Ghost-Busting on the Chattooga (CCC ‘First Descent’ Advanced Kayak Clinic) – John Z
| River: | Chattooga |
| Skill: | Intermediate+/Advanced |
| Trip Date: | 05/14/2005 |
| Dates: | May 14 and 15, 2005 |
| Location: | Chattooga Section IV |
| Levels: | 1.6' on Saturday and 1.9' on Sunday |
| Participants: | Joe Owensby, Ruth Allbright, James Woods, Kurt McKissick, Knut Radloff |
| Instructors: | Instructors: Lisa Birskovich and John Zadrozny |
One of the enduring myths I keep running across is the one about Section IV of the Chattooga being a monster. Just the mere thought of running the Five Falls without a Navy Seal escort and rescue helicopters standing by has a lot of otherwise sane and rational boaters lying awake at night, chasing river demons from their nightmares.
Truth is, Section IV should be viewed as a challenge and respected just like any other river we paddle, from the friendliest flat water to the most difficult whitewater on which we would choose to test ourselves. But, the Chattooga is a river, not a mythical figment of our fevered imaginations.
Take, for example, the ‘First Descent’ clinic which was held on May 14th and 15th, 2005. During the introduction session, I heard just about every one of the all-too-familiar myths: ‘Did you check the gauge this morning? I hope it’s not anywhere near the ‘2-foot-cutoff!!!’ or, ‘I’ll run down to Woodall, but I’m definitely going to walk all of Five Falls – I’ve heard nothing but carnage happens down there! I am paraphrasing the actual sentiments that were expressed, but you get the point: the carnage stories seemed to have captured the minds of these very good Class III / IV kayakers.
Now, I’ve heard all of the scare stories and there is no doubt that the Chattooga is a serious run. But, I choose to focus on the fact that the Chattooga is one of the gems of southeastern whitewater and Section IV has it all: unrivalled beauty, Wild and Scenic River designation that results in a definite wilderness feel, and rapids that live up to the designation of Class IV.
I’m grateful that the crew did not give in to the ever-present Chattooga river demons. All but one were Section IV virgins and everyone chose to put on even after we revealed that one of the stated purposes of the clinic was for them to essentially lead themselves down the river, probing, scouting and reading their own way down to Lake Tugaloo. Lisa and I would suggest ways to do this, but we would NOT lead the trip, nor would we describe how to run any of the rapids or even reveal the names of the rapids as we approached and ran them: it would be up to the participants to figure things out as we went, reading the river and determining the best way to run the rapids, and this included all of Five Falls.
The clinic turned out better than even I had imagined. We had an exceptional crew and everyone performed just as you would expect Class III/IV boaters to perform. Every one of the clinic participants were experienced boaters, looking for a way to take a step up, to ‘push the envelope’ a bit, and to probe their limitations. I think we can safely say that they were able to accomplish those goals with style.
Some of the more memorable highlights of the weekend included:
- The ‘Ball Tree’ (next time you put on at or below Bull Sluice, look to river left, just below the beach).
- 1.6’ on the bridge on Saturday and a rising river on Sunday, peaking just under 2’: 1.9 on the bridge when we took off.
- The luxurious camping accommodations on Saturday night.
- Knut’s observation that there was actually something good about the 3-mile Lake Tugaloo paddle: “It’s twisty and turney so you can’t see how far the take-out really is”.
- Joe’s roll above 7-Foot Falls, and then a fine run of the ‘smear’.
- Ruth stating at the beginning of the clinic that she would walk all of Five Falls, then changing her mind and accepting the challenge AND, in the process, discovering an alternate line at 7-Foot.
- James’s sense of humor
- Kurt’s enthusiasm
- Kurt and James deciding on the ‘do-ability’ of the Puppy Chute with no input from anyone else (and they get to rename the line: I think James wants to call it ‘Shoot the Puppy’ or ‘The Death Slot’!)
- Me forcing the group to sit around for about a half hour while I tried to repair a potential insult to the river gods
I was impressed by the effort and hard work that everyone put into the clinic, and I want to thank you all once again for rusting us and for buying into the clinic concepts. I just hope that we were able to open a few doors for you guys and also, in the process, to dispel some of the Chattooga myths.
The reason you won’t find any carnage stories here: first, there was no carnage. Second, and more to the point, horror stories are negative and allow the demons to roam free. I think we were able to put the demons to rest, at least for a while….