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Re: note East Coast Multi Day Trips... carnageking New
Date: Aug 06 2008, 1:55 GMT
From: bankfull1

You could overnight anything, but I like to hold the run to certain criteria before the magic of an overnighter doesn't come out as contrived and arbitrary.

I think the run should be at least 6-7 miles long, and if not, it better be stacked with lots of whitewater.  For example, many runs in Cali that are 2 days are this length, but there are 100 class 5 big drops that make it sensible to break it up.

I have a hard time seeing the use of an overnighter when there are bridges at any point on the trip.  Not saying I wouldn't enjoy the Chattooga overnighter, it seems awesome.  But it would be so much cooler if there were no bridges.  It would kinda be like tripping and at your peak, dead pan sober for 30 minutes.  Just a lot harder to keep the mindset.  Buzzkill if you will.

Water levels from day one to day two, etc, should be complimentary, not out of phase with what is needed from one section to the next.  This is what bugs me about a linville overnighter.  You need less water for the first day and a whole lot of water for the second.  It is reverse what would be ideal.  If the upper required alot of flow, and the lower less, like most runs with a dendritic pattern, it would make sense.  And Linville definitely meets the length and content traits.  The only option to have two good flow days without the feeling of trying to force it when you are bonedogging the last day, is to go in really high, and hope there is still solid flows the next day.

Here are a few that I would like to do, though most of them have little drawbacks mentioned above.

Linville - As far as number of drops and time required, this run beats them all.  So even if the flow isn't perfect both days, cool experience.  It would be hard to not just run the normal run back to back though.

Chattooga, ALL of it.  3 days.  Not saying where I would put in.  Without bridges this would be THE 3 day overnighter in the southeast.

Clear Creek from 127 to Barnett.  20 miles of class 1-2 solitude.  Think tandem canoe, and bring a steak and some drinks.

South Mills, looks cool.  You would definitely be sacrificing alot of other stuff that would be cranking.

Lower Meadow into the Gauley.  Run the Lower Meadow, then go back up, load the overnight gear, run it again and then roll on down to Lost Paddle, camp on the big rock on river left near the bottom.  Paddle out the next day.  That would be pretty awesome.

Hazel Creek in the park. Hike in from Clingmans 8 miles mostly downhill, then run small creek many miles to Bone Valley, where the watershed doubles and creates a perfect flow for the next day.  This could be the premier class 3-4 overnight expedition in the SE.

Not quite as remote as Hazel, but better rapids and shorter shuttle, would be doing the Little by hiking Clingman's down to the Goshen Prong and then going all the way to Elkmont.  Enough stuff to warant camping, and dendritic watershed is complimentary to microcreeking day one and solid flow big creeking the second day.  It is only 4-5 miles of hiking, all down hill, and you get 8-9 miles of creeking in high wilderness.

Abrams Creek overnight would be sweet.  Put in at Cades Cove when the little is 4-5 feet and rain was uniform with a good winter base, paddle the falls and the good rapids, camp at #17, a great site, just below Rabbit Creek, then the next day float scenic and remote paddle out to 129.  Or you can camp at the campground.  If the midpoint access wasn't there this would be the best class 2-3 overnighter anywhere in the east.

I really think a great 2 days would be to go run Henderson with good flow, then go up for a second lap, running down to triple bridge and then camping out.  Then the next day, hike 1 mile up the river right gorge and put on Morgan Creek at the perfect flow, then down to the T.O.  A little bit of work, but alot of sickness, and 2 days in there.

LRC might be kinda fun.

Caney Fork could be overnighted if the rapids are intense enough for you to go slow enough to feel like a second day would amplify the experience.

Jacks River down in GA seems like it definitely would be best paddled in 2 days, and the flows work for that as well as the inaccessibility.  This is a mission I have been wanting to do for a while.  Put it on your radar.

Nolichucky and BSF could definitely be done.  Low water would make more sense.  Any decent flow and I likely see the would be overnighters saying to each other "hey, lets boat 40 minutes longer and go to the bar instead."

The problem with the east, is there is not enough gradient to create multiday situations.  When you have a huge watershed, taller mountains, and less population like out west, it is pretty easy to find great overnighters, but here in the east, with usually not more than 1500 feet of gradient at the most to work with, it is slim pickings.  Not to say there aren't times to do it, but they are rare.

What I really want to do is the Upper Raven Fork overnighter.  Hike 4 miles into the right fork, then paddle down to Three Forks, then 5 miles of beautiful class 3-5 whitewater, then camp at Enloe, and the next day have the perfect flow for the whole Raven Fork from the top.  The flows work perfectly, an overnighter is the only way to have enough time and energy, there are no overly intrusive access points along the way, and there is definitely enough action to split the experience over two days.  It almost HAS to be done as an overnighter.  And that is why it is so appealing, that and it is the most remote and hidden place to do it anywhere in the SE.



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note dude, you got to give away all the secrets? DonVitoCorleone New
th_up Thanks! Great beta! These are going into my file of things to do. <NT> rbowman New
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