each new port and then hoist sail and get
on with it?

Something like that; I'm learning how to be a boat electrician. Bought a
Hans Christian 38T cutter in October and have been living aboard in the Port
Townsend, Washington area since. After some refitting, practice sails, and
a road trip back to Interior Alaska for some river-running this summer, I
expect to head out the Strait of Juan de Fuca mid September and turn south,
likely ending up in the Golfo de California for next winter.

Thanks for the canoe offer, but a hike on Table Mountain two years ago seems
to have shot my knees; no more extended kneeling, me thinks. But if I'm in
your area I'll surely rattle your cage. Give my regards to Chris when you
see him again.

Brad