WCP Online Newsletter

Chattooga Trip Report 5.5 Ft
by Nick David

Contributed 06/12/2005  Responses:  0

Today myself and one other paddler Adrian Tambor were headed for Chat. IV for what was supposed to be a higher than normal but not flooded run. When we arrived the gauge read 4.5 Ft. knowing it was to high to run IV we found some other boaters and decieded to run III. After putting in at Earl's ford in heavy rain the river turned into one huge rapid for most of the section, primarly consisting of large wave trains with waves from 2-8 feet in heigth. To our knowledge no one ran Bull Sluice that day and I was the only one in our party to run Dicks Creek Ledge. Later we learned another group of less experienced boaters ran poor lines here and one of them is missing. At Sandy Ford we found a Spray skirt on the bank and shortly later a empty blue playboat. By the time we reachd the bull the level was well over 6 ft. and the rapid was simply massive with a 5-7 foot drop in the main line and a near river wide recirculating hole at least 10 ft high. Luckily for us on the far right the large roc k generally used for scouting was partially covered in water allowing a very cool 6ft boof. When we took out the guage read 6.5 ft and it appeared that it had crested about 20-30 minutes before that time. Overall this was a incredible run at high water and if you have never done this section when it is high you need to do it.