Ocoee Drawdown 2025
I look forward to Drawdown every year. Last year Hurricane Helene did her best to wash Drawdown out. I hoped for a calm week for Drawdown 2025, only to have not one but TWO hurricanes approaching! However, Humberto and Imelda …
Archives: Trip Reports
Are you prepared for that river?
Always prepare for the worst and seek out further education so you are not the person who doesn’t know what you don’t know. This weekend put a bunch of truth into that statement and became a huge learning lesson for …
Catawba River – Fort Mill to River Park
So after posting this with only a week notice, during WOR, it is not surprise that this turned into a 1 boat recon paddle. Make sure to check the Duke Energy release time (https://lakes.duke-energy.com). At 9:15am the horn sounded, …
Families Paddle Too – Lucky 13
The 13th edition of Families Paddle Too took place over Memorial Day Weekend at Smoky Mountain Meadows. The biggest news to come out of the event is that Michele Belknp has agreed to coordinate going forward! Despite it being the unofficial …
Exploring Rocky Branch to the Deep River
Rocky Branch is a creek that I’ve had on my mind for a couple of years now mainly due to the gradient, but I’ve only seen it with high enough water one time when I was already planning on running …
Functional Freestyle Canoe Clinic
“Canoe Freestyle is the art and science of precision, quiet water paddling.” Thus began the required evening lecture on the night before North Carolina’s first canoe freestyle clinic, hosted May 3 in Saxapahaw. Our guest of honor was Marc Ornstein, …
Friday *AM* Middle & Lower Haw (intermediate)
On May 16 Larry Ausley, John McDonald, Christopher Mattocks, Diana Haywood, Alton Chewning, and Colin Harrington (and myself: Jason Jones) set out to link the Middle and Lower Haw sections near Pittsboro. Most paddlers were in whitewater kayaks, and Chris …
Another Ocoee (and Nantahala) Weekend
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 …
Raven Fork near Cherokee TN
Participants Jim Mazzola, Jeff Hatcher, Wayne Jones, John McDonald, Tammy Laurick, Jim Wendling and me (Mort Barlaz) Sometimes you get lucky and are in the right place at the right time. Things came together on Sunday May 4. The Raven …
Wet Ocoee Weekend
With rain in the forecast, Linda and I headed up to the Ocoee. We arrived at Thunder Rock before the storm, managing to get the tent up and be warned by the camp host of the incoming storm. We settled …