WCP Online Newsletter

Upper Davidson Road closure
by Harrison Metzger

Contributed 09/10/2004  Responses:  0

A friend and I ran the Upper Davidson above the Pisgah Fish Hatchery today, Sept. 10, 2004. The level was about 800 cfs or 2.9 on the gauge at Pisgah Forest, which was very good. However the Forest Service has closed Davidson River Road above the fish hatchery due to several rock slides (none of which go all the way across the road).Based on past experience, it may be months before the road is fixed. So, you can bike or hike the 2-mile shuttle, or risk getting a ticket and move barrels. This is really a local high water run that is rarely run by people who don't live within easy striking distance. Except when a hurricane comes.
Carolina Whitewater lists this as a class II-III run, making me wonder if Benner has run it at a decent flow, or if he is just jaded. There are two rapids on here that I think rate a class IV, Whale Tail (aka Whale Rock) the first drop below the confluence of Cove Creek; and Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner downstream, which is quite similar to Do Drop In, the first rapid on Spring Creek. Whale Tail is a 6 foot drop into a strong hole that can backender you or surf you at the bottom, as my friend found out. B, L and D is consists of three parts, with Lunch being the stickiest drop. I got caught in it in my C-1 and had to surf and fight my way out onto a very swirly eddie on the left, only to have to blast down Dinner, the last drop, on the shallow shelf on far left. This has happened to me before, with no ill effects, but it just goes to show that Lunch wants to have YOU for lunch.
Below there is lots of boat-scoutable busy class III to III+ stuff, similar to Lower Big Creek. Beware of the propensity of this small creek to catch strainers. There were tons of ripped up root balls tossed around down there today, although all of them were on shore or islands, with the channels clear. This can, of course, change at the next heavy rain. Water quality is AAA excellent, better than just about any other run around here.
We had a great day, and will be hopping on the North Fork tomorrow. SYOTR,
Canoeman