Another Ocoee (and Nantahala) Weekend
| River: | Ocoee |
| Skill: | Intermediate |
| Trip Date: | 05/11/2025 |
Another Ocoee (and Nantahala) Weekend Trip Report – 5/10, 5/11/2025.
Anna Ploghoft and Dave Johnson are very generous with their time and enjoy leading trips. Paddling trips are really what the CCC is all about, along with a short list of other things I suppose (conservation activities, roll sessions, social events, relationships with other clubs, education, little ole Week of Rivers, etc.). But, if we did nothing but post trips for our fellow members to take advantage of, I feel we would have achieved our mission.
This trip was already in the works, and Dave posted it on the calendar mid-week. The plan was to camp at Thunder Rock Campground, which is immediately adjacent to the river, with convenience and cost at $12/night that can’t be beat. John McDonald, Marshall Markham, myself, and then Dave and Anna showed up late Friday night.
We met at the put-in at 10AM, set shuttle, and then Marshall (this was a pfd for him) and some others went down to the rail to put in below Grumpys and the rest set off from the dam. Marshall did great, had a dry hair day, and later reported some nervousness down to about Diamond Splitter I think. It didn’t show. Anyone’s first day on the Ocoee is a big day. Congratulations to him!
I think I am the only one that spent any significant time under water (running Broken Nose to just above the bottom ledge, and Diamond Splitter upside down, having gotten tripped up above each rapid), but everything worked out okay, and I managed to push a few feet further in my mile-long progression toward doing a recognizable stern squirt pirouette. I also got, say, 90% on the Watauga Move, making it to the eddy just below the target on river right. We spent probably 3-4 hours on the river, and ended up in Copperhill for the remainder of the day, while it rained aggressively until dark.
On Sunday, we opted for a less strenuous day and headed to the Nantahala for a sunny trip down from Ferrebees. Thanks to everyone, especially Anna and Dave. They have another Ocoee trip planned in the near future. Think about joining them, and, if you really feel like you are up for the challenge, try to hit every mark that Anna hits.
Trip report by Wayne Jones.