Freeland - a Blackwater Story

 Great film

Ocoee in the SPUD 08-16-26

Fun Stuff 2026

January 1st Birmingham Canoe Club Feast on the Beach.  No water to paddle, but we had a great turn-out and some members went on a polar plunge.  It was in the 60'sF but the water was cold.  I did NOT do this.

January 4th - Limrock Blowing Cave.  With John S. and Arlene Z., Donna and Danny, Dave H. our trip leader, other members of the B'ham Grotto.  Water levels were low; air temps were chilly but not too bad. I got perhaps up mid-thigh deep in water on the walk out. I love this cave.

January 11th Mulberry Fork.  With many members of the BCC and HCC.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m.  Level a bit below 2 ft on both online and bridge gauges, but it felt like more.  I had a dry hair day (I have tried not to do this but it was cold).  lol 

January 14th - 20th GCA Florida paddle 2026.  
 01-14 I drove down to Wakulla Springs State park lodge to spend the night. It was approximately halfway on my journey to Homosassa Florida, and it was delightful.  The lodge was built in the 1930's and has been kept specific to that period. The elevator is under renovation so I didn't get to see it.  It was an interesting journey because Verizon had a multi-state outage just as I got below Montgomery Al, and I had no cell service or map guidance after that.  I did have the GPS working on my phone, through my truck dash, and was able to figure out the way without a paper map.  But still.

The lodge had water turned off because of repairs, and though they were supposed to be finished with this before my arrival, it wasn't finished until after midnight.  They had filled the bathtub with water and provided a bucket for flushing toilets, and plenty of bottled water for drinking/brushing teeth.  This was not a big deal, but I had to chuckle at timing my visit right when Verizon was out and the water was off.

01-15 The next morning I took the Wakulla Springs boat tour for $7.00. I highly recommend this tour, and will do it every time I visit.  Alligators, water birds, a resident otter, and several manatees.  The ranger told me the manatees are from the Homasassa herd and have only been visiting since about 25 years ago.
After breakfast at the lodge, which I also recommend (the breakfast was a voucher I purchased when I reserved my room) I headed by Devil's Den dive site on the way to Homasassa.  This is a very cool spot, smaller than I imagined, but gorgeous inside.  I didn't have any buddies with me so I didn't dive or snorkel, just checked it out.  
I arrived at the Chassahowitzka Hotel which is next to the campground parking area where we base the trips out of each day.  There were 21 of us in the Hotel.
Joan S. and Patty C. joined us this year.  We went to dinner at a place called The Freezer that had a simple menu - steamed shrimp, mussels in garlic and butter, smoked fish, clam chowder, cold beers, potato chips in a bag, a small cup of slaw or mac n cheese.  I tried the mussels for the first time ever and they were delicious.  The amount of food we got was amazing and it was affordable and fresh. 

01-16 to be continued...

--- it's January 27th and I haven't been able to paddle local water again. There was water last weekend but it's cold af---

Feb 1st Birthday Beatles party at Ranellis.

Feb 6-13 Ski Solitude in Utah.  I had a couple of falls that made me feel vulnerable.  Decided to start back with a new workout regimen at The Pound in Trussville.  High intensity cardio workouts aka what crossfit was, but they break the bar-bell stuff into the first 30 minutes.  This is good for me because I have left shoulder issues. It really does suit me better to be with a group than to do machines with earbuds.

Feb 20 - 22 Bham Grotto Guntersville Getaway.  Feb 21st ridgewalk.

March 1st Ridgewalk with Dave and Shay. Video here.

I have been slack with updating this! And I will be aggrivated later because I use this to keep up with stuff. I have pics for these activities I may add later as I find time.

March 7-8 Mulberry Fork Races. I did not race; I gate judged both days. I did not camp. Great weather, low water which made the lines tougher and more entertaining to watch.

March 15th Ridgewalk with Dave and Reed.  We returned to some great leads; on the way to them I found one small qualifier (Reed checked it out for me, as well as a couple of nerd holes I found on the March 1st Ridgewalk).  Dave had found a super nice new pit opening, but as of this time it is not a qualifier.  We will return. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE.

March 29th Logan Martin lake paddle with Joan S.  We took our long boats and put in at the Dam, paddled over to Back Porch restaurant for lunch, then paddled back to the dam.  We wore drysuits due to predicted water temps. This was nice because we shed them where we docked our boats and had lunch in street clothes, them put them back on for the paddle back.  Drysuits are genius.

April 11-12 Locust Races.  I only went on the 12th to observe, because I had a gig on the 11th at the Italian festival.

April 11th Italian festival.  I played with all 3 of my brothers in a band for the first time ever.  We had Wyatt P, Chris R., and others on guitar, horns, and keyboards.  I played guitar and bass.  It was really fun!

April 17 - 19 NOC Spring Fling.  I stayed with Mary in Andrews NC.  We had dinner at the Hoppy Trout Friday evening - delicious and they have a great new location.  
I paddled the Nanty on Saturday Ferebee to the Falls parking.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m. With Mary, Fish, Clare, Becca. My left shoulder has been bothering me and it flared up on this trip.
We had a nice dinner at Iron Wok in Bryson City.  Sunday it was colder and very windy, so instead of paddling Mary and I hiked up to the Panther Top fire tower.near Murphy.  Gorgeous.

April 25th Joel Booth Celebration of Life.  A great paddler and friend, Joel passed away after a long battle with multiply myleoma.  We held a celebration of life at the B'ham Canoe Club beach property.

May 2nd Fast Track Kayak Class.  I helped on the Saturday of the 2 day Fast Track Kayak Class held by Helen Hays at King's Bend on the Locust Fork.  Surfing the very nice wave there my left shoulder made me miserable.  Andy S. surfed too and his right shoulder was bothering him. Got a doctor's appt soon thereafter with the doctor who is treating Helen's frozen shoulder.  When I started whitewater kayaking in the 1990's, one of the first things the instructors told us is that it's hard on shoulders. They weren't lying!

May 3rd Dive at Blue Water Park with Bethany.  I wore my 5mm and 12 lbs (ugh) and it was fine.  This was my first dive of the season there; and perhaps my last ever with Bethany there as she is moving back to Florida at the end of May.  We will have to visit her in Florida.  Yes my shoulder bugged me walking with all that gear.

May 7-10 SERA 2026.  Hosted by the B'ham Grotto at Camp Maranatha near Scottsboro.  I worked registration and checking badges at the front gate.  Beautiful weather and a super fun day-glo dance party Saturday night.  Proud of my grotto!

May 10th Mulberry Fork.  In the Antix 2.0m Level perhaps 8" - low but everything goes.  My shoulder hurt so yes this was stupid in some ways but it was also awesome.  With Peggy, Andy L.  Peggy helped me lug my boat.  short sleeve NRS top and shorts - I love it.

May 12 Shoulder Doctor Visit.  Got x-rays.  My left shoulder has an inflamed rotator cuff - tendonitis. And a bit of arthritis which is not surprising at my age.  I got a cortisone shot and 6 weeks of PT coming up.  It feels wonderful now but I know it's the steroid.  My right shoulder is bionic - labrum tear repair in 2004 and it's still awesome. 

May 14 Paddling 101.  At Oak Mtn Lake, with the B'ham Canoe Club. Shep and Kerry brought canoes and helped Stacy W. and I teach the class.  We donated the class fee to give students membership to the BCC for the year.   

May 20 Bear Creek.  With the BCC. Jenni G. was with us too.  In the Antix 2.0m.  Level was low.  We started to get rained on while at the Lunchstop, so we only spent 15 minutes there.  The rain made the portage easier in some ways as it wasn't super hot.  Downpours after, and waterfalls coming in on river left made us feel like we were in a beautiful jungle.  Some of the group got cold, so we paddled hard to the take-out. After we left, there was a surge on the creek and a group of rec boaters were caught in it below the portage and had to hike out.  https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EAyJiL941/
The people on that thread believed the dam was released, but I believe it was a surge from the feeder creeks.

June 13 Scuba Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Imani S. We met through the Women of the Deep: Womens Dive Club group on Facebook.  We did two dives. Nice to meet new dive buddies!

June 21 Scuba Diving at Blue Water Park.  One nice dive with Andy so he could test out his new console computer.

June 26 - July 3rd Week of Rivers 2026.  With the Carolina Canoe Club.  We camped at our creek spot and had a wonderful time. It was me, Joan, Norma L. who had to leave Monday.  Lorraine came by each day too.  The weather was HOT.  I drove up on the 26th.
June 27 - Tuckaseegee High Release day.  In the Wave Sport EZG-50.  I led the trip for the CCC, with several new to the event paddlers. After they paddled so well we invited the newbies to do the Nantahala with us on Sunday.
June 28 - Nantahala top to bottom.  In the Antix 2.0m.  All of us including the Nanty first timers had great lines at the falls.  It rained on us some, but mostly sunny day.  The water was as expected COLD and I was glad to have my semi-dry Kokatat Session top on.
June 29 - Nantahala Ferebee to bottom.  In the Antix 2.0m.  I had a dynamic moment at the falls when I realized I was not going to hit my line, so I punched bottom hole and it back-endered me to applause.  I managed to not flip over and rode it out instead.  Naturally, the many photographers didn't catch that shot, or I would have bought it.
June 30 - Bombproof Your Roll clinic at Tuck Town.  In the Wave Sport EZG-50.  This was so much fun!  We did a drill where we flipped in current and tried off-side rolls, then set up to do on-side instead.  I missed them all, but did T-Rescues and it was just silly fun.  This event got me back in the rolling bug.
July 1 - Nantahala Ferebee to bottom. In the Antix 2.0m.  I had a good line at the falls, and everyone had a great day. Joan raced in the citizen slalom race afterwards.
July 2 - Joan went home.  I went on the Tuckaseegee again for another High Release day.  Andrea and Keith and Chris J. and I escorted CW and his wife for their first time back in boats in 2.5 years.  CW and his wife were in Necky Blunts, and CW's skirt and PFD had flown out of the truck on the way.  CW borrowed of of the PFDs from the take-out but he did the river without a skirt and without any problems. Like riding a bike...
We went to Lazy Hiker brewery in Sylva afterwards and had an early dinner.  I had the tofu curry bowl, yum.  Then I drove to Mary's house in Andrews and spent the night in Fish's room. Slept so well in that AC!
July 3 - We went to breakfast at Morning Fog coffee in Andrews, so good!  We split an order of pancakes and I had avocado toast.  The kind of thing I wish I could snap my fingers and have here near me. Then we went back to Mary's house and visited.  She gave me some hostas from her yard.  She had to work at 11 so I followed her back to Endless River Adventures and bought a new mesh gear bag, then made my way back home.

July 4 - BBQ at my brother Frank's house, then a party in Southside at Joey and Rebecca's with The Ladies Of... performing. 

July 5 - Scuba Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Tony aka TPH.  We did two dives.  Lots of fish!

July 9 - Rolling at Moon River with Terra.  Like I said, I have the rolling bug back.

July 11 - Rolling at Moon River with Andy and Lynn, Stacy and Ezrie.  

July 12 - Scuba Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Helen and Andy, Ross.  We did one dive but it was 70 minutes long!  

July 18th Scuba Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Imani S. from Atl.  2 nice dives.

July 19 Coosa 8000.  In the Wave Sport EZG-50.  It was so nice I went back the following weekend.

July 25 Coosa 8000. In the Wave Sport EZG-50.  

August 1-2 BCC SUMMER SLAM. On the Hiwassee in the Wave Sport EZG-50.  Huntsville was there too for their HOT weekend.  I was the Summer Slam organizer and will not double book events again, as most of us are in both canoe clubs.  There was a HUGE storm Saturday night that dropped 6" in the watershed.  My canopy failed and my tent leaked, which I was dealing with until it shook so hard I didn't feel safe, so I 'slept' in my truck passenger seat.  The next day the Ocoee spiked around 12,000 cfs. So I went back to the Hiwassee which was higher water than normal but not washed out.

Wolf Alice - White Horses - I've decided this is my theme for 2026

Tablesaw on the Ocoee in the Spud again

Fun Stuff 2025 Part 2

 Blogger is not letting me update my blog so I'm starting a part 2.  

I'd like to find a better hosting platform but a minimal search this morning didn't come up with much.

Anyway: 

April 12 Upper/Lower Mulberry. In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  With Peggy, Jie, Kevin S., and Westin.  Level around 2.1.  Kind of too low for the Upper but we were happy to get on it at least once this season. 

April 18 First dive of the year at Blue Water Park.  With Bethany G.  My first dive with my new 5mm wetsuit which is a Henderson Aqualock.  It is very warm!  

April 26 Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Helen, Andy, and Reed.  Nice couple of dives.

Me mind-melding with a young bass. Photo by Helen H. 

May - we did the Mulberry and Locust. We had fun.  rinse and repeat.

May 24-26 BCC Hello to the Hiwassee.  We stayed at AU.  I did the Hiwassee Saturday and Sunday, and then the Cartecay on Monday.  Fun in the rainstorms. The water was colder than usual on the H so I wore my drysuit both days.

May 30 - June 1 TVCC Paddle School.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0 m.  Hiwassee both days.  I helped Paris with his class as a support boater.  Sunday I was going to go on Ocoee but the group wanted to leave too early for me to break camp, so I went back to the Hiwassee with Pat Carver's class as a tag-a-long.

June 7 - 8 Stress and Rescue class.  

June 21 Bear Creek Float.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0 m.  With Peggy, Juliet and Michael, and several canoeists.  I love this float!

June 22 CeCe SSI Try Mermaid and CeCe/Gus SSI Snorkel Diver.   Great time!  At Blue Water Park.  Taught by Bethany at https://www.instagram.com/mermaiding.and.more/

CeCe is 7 and is part fish!

June 27 - July 3 Week of Rivers 2025 WOR CCC.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5 and the Antix 2.0 m.  Great time and reasonably dry weather too. 
Saturday - Tuckaseegee in the Mixmaster
Sunday - Nantahala short trip Ferebee to Surfers with Mona
Monday - Nantahala Ferebee thru the falls. I walked the falls with my swimmer's ear still going on
Tuesday - Tuckaseegee, memorial trip honoring Richard Hopley aka OC1- Kanubi
Wednesday - Nantahala Ferebee thru the falls.  I had a great line at the falls.

July 13 - 100th Dive.  At Blue Water Park.  With Bethany.  She made a sign on her dive slate and took some pics. So stoked to have gotten my 100th dive!  

July 19 Hiwassee.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m.  With Helen, Andy, and Peggy.  It was raining buckets on the drive up and Helen called and asked if we could just day drink instead. (she was kidding).  The day turned out really nice, not rainy just cloudy so the air temps were nice not super hot.  

July 20 Ocoee. Rails to Go-Forth. In the Jackson Antix 2.0m.  With Mary M, Helen, Andy, Trey aka Roscoe P. Wavetrain.  After a long hiatus I returned to the Ocoee to find it exactly how I remembered - the familiar lines, the great water temps, the fun rapids.  I had two combat rolls, one below Double Trouble and one in the runout of Flipper.  Mary and I took out at Go-Forth and had lunch.  I hadn't seen Mary in ages and she's one of my best friends so it was great to catch up with her. 

Helen took a photo of my boof at Double Suck:

...and my smile after landing the boof:
 

July 26 Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Helen, Andy, and Bethany.  We saw an interesting person at the airplane.

Aug 3 Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Bethany.  Then BCC Pool Party at Jason and Kathleen's with members of the Birmingham Canoe Club.

I love my Amazon 3mm cheapie wetsuit

I had to stay local this past weekend for a family dinner.

Aug 9 Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Reed.  Then wonderful family dinner at Wooden City.

Aug 10 Coosa at 8000cfs. In the Jackson Antix 2.0m With Ryan and Ming, Rusty, Emily L, and others.  Had a combat roll at Maytag after a windowshade/head bonk.  Great surfs in Baby Gap and Moccasin Gap.

Me with my brother Frank at Wooden City. 

Rick, myself, Frank, and Sam

Diving - mid- august, I forget when. Blue Water Park.

Labor Day Weekend - 3 days, 3 rivers.  With various friends.  Saturday, Hiwassee in the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  Sunday, Nantahala Ferebee in the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  Monday, Ocoee Rails to GoForth in the Aire SPUD.   There was a luau prom at the Busbar Saturday night, so fun!

SPUD on Double Trouble, Ocoee

Sept 6th Coosa 8000.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  Had some nice surfs here and there, but swam Moccasin Gap after one two many attempts to get back on the wave... caught a pipeline surf on the fly so that made me feel a bit better.
Sept 7th Dive at Blue Water Park.  With Ross, Reed, and Bethany.
Sept 13th Hiwassee.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  I debated taking a playboat, but the Antix was in the truck already so...  and it really is the best surfing hull of all of my boats.  With members of the BCC, HCC, TVCC, and various friends of mine including Peggy, Donald W., Halie and Jes, Lorraine, Pat C., Deborah W., and many more.  I sealed the drainplug on the Antix with aquaseal, and covered it with pink duck tape so that nobody tries to unscrew it anyway, and so far the boat is much drier.  This after replacing the original drainplug with a warranty new one from Jackson. 
Camped at AU and had take-out pizza from the Gondolier.  Nice fire and camraderie.  We didn't wander over to the BusBar.  But the music was good.  The night had some crisp fall notes and was perfect to tent camp in. We debated what to do the next day.  I checked the schedule page for Apalachia and the Hiwassee was scheduled to run again.  This is not guaranteed to happen on Sundays after Labor Day.  One of my 'win the dream lottery' ideas is to lobby for it to be guaranteed on Sundays until the end of October, like it used to be years ago.
Interesting note - it's not releases we want, but power generation - if 2 generators are running then the river is good to go.  The waters of the Hiwassee are trapped in 2 giant tunnels going from the dam through a mountain and then down to the powerhouse, which is right above where we put-in.  Also - it's not a typo - Apalachia is the name of the reservoir.
Sept 14th Hiwassee.  In the Aire Spud.   Sunday we had options.  I had brought the SPUD thinking maybe I could get another run on the Ocoee in it.  The consensus was to do the Hiwassee again since it was running, and I said hmmm I'll take the SPUD.  I didn't expect the SPUD to be so freaking fun on the Hiwassee, but it was!  360's, surfing, eddy hopping, Threading the Needle, fast ferry at 3 Chutes.  Everyone needs SPUDs and/or the bigger version TATERs, they just haven't found out yet.

Peggy has joined the Aire TATER NATION

Sept 21st  Dive Blue Water park.  With Ross and some of his friends from NC.  Airplane, Dragon, it's all wonderful.

Sept 26-28th  Visit Friends in NC.  Spud/Tater Nanty takeover.  Ocoee.  In the Aire Spud.
Trip report here: https://dangerjudy.blogspot.com/2025/09/weekend-of-fun-including-spudtater.html

Oct 4-5th BCC Fall Colors trip 2025.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0 on the Hiwassee and the Aire Spud on the Ocoee.  Great trip with camping at Gee Creek.  Hiwassee we had a big group including Luisa and Matt. Ocoee I put in below slice n dice with Russell where we waited for Helen, Andy, and Greer to come down from the top. Russell had a swim early and decided not to continue.(I have been in his shoes - he'll return!) and I had one swim at the bottom of Tablesaw. I thumbed a ride with a man in a raft taking his little girl down; we ran Diamond Splitter and I regrouped with my crew  Great weekend!

Hiwassee crew for BCC Fall Colors

Me SPUDing Double Trouble on Ocoee. Photo by https://ocoeephotos.morephotos.net/

Oct 11 Dive Blue Water. With Reed, Helen and Andy, and Bethany. Nice dives, still in the 3mm.


  

At Blue Water Park.  Photo by Reed Hilton.

Oct 12 Coosa 8000. In the Jackson Antix 2.0m.  With Joan, Danny and Donna in Tater and Spud, others.   Joan had a dynamic surf at Moccasin Gap.  I had a surfs at Baby Gap and one surf at Moccasin Gap, follwed by a sweet surf at Pipeline and no swims.

Oct 18 Ladies Take The Ocoee.  In the Aire Spud. Great event, no swims, fun party after. I didn't have my camera on the river, but we had on tutu's and sparkly makeup. 

Ladies Take The Ocoee! Photo by Chris Pecou

Oct 24-26 GAF 2025.  In the Aire Spud.  I camped with Roscoe at Smoky Mtn Meadows. Saturday I went to the festival and looked at items for sale, then we hung out by the gates on the Nanty with the ERA crew - my river family - Mary, Andrea, Keith, Lola, Kirk, Juliet. Brad R. stopped by and he, Roscoe, and myself all went to Arbys after a consensus that we all like Arby's (and a confirmed 1 hour wait for a table at River's End).  Then back to camp for a nice fire, guitar, discussion of the world we live in.  Saturday after the river (Roscoe went fishing) we all went to Iron Wok for dinner, then Roscoe and I played guitars by Jes and Halie's big campfire.  With Peggy, the Brayleys, others.

GAF 2025 paddling trip report:

GAF stands for "Guest Appreciation Festival" and is a giant yard sale at the end of the season's Nantahala releases.  People set up booths at the Nantahala Outdoor Center parking lot to sell their used gear.  

I did the Nantahala on Saturday with  Mary Leatherbury Mills Andrea Price Keith Grieser and Claire Ostean.  I took the SPUD and wore my drysuit.  We put in at Ferebee.  The SPUD on the Nanty is a pretty mellow ride, but it was nice to just chill and relax and take some good photos of my friends playboating and having fun.

Nantahala falls was smooth and easy; I decided not to eddy out at Truckstop but used the trailing end of the eddy to line up and catch the curling edge of top hole.  

People have asked me if I use a longer paddle with the SPUD; I do not.  I use my Select Paddles straight shaft fiberglass WILD 197cm for all of my kayaks including the SPUD.  I bought it from Endless River Adventures. I haven't tried it in the larger TATER (which I just got from Adam at Downhill Kayaking) but might need a longer paddle for that; we shall see. 

Sunday I went to the Ocoee with a large group of folks that split off into hardshell kayaks and inflatable kayaks.  It was kind of brisk with grey skies; but the water was not too cold.  I was glad for my drysuit. I was in the SPUD and Trey Coleman was in my new TATER for its very first run; he was demoing it.  We were with Christine Taters and Tim Taters, so there were four of us in inflatables.  The hardboaters included Mary, Keith and Andrea, and Stacy Leagh Wildes.   The SPUD/TATER group put on at the rails, while the rest put on at the top.   Our group of four IKs went ahead of the others, who were playboating at all the spots.

Started out groovy, until we got to Broken Nose.  Christine wanted to take the far left sneak, which I was curious about as I haven't been over there in at least 15 years.  The upper was running so we had extra flow. Trey was following me, and we didn't get left soon enough to follow Christine through her line.  Instead, Trey and I went down the middle of the river-wide ledges in the center of the river; the same ledges make Broken Nose rapid near the right bank.  I can tell you now, there's not a line there (maybe you know of one close by, but not where we went lol).  Neither of us flipped, but I probably would have had carnage in my Antix.   I don't recommend it. Just do the main line by the right bank, or the sneak just left of the main line.

We all had fine lines after that. We got to Go Forth where Christine had parked her truck.  Christine and Tim were thinking about taking out there; nobody was around; and Trey said, "Let's keep going paddle buddy!" I kind of indicated I wanted more than just me and him to run Tablesaw.  That's when I found out why the others were thinking of taking out - Tim was not using thigh straps.  Tim said something like, "What the hell, let's keep going; this is stupid and I'm going to swim Tablesaw but just get me out at the bottom of it". 

We got to Tablesaw and I had a fairly spicy, and scary, ride.  I think my line was perfectly timed and placed to put me into the worst spots and hard hits from every wave, and I kept spinning around.  I had cut around the hole at the top as usual and turned back and lined up just a tad too late.  Anyway, I chanted out loud 'keep paddling', and I indeed kept paddling, which resulted in no flips.  

Tim meanwhile styled Tablesaw without thigh straps and had no problem staying in his TATER.  Tim is my hero!

Trey and Christine also had clean lines.  We bombed down Diamond Splitter and the rest; none of us punched Hell Hole. 

We got to the takeout and I decided to wait for the other crew so they could give rolling the SPUD a try.  I saw so many friends there while hanging out at the Ocoee take-out - it was like a family reunion.

A great weekend saying goodbye to both rivers.  The Ocoee is off for the season unless the flume breaks again.  There's a rumor of a day it might run in December, but hopefully I'll have local water by then.  The Nantahala is off for 8 weeks while they work on the power plant.  

I love these rivers and my friends, and am so grateful for another season on the water!

Life does not get better than this!

Nov 1 Dive Blue Water. In the 5mm.  With Ross.  Helen, Andy, and Bethany were there, but I only dove with Ross, because Bethany was teaching a mermaid class and Helen had some equipment issues so Ross and I went ahead and dove.  Nice relaxing dive and I love Blue Water so much. I wore my fancy 5mm and was glad for it.  It's new so I have to wear 12 lbs with it *ugh* but in the water it doesn't matter.  

Nov 1 Birmingham Grotto Halloween party.  At Toby's house; so great to see everyone.

Please donate if you can, share if you can

I've been following this and donating a bit for awhile. A young lady, raft guide out West, got meningitis, woke up from a coma and was deaf and blind.

If you can donate please do.   https://gofund.me/a8a5314eb Latest update: JENNY AND KATE NEED YOUR HELP!!!! THE FUND IS DRY. I AM BEGGING YOU FOR HELP! Hopefully you saw the postings from Jenny at camp. It was a wonderful opportunity and experience for her. It was also a badly needed hope and morale booster. But still she waits: for social security to approve her application and start paying her a monthly benefit; for medicaid to approve her and to start paying her medical bills; for Texas to sign an agreement so Jenny can attend the deaf/blind center in Oklahoma known as Jeri's House. It is a struggle for Jenny and for Kate and her son, Joey, who continue to provide for all of Jenny's needs. Your incredible generosity has helped them meet the needs for nearky two years, but Jenny's fund is now under $500. Social Security had promised action by September 18th, and that date has come and gone. Now the government is shut down. Please help Jenny and Kate stay afloat. With gratitude on behalf of all concerned, Nancy

My cats hear all my trip reports

 

AIRE SPUD - WHY IS IT SO FUN?

 

SPUD NATION at the Nanty takeover

So... why is an Aire SPUD so fun?

I have paddled other inflatable kayaks, aka "duckies", and all of them have been mellow rides.  (I have not paddled a Thrillseeker - yet.)

The SPUD was designed as a ducky for kids to paddle.   Bigger kids aka adults decided to try it, too.   What was discovered is that with grown-up sized people the SPUD paddles like a playboat - which is a small whitewater kayak designed to spin fast and do tricks -  the SPUD feels like a combination of a playboat and a pool toy mixed together and it's just plain fun. 

And inexpensive.

I have spent many seasons over the years in playboats like my Wave Sport EZG-50, and the Spud feels similiar to them.  I was surprised too.

What are the gotchas?  I can't roll it, and I'm not sure I should try to learn.  My shoulders are patched together already.   

I am not sure I can ever learn to climb back in it wearing my PFD if I can't touch the bottom.

Sideways in a hole is a good way to get flipped.  Fast.  Aka 'windowshaded'.

Once you venture into class III it's a spicy ride - on the Ocoee I have to do my hardboat lines and plan ahead.   

I'm not sure what the max weight would be in a SPUD before it becomes a drag.  People over 185 who want to do class III I would send to TATER-ville.  The TATER is the bigger model of the SPUD.
I wrote this review originally on FB, and some responders said they weigh more like 200 lbs and love the SPUD.  I guess it all depends on your skill and spice levels.

There is a bigger version called the TATER. A friend asked: What does the TATER feel like?  I replied, "I haven't really paddled one except at Thread the Needle on the Hiwassee. I would say not as scary. A SPUD can feel scary like a tilt-a-whirl ride lol."
Another friend who is much bigger than me and loves the TATER said, "The TATER feels like a small raft. It’s very stable but also very fun. It’s rowdy, but not so rowdy that you’re constantly out of the boat."

Some items to consider:  you will need an inflator and a top-off pump. My top-off pump is a K-100. https://k-pump.com/products/k-100?variant=41820277702698
You must also consider where to store your SPUD or TATER.  It must be stored where mice cannot get to it.  Mice and rats love to chew raft material.  It's best to store them inflated, if you have the space.  But I don't have the space, so I don't, simple as that.
Finally, if you are venturing past class II, thigh straps are mandatory.  A lot of my friends like the NRS thigh straps.  I have the Aire deluxe thigh straps and they serve me, but I think they are rather long, and I'm not, so next time I am trying a pair of Party Wave thigh straps I bought at NOC.
You will still need to wear a PFD, and have a good paddle, and a helmet, if you plan on paddling whitewater, no matter what craft.

Weekend of fun including SPUD/TATER Nanty Takeover and SPUD the Ocoee trip 2

 So... trip report for Sept 26-28 weekend.. I went up Friday and stayed at Mary's house in Andrews.  She had to work Saturday at ERA and I had only brought my SPUD with me - no hardshell kayaks - because I knew I was going to do the Spud/Tater Nanty Takeover and it was a blast!   It rained a good bit, and I was glad to be in my drysuit, though I only had a t-shirt and leggings on underneath. 

Photo Bomb with blingies on our faces

SPUD and TATER NATION

Afterwards I checked out the items for sale at the Nanty Fest.  The new Antix 3 looks sharp.  The double rails down the hull - like the rails on the Rockstar V - very cool. 

New Jackson Antix 3.0

Double rails on the hull of the Antix 3.0

Double rails on the hull of the Antix 3.0

Went to Tom and Lola's for dinner and I got to say hello to Cliffy cat. 

Cliffy!

Sunday we met at the Ocoee take-out.  Roscoe P. Wavetrain had brought my new to me Dagger Kayaks stratos from River Sports Outfitters in Knoxville.  We strapped it to my roof racks and locked it, then went to the rails put-in with my trusty SPUD.  

My new Dagger Stratos 14.5 sm touring kayak

Right off the bat I tried something cute going into Staging Eddy and flipped on a crease and swam.  hmmm that's not what I expected.  Am I going to have one of those days?  Thankfully that was the only gotcha on the run and I had great lines.  

Gonzo Shoals I ran around the big rock and used the little hole there to turn me, then ferrired to far river left.  I haven't tried the walk-the-plank in the SPUD yet.  

Broken Nose, I have decided the main line makes the most sense, because a swim there is right by the bank and easy rescue, whereas a swim at the sneak sucks in a myriad of indescribable ways, though I'll try.  A swim at the sneak leaves you in the middle of the river, with no way for your friends to easily get you.  So.  I ran the main line, did a sort of boof off the far downstream side of the curler at the top, landed in the main line eddy there, and headed left.  I will be grinning about my line there for the rest of this week!

That's my second Broken Nose SPUD main line, so far.

Moon Chute, then boof line at Double Suck, then the meat of Double Trouble.  Flipper I did right side eddy ferry to the left, decided not to eddy out and ran the standard line.  I thought then about getting out at Go Forth, even though our cars were at the bottom.  I felt gassed. I felt intimidated.

The others were not stopping, and they encouraged me to go, so I said alright. Their support meant so much to me. 

Tablesaw- great line - I followed Mary.  Diamond Splitter, etc. etc. all the rapids were golden.  And I decided to run Hell Hole, because Eva was in my head saying do it.  And I did, it did try to grab me but I got away, lol.  

Another great SPUD the OCOEE day and I look forward to many more!

No pictures on the Ocoee - didn't bring my phone. 

Me in my happy place - the Hiwassee

 

Hiwassee River, 09-13-25. Photo by Peggy Robertson.

I wanted to post this photo of myself in celebration for 26 years of paddling the Hiwassee River.  It was my first whitewater river back when I started, and it still remains one of my favorite places on Earth. As one of our paddling clan said, "She's the mother of us all" because the Hiwassee is where so many Southeastern paddlers take their first learning trips and become part of the river family.  Also I really like this picture.

I swam.

 

SPUD the Ocoee was awesome!

Here is me buzzing about my great SPUD run on the Ocoee Labor Day!

Love getting my hair cut by my cousin Regina!

My cousin Regina owns Salon on Crescent and it's always great to visit with her.

kayaker pic

I saw my friend Terra the other night at the Leeds Farmers Market. I have not been able to paddle together with her and Micah much this season. But hopefully soon! 

I like this picture of me so I'm sharing it.

Jackson Flow review

 

I demoed Dennis C's medium Jackson Flow on the Hiwassee Sunday. I had paddled his Flow once before briefly on the Mulberry Fork last year and wanted to give it another try.

I've been spending all of my river time in my medium Jackson Antix 2.0, and expected the Flow to have a similar feel. Once we put on and I ferried over to the grasses where we get everyone together, I thought, this thing is a pig. It felt sluggish and slow. I was surprised by this and had a suspicion that seat position was the key. I pulled over at the teaching island and moved the seat back from the middle to one notch back. (One great thing about Jackson outfitting is how easy it is to adjust the seat and bulkhead on the fly.) I was right; moving the seat back let the bow release some and it let me edge the boat and surf. I was able to put the boat where I wanted and catch all of my little surf spots. Front surfing is my favorite thing to do in a kayak and it surfed well. I purposely did not boof any rocks as I was in a friends boat, but I also purposely went through holes just to see how the bow rocker felt; as expected it went over the holes instead of plugging them. Example being the feature at the top of Devil's Shoals.

The knee position is flatter than the Antix, and I kind of wish they had gone with the Antix knee height and am curious why they didn't. I didn't notice it after awhile and it wasn't uncomfortable. It rolls easy.

The Flow does not have the feel of a fast performance creeker, but that isn't its purpose.

To me it's like an Antix for days I don't want the slicy stern grabbing me. I think the Flow is designed for river running and creeky rocky runs with little eddies to tuck in. I like that it is shorter than most creekboats these days. No idea how it does in big water, but it does have edges which would help. I dig the boat.

*edit to add, this would be a good boat for beginners as well.

Me in the medium Jackson Flow 

Fun Stuff 2025 part 1

Jan 1 2025 BCC Feast on the Beach. At the Birmingham Canoe Club property/Mulberry Fork takeout.  Level 1 ft, my favorite.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m, also my favorite.  It was sunny, perhaps 60 as the high, and many people enjoyed the float and the feast after. 
Photos here: https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Feast-on-the-Beach-2025

Jan 2 Mulberry.  Level approx 8 inches on the old bridge.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m. With Tammy P., Andy L., Jason L.  Shahn W. tried to join us but he had left his helmet at home.  It happens to us all - have to Count Five. Sunny, mid-50's, Training Wheels wave was great, Lunchstop was flatter than at 1 ft so a bit harder to get onto, but was great to surf.  5-0 was shallow and steep.  
What does Count Five mean?  It means count the five things you must have in order to whitewater kayak: your paddle, your boat, your spray-skirt, your pfd, and your helmet.

Jan 16-20 GCA Florida trip. In the Dagger Axis 10.5.  Wonderful trip to paddle the springs of Florida with the Georgia Canoe Association.  Now I want a Stratos 14.5s.  I had a hard time keeping up with the long boats!  
Google maps will tell you it's 7.5-8 hours drive to Chassahowitzka Hotel where we stayed.  It's more like 9.5-10 hours. I went through Atlanta, it adds 100 miles but is the same amount of time and mostly interstate instead of little country roads.  
Friday 17th - Halls-Homosassa Rivers
Saturday 18th -  Pithlachascotee (Cotee) River
Sunday 19th - Withlacoochee River from the Inglis Bypass to Bird Creek Beach
Monday 20th - Chassahowitzka River then drove home.  Tons of Manatees!

Photos here: https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/GCA-Florida-2025

Feb 1-7 Ski Steamboat Colorado.  Beautiful trip including a visit to Strawberry Springs. I stayed with my friend Betsy.  With Margaret W., Eva V., Trey C. and David MC.  

Photos here: https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/Other-1/Steamboat-2025

Feb 15 Locust Fork. In the Jackson Antix 2.0 medium.   Level 3.75.  Justin C. and I were going to do Calvert Prong but it had dropped out.

Feb 16 Mill/Murphy creek and Calvert Prong.  In the Pyranha Scorch medium. Mill/Murphy was minimum and manky.  Calvert was high and the weather was down to 41F.  I had a crappy swim on Cyclops.

March 1-2 Mulberry Fork Races.   I volunteer gate judged on Saturday and went by Sunday to take photos.  Level was low but they added the Duck release Saturday so it was higher than minimum.

March 15-21 Roatan Diving. With Andrea and Keith, Larry and Leslie.  Wonderful trip. I did 9 dives, including a night dive that featured the String of Pearls.  Tuesday was too windy to dive so I visited Carambola Gardens.  Not sure why I left Roatan to return home.  Photos here: https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/SCUBA-DIVING/Roatan-March-2025.

March 15-23 Mulberry.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0m. Level around 1.17.  Great surfing with lots of friends.  Unfortunately I got something in my eye (probably sunblock) and it was windy so I was dealing with that.  Mexican at Casa Fiesta afterwards.

March 29 Mulberry. In the Jackson Antix 2.0m. Level around 1.17 again.  Perfect surfing levels at Training Wheels, Lunchstop, and Hawaii 5-0.  The Antix 2.0 has turned out to be the best boat for my needs that I've ever owned.  With Peggy, Andy, Joe, and open boaters John and Bobby.

Me surfing the Antix 2.0 at Hawaii 5-0 wave.

April 5 Locust Fork Races.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  For the first time in many years I decided to race. As in the past I was very slow but had fun. Great time visiting with friends and playing guitar with Shannon G on violin. I chose not to camp due to the forecast. Unfortunately the weather overnight meant Sunday was cancelled. The river went from 2 ft. range to 13 ft. range very quickly Sunday morning!

Goodbye 2024

Fun Stuff 2024

The drought has finally ended in the SE, but we didn't have local water for a long time. I have been making this blog post as a general list and will add media as I find time.

Jan 1 2024 BCC Feast on the Beach.  River too low to paddle but we had a nice get-together.

Jan 7 2024 G Cave with Lee A., Emily L. and Tammy P.

Jan 13 2024 Georgia Aquarium. With Eva and her family.  It's really cool, but it was also really crowded, and I think it's where I picked up my flu.

Jan 14 2024 Mulberry.  Level around 1.5 I think.  With Lynn and Andy, Ryan, others.  I didn't realize it but I was getting sick.

Jan 15 2024 I woke up with Flu A in the middle of an ice storm.  Not fun stuff.  The ice storm meant I didn't see a doctor until I had been sick four days, so no Tamiflu for me.  It took me a good three weeks to feel over it.  Fortunately it didn't ruin my ski trip mentioned below.

Feb 3-10 Ski Snowmass Aspen.  17" of powder, beautiful days and usual (some others had unusual) adventures getting to and from Aspen airport.

Feb 23-25 Snorkel with manatees and SCUBA dive Rainbow River and Ginnie Springs.  Amazing weekend with friends in Crystal River Florida.

March 2-3 Mulberry Fork Races.  I gate judged Saturday, went home that night and came back up to race OC2 with Steve I.  Level was a beefy 3.5 feet Saturday and 2.5 feet Sunday.  

March 24 Mulberry.  In the WS EZG 50.  Level around a foot, perhaps a bit less.  Sunny, warm but in drysuit still.  It was a day for the Antix on Lunchstop and 5-0, the EZG was too slow.  Training Wheels still wonderful.  With Ed Russell and others.

March 30 Cahaba Grants Mill to Overton.  Level 233 cfs/1.38 ft. Sunny cloudless day, upper 70's, very little traffic on the river, plenty of current.  Trip took 4.5 hours going at a very relaxed pace.  With Dave H. and Angie A.

We got skunked on local water in this spring as well as last winter.  

April 6-7 Locust Fork Races.  I didn't race; I did camp with Joan and Eva.  There was a low country boil for dinner.  The night was cool but air temps during the day were warm; perfect camping weather.

April 19-21 Spring Fling.  With various BT friends including Dneesh, Ronzo and Jocelyn and their awesome kids, Kathy, Trey, Terrell and Michelle...  we did not paddle. We camped together and went to the NOC and to ERA's Nantahala Open and watched friends paddle pool toys down the falls.  Had dinner at 4 queens and did a hike up Big Creek in Bryson.  It was the best time!

Me with the Ronzo fam!

April 28 Dive at Blue Water Park.   First time in the quarry in 2024. With Helen and Andy.  I wore my new to me 5mm wetsuit - it is Bethany's old suit she gave to me - water was cold and murky and I was happy to have the 5mm on.  Helen and I lost Andy.  We were headed to the airplane and well, it all worked out fine.  We never found the airplane. We did find the boat and decided that was enough discoveries for the dive.  This all sounds scary but instead for whatever reason I found it all fun.  

May 10 Northern Lights in B'ham.  It wasn't dramatic; had to use cell phone camera on night setting to see it.  But still - it was here, and I do wonder if that will ever happen again in my lifetime.

May 12 Mulberry.  Perhaps 8-9 inches, low but everything goes. Warm, sunny day. With Peggy.  We met up with Phil, Chris, and Eric who were on their own trip down, and we discussed how people think the Mulberry is too low at these levels to be worth it, and how they are missing out.  Training Wheels was in and wonderful.  There were Cahaba lillies in an eddy by the little waterfall above Lunch Stop.  Lots of turtles.  

May 20 Diving at Blue Water Park.  With Bethany, Helen, and Andy.  In 5mm, water temps are still cold.  Murky and lots of fish.

May 25 Hello to the Hiwassee.  Did a day trip to the Hiwassee with Tim and Christine, Tim's daughter Gabby, and Stacy W.  I continued my tradition of saying hello to the Hiwassee Memorial day weekend, but decided not to camp.  The day trip drive home wasn't bad, I was home by 7pm CT. 

May 26 Dive at Blue Water Park.  I met Bethany around 1pm and we did two dives, and left as the park closed at 5.  I have been so sad recently and Bethany was kind enough to indulge me spending a long time hanging out in shallow depths with the fish and turtles.  I love them! 

Me floating with bream in my happy place

May 31 - June 2 TVCC Paddle School.  I support boated with a class on the Hiwassee. Won a kayak at the raffle!  

I won a new Jackson Mixmaster 7.5!
Thank you TVCC!

June 9 SSI Try Freediving class.  At Blue Water park.  Was so cool!  I have now signed up to do the SSI Basic Freediving class in July.

I tried to dive down and touch the airplane at Blue Water Park.

To learn freediving, scuba diving, mermaiding and more go to Bethany's site at: https://mermaidingandmore.com/

June 17 - 25  Middle Fork of the Salmon trip. Amazing return to the Middle Fork of the Salmon river in Idaho. Pics here: https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Middle-Fork-Salmon-2024

June 29 Dive. With Helen Hays at Blue Water Park.

July 4-7 Week of Rivers.  
   July 5 French Broad Section 9.  Level low.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  With Andrea, Keith, others.  FUN TIME

   July 6 Tuckaseegee.  High release.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  Had vertigo when rolling - ear infection - so I didn't roll as much as I wanted, but I still had some good surfs.
Trip Report: Had a short version of Week of Rivers this year, which I think may be at least 20 for me which is crazy to think about...

Also had some firsts: my first run of the main line of Pinball on FB9, previous runs we have always gone to the river right boof line. Level was in the 900s and we had plenty of water. The commercial rafts doing the S-Turn rapid line amazes me. French Broad River is a rare treat for me. Rolled a lot, didn't wear earplugs which was stupid but whatever.

First paddles in my new mix master 7.5, I had one I sold last year and won this one in a raffle last month so I figured the universe was telling me to paddle it.

First run for me of the Dillsboro dam rapid. Didn't realize the nice parking area etc.was there. High release, nice day except I got vertigo after rolling a couple times and now I am worried I have another ear infection.

First visit to Innovation Station in Dillsboro. So cool! We had takeout from Forager's Canteen next door.

I use this stuff called Ear Shield spray when I dive, it's mineral oil with some other things, and have had no ear problems after. I am now wondering if I should just use it before the river as well.

July 13 Hiwassee.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  Special day with friends who have had health challenges returning to the river.  

July 14 Diving. At Blue Water Park.  With TPH, Bethany, Helen, and Andy.  Great dives.

July 20 SSI Basic Freediver Course.  At Blue Water Park.  Learning more about freediving. 

July 21 Montgomery Whitewater.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  With Joan.  We stayed on the feature at the bottom of the creek course.  Lots of rolls and ferries.
July 28 Montgomery Whitewater.  With Joan, Stacy, and Hayward.  I'm starting to appreciate the park for improving my skills. (translation - I swam)

August 2 Diving. At Blue Water Park.  With Bethany and Helen. I love it.

August 3 Bear Creek float.  In the Jackson Antix medium.  With Peggy, Ed, Bug, many others. So much fun! 

Brittany and Bug!

Waterguns!

Jumping off the jump rocks on Bear Creek!

August 4 Coosa 8000. In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  With Stacy, Andy, and Lynn. The Mixmaster wanted to pearl and ender, I should move the seat back for surfing.  Another great day. I *think* this was the day I had a giant popup in Moccasin Gap.  

------

I haven't updated this blog in awhile, but I also haven't been going to Tennessee/NC like I used to.  I spent most weekends going to dive at Bluewater one day and then doing the Coosa or Montgomery Whitewater the other day.  
It was kind of easy to talk myself out of driving 3-6 hours one way when I had closer options.  Also I am addicted to diving in the quarry.  I find it a strange, surreal, psychedelic? visit to another world.  It closes mid-November for the season and I will miss it dearly.
I didn't expect this at all when I took the dive course in June of 23.  I thought I would get certified for Open Water and maybe go to the Caribbean once in awhile, and be a tourist seeing pretty critters.  At first going to dive in the quarry was scary for me, and yet I kept feeling drawn to go back.  Now it has become a great way for me to find stress relief, floating weightless with the fish.  Even the murky waters (sometimes it's clear, sometimes it's not) give me comfort.   Yesterday I did 3 dives, perhaps the last for the season because the water is getting cold even in a 5mm wetsuit.  And I realized at one point I had completely forgotten I was under water.  It was like being under water was 'normal' and the world above was abnormal, heavy with gravity and grief. 
 

These dates are estimates from my memory, my calendar, my messenger, and my credit card statements. Montgomery won't show up unless I buy something, because I have a yearly pass.  

August 17 Tuckaseegee.  With Mary and others.  Normal 'high' release. In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  I love the Tuck.

August 24 Dive at Bluewater Park.

August 25 Coosa 8000.  In the Jackson Mixmaster 7.5.  I had moved the seat back and had a glorious feeling surf in the Gap.  But Baby Gap was meh in that boat.  I switched back to the Antix for later trips.  

Sept. 01 Dive at Bluewater Park.

Sept 02 Coosa 10000.  With David P. and others.  It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, some stuff I like was flushed out.  The crew I was with had no interest in trying to surf the Gap, we went river left of the island, which was cool because I rarely get to go that way.

Sept. 07 Dive at Bluewater Park.

Sept. 15 Coosa 8000.   In the Jackson Antix 2.0. I've been enjoying that boat.  I *think* this was the trip with Andy and Lynn where Andy took a line river right of the Gap and I followed him.  It's swirly and manky over there.

Sept. 22 Montgomery Whitewater. In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  My home-made noseplugs broke so I had to buy a pair from the shop.  So nice to have a gear store on site!

Sept. 27 Devastation from Hurricane Helene destroyed many places and friend's homes and livelihoods in WNC and TN. The Pigeon as we knew it is gone.  The Nolichucky and Green as we knew it is gone.  

Sept. 29 Dive at Bluewater Park.  2 dives with Andy and Dale.  Bethany showed up after awhile and we went snorkeling with the fish by the docks. Dale joined us snorkeling while Andy took my tank home by mistake.  

October 4 TAG fall cave-in.  I just went by for a few hours.

October 5 Dive at Bluewater Park.  With Bethany and Scott. 

October 5 Cabin stay with Joan and others.  I drove down to Montgomery WW after diving and met my friends there who had been kayaking all day. We went to Joan's family's hunting cabin the "Sugar Shack" and spent the night. It is close to MWW and to the Coosa.

October 6 Coosa 8000.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0.  With Joan, Heather, Stacy, others. I got a few surfs in at Baby Gap and one brief surf at Moccasin Gap.  1 roll trying to stern squirt that first eddyline.
 

October 12 Coosa 8000.  In the Jackson Antix 2.0. With Hayward and Stacy.  I got better surfs at Baby Gap and a long (for me) surf at Moccasin Gap.  Also flipped trying to catch Pipeline and ended up in a long stern pirouette in a whirlpool, pretty wild.  2 combat rolls that day, the first was trying to stern squirt at the first eddyline in the beginning of the run.

October 13 Dive at Bluewater Park 2 dives with Bethany, Tony, Tina, and newbie diver Ben who asked to join us. Both dives had some interesting moments. Examples include 3 backwards tanks in our crew, Tony's tank came loose from his BCD, and Ben got floaty. 

October 18 Trolley of Terror.  With Helen M., Liz, others.  A ride through Birmingham with ghost stories and historic locations.  It was fun and different.

October 19 Dive at Bluewater Park.  One dive with Reed, one with Reed and Bethany, and one with Bethany.  I was chilled in my 5 mm, the weather has changed for fall.  

October 24 -27 GAF 2024.  I am updating this blog on Dec 14 so I don't have all the details I usually do, but I stayed at SMM, hung out with Kathy K, Ryland and Jenni, Scott B. I paddled the putin to ERA/Swinging Bridge on the Nanty with Dave MC and others in the Pyranha Scorch Medium. Kathy and I visited the Road to Nowhere, and the colors were peaking.  Kathy, Ry and Jenni and I then did the hike at Deep Creek, gorgeous. I had a parking lot encounter with a rock so I had to get my truck repaired (cosmetic). We had a nice dinner at 4 Queens.  

November was a slow month. Bluewater Park closed for the season.  No local water except for Montgomery, which I didn't visit for various reasons.  This drought sucks!

November 30 Ridgewalk.  With Dave H. Jeff H. and others.  We went back to the area we've been going to for a few years and found some new leads, including an interesting lead I found that looks like it's newly opened.  Video here: https://youtu.be/Nc-uoWsy1n4

December 30 Eight Mile Creek.  Local Water returns! In the Pyranha Scorch M.  With John D. Bobby G. Clayton V. visiting from DC. and Fred H. I ended the year with a new to me local run and a re-connect with my good friend Clayton.  The Mulberry was around 5 ft (Streambeam gauge) which normally means we would run the Upper, but John D. suggested Eight Mile Creek near Welti Al and I am so glad we went.  It is a quality class II run.  There are issues finding a legal parking place at the takeout, I hope to find a solution for this as some of us would like to run it more often and also do a clean-up (I counted 4 soccer balls and 3 kickballs).  The takeout is similar to the putin for the Upper Mulberry - a bit of a steep climb to the road.  There is a small feeder creek with a waterfall that we stopped at and hiked up a bit.  Many cliffs and waterfalls into the creek; kind of like a longer Calvert Prong.  

Me standing in front of the pretty feeder creek we hiked up a bit.

If you want beta on the levels/rainfall required, putin and takeout locations, and other details for Eight Mile Creek, email me at dangerjudy at gmail dot com.