2006 WOR Creeking (Big Creek) – Tiffany Mozingo
| River: | Big Creek |
| Skill: | Intermediate+/Advanced |
| Trip Date: | 07/01/2006 |
Date: Thursday, July 6,2006
Where: Big Creeek
Water Level: 2.5 Feet (Paddlers Gauge)
Trip Coordinator: Dennis Huntley
Paddlers: Dennis Huntley, Tiffany Mozingo, Craig Mackinnon, Clayton Burton, Hadley (?), Kurt McKissick, Milton Wicker, and Sagel (?)
Week of Rivers 2006 was underway, and after countless days paddling the Ocoee, and the many dam released rivers of the area, the Rain Gods acknowledged our midnight dances, and blessed us by opening up the skies. Wednesday evening, our thirst for natural flow was quenched as the rains poured upon the Great Smokey Mountains. I awoke Thursday morning to the louder than normal rushing of the small creek behind camp. “Wake up! We’re going creeking!” I quickly said aloud. Unsure of how much rain had actually fallen, and where, I arrived at the club tent a bit earlier than usual. In looking at the river levels, it appeared that the Tellico was going straight up, but the other areas were a bit questionable. The Tellico is wonderful, but I was craving something new, something different, my very own, Personal First Descent. I left the trip planning up to my better half, and began facilitating the morning meeting, unsure where that day may take me. As the meeting ended, I was informed that we were heading to Lower Big Creek. Despite skeptical projections, I learned a valuable lesson that morning. When it comes to water levels, always trust the wizard.
The butterflies instantly started to flutter about in my tummy. I had scouted Big Creek on Tuesday, and now it was on. During the ride up, cell phones buzzed between cars and paddlers as we all tried to speculate on the level. Perhaps it would be too high for me this day…was I hopeful of this? Apprehensive? Yes. Hopeful? Maybe. Upon arrival at the bridge, 8 paddlers anxiously checked the paddler’s gauge. The level was 2.5 ft, a perfect first time level. We suited up, and headed to the campground. The butterflies were now going crazy.
There are two words to describe Big Creek. Beautiful and Continuous. It’s appearance is deceptive. As our leader, Dennis Huntley told us at the put in, “If it looks scrapy, it’s probably a good level. If it looks paddlable, then you may want to rethink it because it’s really thumping”. The water is so clear, that in the few deep pools that exist, you can see straight to the bottom. Dennis put Sagel and me on a bit upstream of the others to warm up. We ran from slightly above the campground, to the bridge, passing the test and getting the thumbs up from Dennis. We were good to go for the rest of the run. Other first timers in the group were Craig Mackinnon, Clayton Burton and his friend Hadley (?), accompanied by veterans Kurt McKissick, Milton Wicker, and Sagel (?).
Big Creek consists of about 4 miles of river, which moves consistently through what we deemed boulder boogie water. It is boulder gardens, combined with tight one and two boat eddies, with a few large boofs and drops thrown in. The water and gradient are both continuous throughout. Basically, it’s full on creeking, or at least it was to me. To paddle it successfully, one must look about 200 yards ahead, and be planning moves, and how to get there. Dennis’ advise of looking downstream, and staying in the main flow of the current, while moving from one eddy to the next did us well as we all had relatively clean runs. At this level, there are not many defined lines, as it’s basically picking your way through the rocks, staying in the flow. Mentally, it was very taxing for me, and my focus only faltered once when I realized my skirt was slowly pulling free of my boat’s cockpit. This took my attention for just a second as I tried to push it back with my handpaddle. This split second was enough for me to brush against a rock, flipping in the shallow water. Despite my FNA full face helmet, I still managed to catch a rock to the cheek, leaving behind a small strawberry to remind me of my day. One member had a run in with a strainer, proving why you should never paddle alone. Thankfully, Craig came in for the assist, and soon the paddler was free and upright again. Other than that, everyone had a great first run. So much so, that most of the party opted for two more runs before heading to the Middle Prong.
The Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon is another fabulous run. It’s mellower than Big Creek by far, but is a great Class III creek, and was a refreshing way to unwind and end the day. The group bombed the Middle Prong, enjoying the sunny 70 degree day, taking moments to experiment with boofs, and take in the beauty around us as we read and ran our way down to the takeout.
Days like Wednesday are what Week of Rivers is all about. It’s about taking that next step, getting on a new river with someone you trust, with someone who knows so much more than you ever will. It’s about celebrating the rain, the sun, and the wonderful feeling that you have as you drive home, sun-kissed and smiling, knowing that did it, you ran a new river, a tougher river, and you had a great day. This feeling inside that is so difficult to explain, this is why we do what we do. This is why we paddle.
Many thanks to Dennis Huntley for sharing this wonderful river with us.
